I teach in a Title I school. I have taught my entire career there. I love helping my students and building relationships with parents! ...
Explore tips, strategies, and resources to help improve the connection from home to school and expand parent involvement.
Connecting with parents doesn't have to be scary. Use these 4 easy steps to help make those important school to home connections.
Yesterday I talked about reading in the classroom.... today, will be reading at home. All that hard work we are doing in class needs to be reinforced and practiced at home. I ask my parents to read with their child for twenty minutes per day. My principal shared this visual at a staff meeting last year.... she got it from Perry Lecompton Unified School District {I am not sure if this is the original source}...... It. Is. Fabulous. Click {HERE} to go to the Perry Lecompton site. I also found that the High-Tech Teacher Blog has retyped the same visual I just shared and added a Spanish version too. Click {HERE} to download her English and Spanish PDF explaining WHY a child needs to read for twenty minutes per day. The website Colorin Colorado has some great tip sheets for parents {click here} I have found {this link} by Mrs. Samuelson very useful. She shares the "Handy Reading Strategies" and I have no idea who created this ..was it Mrs. Samuelson? It is one of those little helpers I have seen everywhere online because it is so useful. I retyped it and it is included in the freebie below. One of the first times I meet the parents in my classroom for a formal meeting is Back to School Night. It is a parent only evening where each teacher explains all the basic information about our school and what to expect over the course of the school year. This is also where I give them my PLEASE READ every single day speech. I also hand this out- Click on either image to download your own copy. Get this Freebie now! {The Handy Reading Strategies image is also available on a page with no other text} I hope you can use these, too! I'll be back soon to post about how writing fits into the Balanced Literacy equation.
Hello Everyone! I have had many second grade teachers contact me about our home reading log and parent/child questions to accompany reading. Reading at home is a huge component in reading success. I have shared our first grade log before, but I went ahead and added a second grade component to this little packet. We require our first graders to read at least ten minutes every evening. I included a note to parents about second graders reading twenty minutes. Take a peek! If you would like your own free printable reading pack click HERE!!! :) Thanks for stopping by for a peek!! If you are one of my students, grab a book! Grab a book NOW!! :) Joyfully! Nancy
Hello Everyone! I have had many second grade teachers contact me about our home reading log and parent/child questions to accompany reading. Reading at home is a huge component in reading success. I have shared our first grade log before, but I went ahead and added a second grade component to this little packet. We require our first graders to read at least ten minutes every evening. I included a note to parents about second graders reading twenty minutes. Take a peek! If you would like your own free printable reading pack click HERE!!! :) Thanks for stopping by for a peek!! If you are one of my students, grab a book! Grab a book NOW!! :) Joyfully! Nancy
Friday letters offer so many insights into your students and keep parents connected to your classroom. See how I teach students to manage them themselves.
Hello Everyone! I have had many second grade teachers contact me about our home reading log and parent/child questions to accompany reading...
Designed around the K-1 Common Core, MATH-O can be used in a variety of ways to keep your students practicing important skills at home during each month of the school year. MATH-O is especially useful for helping parents practice important math skills with children and offers a fun and effective way...
You touch a hot object and immediately drop it. It happens so quickly you don't even think about it. How does this happen? Your nervous system coordinated everything.
Yesterday I talked about reading in the classroom.... today, will be reading at home. All that hard work we are doing in class needs to be reinforced and practiced at home. I ask my parents to read with their child for twenty minutes per day. My principal shared this visual at a staff meeting last year.... she got it from Perry Lecompton Unified School District {I am not sure if this is the original source}...... It. Is. Fabulous. Click {HERE} to go to the Perry Lecompton site. I also found that the High-Tech Teacher Blog has retyped the same visual I just shared and added a Spanish version too. Click {HERE} to download her English and Spanish PDF explaining WHY a child needs to read for twenty minutes per day. The website Colorin Colorado has some great tip sheets for parents {click here} I have found {this link} by Mrs. Samuelson very useful. She shares the "Handy Reading Strategies" and I have no idea who created this ..was it Mrs. Samuelson? It is one of those little helpers I have seen everywhere online because it is so useful. I retyped it and it is included in the freebie below. One of the first times I meet the parents in my classroom for a formal meeting is Back to School Night. It is a parent only evening where each teacher explains all the basic information about our school and what to expect over the course of the school year. This is also where I give them my PLEASE READ every single day speech. I also hand this out- Click on either image to download your own copy. Get this Freebie now! {The Handy Reading Strategies image is also available on a page with no other text} I hope you can use these, too! I'll be back soon to post about how writing fits into the Balanced Literacy equation.
Friday letters offer so many insights into your students and keep parents connected to your classroom. See how I teach students to manage them themselves.
Lesson Plan Diva is having a behavior plan linky party! This is a great idea, because I'm always looking for new ways to manage classroom b...
There are many strategies we use as fluent readers, but students learning to read need help learning these strategies. Students sometimes use one, two, or more of these strategies to help them decode an unknown word. Keep in mind that each student develops at their own rate. For example, a student who may not have all of their letter sounds down may have trouble tapping out a word, while a student who knows all their sounds might be able to 'look for chunks' in words or 'flip the vowel'. It all depends on the student and the word they are trying to decode. Here's a list of strategies we focus on to help us decode new words in Kindergarten...
These educational and interactive worksheets are perfect for both school and home use, providing a delightful way for children to delve into the profound words of the Apostles Creed. By filling in the blanks, young learners actively participate in understanding and memorizing the prayer's essential phrases, fostering a deep connection to their faith.
Holidays Around the World videos for teachers that feature unique customs and Christmas traditions in 15 different countries. Make your holiday lesson come alive with these amazing videos for teachers!
Yesterday I talked about reading in the classroom.... today, will be reading at home. All that hard work we are doing in class needs to be reinforced and practiced at home. I ask my parents to read with their child for twenty minutes per day. My principal shared this visual at a staff meeting last year.... she got it from Perry Lecompton Unified School District {I am not sure if this is the original source}...... It. Is. Fabulous. Click {HERE} to go to the Perry Lecompton site. I also found that the High-Tech Teacher Blog has retyped the same visual I just shared and added a Spanish version too. Click {HERE} to download her English and Spanish PDF explaining WHY a child needs to read for twenty minutes per day. The website Colorin Colorado has some great tip sheets for parents {click here} I have found {this link} by Mrs. Samuelson very useful. She shares the "Handy Reading Strategies" and I have no idea who created this ..was it Mrs. Samuelson? It is one of those little helpers I have seen everywhere online because it is so useful. I retyped it and it is included in the freebie below. One of the first times I meet the parents in my classroom for a formal meeting is Back to School Night. It is a parent only evening where each teacher explains all the basic information about our school and what to expect over the course of the school year. This is also where I give them my PLEASE READ every single day speech. I also hand this out- Click on either image to download your own copy. Get this Freebie now! {The Handy Reading Strategies image is also available on a page with no other text} I hope you can use these, too! I'll be back soon to post about how writing fits into the Balanced Literacy equation.
Learn more about how early connections last a lifetime. Popular Resources
Preparing for back to school with a homework/parent communication binder.
ESL learner friendly. The images help children recognize the activity. Do the grounding exercise together in English and/or their home language(s). After this they will be able to work autonomously, as they can see by the images which activity this is. Tip: what are the 5 senses words in other languages they know? Can they make connections between the languages?
This activity combines science, math, and sequencing into one delicious bundle! This product contains: 1. A supplies and directions sheet (for the teacher) 2. A recipe to send home (school-home connection) 3. A sequencing the recipe cut and glue 4. A class graph to answer the question "Do YOU like homemade butter?"
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Literacy Worksheets: Screws is a supplemental literacy resource for students to reinforce vocabulary and reading comprehension skills pertaining to screws. This 30-page printable packet contains a diverse collection of worksheets, games, research activities, comics, writing prompts, and more to creatively teach this topic. Educators can utilize these versatile activities for independent practice, small groups, homework, and more in 3rd-5th grade classrooms. Students will study relevant terminology through visual aids, apply their understanding in creative writing, illustrate concepts through art, play educational games, and make real-world connections. The variety of activities aim to engage multiple learning styles while enhancing literacy abilities, content knowledge, and interest surrounding screws. Literacy Worksheets: Screws
Getting Started with Sphero: Sphero is a small, robotic ball that gives block coding a real-world connection for students. It is reasonably priced and widely available, and connects to iPads through Bluetooth. To control the Sphero with an iPad: turn on bluetooth and wait for “Sphero-___” to show up. Each Sphero names itself by the first letter of the colours it flashes to connect (this will be important if you have more than one Sphero in your classroom). Tap on it to connect. If you are going to use more that one iPad with the Sphero, make sure you disconnect “unpair” the Sphero from the current iPad when you are finished working with it. Coding Apps that work with Sphero: Tickle is a simple, block coding program that tells Sphero what to do. Tickle is a paid app. Download it at the App Store for Apple iOS devices only: SpheroEdu is available for Android and Apple iOS devices, and is now available on Chromebooks as well. It is a free download on all platforms. It was created and is regularly updated by Sphero. Here is my video tutorial on how to connect a Sphero to SpheroEdu on a Chromebook. When I created the video the app was called Lightning Lab, the name has changed to SpheroEdu, but the app is the same. If your students have never coded before, or are too young to read the code blocks, you can still have them "code" the Sphero in Lightning Lab. Select the "Draw" Program option and they will be able to draw the path for their robot to follow when they run their program. Human v.s. Robot: To get your students started, create "code blocks" with arrows and numbers for time in seconds (basic). Have the students arrange the "code blocks" to send the robot and a person on two courses in the classroom. Each of them will make a square (hopefully!). Have the students mark each turning point with a traffic cone so they can see the shape they created once they are finished. If your students are reading, then write out the lines of code on coloured paper. This will help them to get ready for coding on the iPad later. Have them do the above activity, once they have done it with the written blocks. Once students have been successful with this, remove one line of code and put it up on the board the next day. Ask students if the program will work, have them try it to see what is wrong. This gives them their first chance to "debug" a program. Another way to extend it would be to ask them what they would need to change to make a rectangle. Have them create the new "code blocks" they need, and then they can run the program with a human robot, or a Sphero. Have them try it with a coding app afterwards. How does this connect to measurable student learning? To have Sphero successfully complete any of the challenges below, students will need to show the following Learning Skills: Responsibility: -fulfills responsibilities and commitments during the learning goals of the activity -takes responsibility for and manages own behaviour Organization: -devises and follows a plan and process for completing the learning goals of the activity -identifies, gathers, evaluates, and uses information, technology, and resources to complete task efficiently Independent Work: -monitors, assesses, and revises plans to complete tasks and meet the learning goals of the activity Collaboration: - accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in the group -responds positively to the ideas, values, and traditions of others when the group is generating ideas -effectively works with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve the learning goals -shares information, resources, and expertise, and promotes critical thinking to solve problems and make decisions Initiative: - looks for and acts on new ideas and opportunities in order to successfully complete the learning goals -approaches new challenges, and/or problems within the learning environment with a positive attitude Self Regulation: -sets own individual goals and monitors progress towards achieving them -continually strives to persevere and makes an effort when responding to the challenges provided by the learning goals of the activity Sphero and Math: Measurement: Set Sphero to travel forward for 5 seconds at various speeds. Have students measure how far sphero actually moved at each speed percentage. 2D Geometry: Give students the beginning code to create a 90 degree angle (half a rectangle) Measurement and Geometry: After they have established how far sphero moves at each speed. Have them try to code sphero to trace over 2D shapes on the floor (have students use masking tape to build the shapes). Measurement of Perimeter and Area: Have students create different shapes based upon an agreed upon area (I use a 30 cm by 30 cm square tile. To mark the perimeter, use masking tape. See if they can code Sphero to navigate the various perimeters of the 2D shapes they have created. Have groups try to create a shape that will be difficult for other groups to navigate with Sphero, this elevates the challenge, as they will strive to create as many turns as possible. Sphero and Language: Writing a Fictional Story and 3D Geometry: Have students write the “Tale of Sphero”. A young sphere who woke up one day alone in the world. As she navigates the new world she finds herself in, she meets several other 3D figures. Some of these figures are friends, and some are not. How does Sphero learn who to count as her friends? -to add to this activity, have the students film the story with an iPad, and present to the class. Creating a play: With more than one Sphero, and some coffee cups you can create a play. The coffee cups slide over top of Sphero, and become a frame for a costume. Students can design various costumes for Sphero to move in order to make it a “puppet without strings”. When coding Sphero to maneuver on the stage, subtle movement will be a challenge. Having a broad stage will help. -to add to this activity, record it with DoInk’s Green Screen app and create various backdrops for the play. Procedural Writing: Have students take screenshots (to take a screenshot - simultaneously press the power and home buttons on an iPad) of how they code Sphero to do various activities. They then insert these photos into a Google Doc and write instructions to explain the activity to another student, or class. Sphero and Music: Have students compose a simple beat/rhythm, or a simple musical composition and then code Sphero to move (dance) to the beat/rhythm of the song Please create your own challenges as well! Include the hashtag #spherochallenge on Twitter and share your ideas with others! Here is the Superman challenge originally shared by iPad Monthly: http://goo.gl/0Agjcl Have fun and happy coding!
Check out our original Read-O, Math-O, and Write-O that you can use as a home-school connection for reading, math, and writing. Parents are given fun and effective ways to practice academic content, especially during winter break! ...
Literacy Worksheets: School Staff Volume 2 This literacy resource provides elementary educators various printable activities to build students' vocabulary and reading skills. Spanning 28 pages, the PDF workbook contains vocabulary lists, writing prompts, comics, games, and more to reinforce understanding of vocabulary words related to school staff. Teachers can utilize these versatile worksheets during small group instruction, individual practice, or as enrichment homework. With topics from principals to librarians, students will expand their knowledge of school roles while engaging with the motivating printables. Easily differentiated, Literacy Worksheets allows flexible implementation for diverse learning needs in third through fifth grade public or private school settings. Literacy worksheets: School staff vol 2
Explore homes and habitats with this fully editable digital resource designed for young learners in grades K-2. This fully tailorable Google Slides lesson pack is designed to captivate students in grades K-2 as they delve into the concepts of habitat, home, and the diverse living environments of both humans and animals. Through interactive in-class activities, colorful visuals, and thought-provoking discussions, students will develop a deeper understanding of how living things find their homes and thrive in their habitats. This editable resource allows educators to customize lessons to meet the specific needs of their classroom while providing a dynamic and engaging learning experience for young learners. What Students Will Do and Learn: Students will practice drawing pictures of their homes and discuss what makes a place feel like home. They will explore different types of homes for both people and animals, recognizing similarities and differences. Students will discover the concept of a habitat and learn how it relates to the idea of home for animals. Through creative activities, they will imagine and draw animal habitats, fostering creativity and understanding of diverse environments. Learning Intentions: Encourage creativity and critical thinking through drawing and discussion activities. Foster empathy and understanding by exploring different types of homes and habitats. Develop vocabulary and concept comprehension related to habitat, home, and living environments. Support cross-curricular connections by integrating science, social studies, and language arts concepts. Ideas for Classroom Usage: Use as a stand-alone lesson or incorporate into a larger unit on habitats or community. Adapt for remote/distance learning by assigning Google Slides activities for independent or small group work. Extend learning with hands-on activities such as creating dioramas of animal homes or neighborhood walks to observe local habitats.
Literacy Worksheets: Wedges Engage students in literacy skills development with this 26-page PDF resource on wedges. Educators can utilize these vocabulary, writing, research, art, and game activities in whole group, small group, centers, or independent practice. Pages include a vocabulary sheet, activity sheet, word list, bingo, word search, sentence writing, story writing, making real-world connections, guessing games, anagrams, riddles, Internet research, picking a favorite vocabulary word, reflecting on new knowledge, two levels of comic strip creation, vocabulary study, Venn diagram comparison, drawing prompts, and more. Applicable for remote learning or in-person for grades 3-5 language arts and science classrooms. Literacy worksheets: wedges
This work by Mia MacMeekin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Whether via classroom discussions, analysis of written text, higher-order questioning, or other strategies, learn and share ways to help students go deeper with their thinking.
Parent communication is a big deal for our young learners. Our students rely on parent-teacher partnerships that help them grow their skills and feel excited
This handout lists ways parents can help their child become a better reader at home. It would be a great communication tool to send home w...
