Learning to Grow

This poetry unit is thorough, and thoroughly fun for the students. It is a project-based unit that incorporates a variety of types of learning, such as auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc. Students produce original poetry books, while learning about types of poetry, listening to poems read aloud, reciting poems and engaging in creative outlets to please the "Publisher" (teacher). This unit is adaptable to lower grades or for special ed students.

This is a useful tool for the multi-sensory teachers of phonics. You get 9 songs that address such subjects as vowels and vowel sounds, the Silent E, the Bossy R, Compound Words and more. Songs are terrific mnemonic devices that children often use to learn new skills. These songs are useful in many ways, and use only tunes we are familiar with such as "London Bridge" or "Pop Goes the Weasel." Students will respond to the songs and you'll hear them all over your classroom as students decode n

Easy lesson to demonstrate the commutative property of addition. This lesson capitalizes on cooperative learning, allowing students to work together to create 2 problems from one set of counters. There are strong extensions, and this works well with general education as well as special education students.

This is not your standard sight word flash cards lesson plan. Here, I explain how to make not only raised letters, but bumpy letters. This technique can be used with simple alphabet letters for the youngest of learners, but I like having a set with basic sight words for emerging readers. Have students trace the letters while pronouncing the letters, then say the word. Great for students who are tactile learners, kinesthetic learners or visual. My kids clamored over each other to be allowed

This book includes rules for vowel patterns, Y the Pretender, the Bossy R, when to use C or K, the Silent E, vowel clusters, and Ou vs. Ow. It is useful in so many ways. You can keep it all together for a "book" for your students, you can take it apart and keep it in a folder in page protectors, you can use it as handouts when teaching a specific rule or you can blow them up and glue to poster board to use as anchor charts. The graphics are fun and the pages are colorful.

This is a lesson plan for use with early elementary students that is kinesthetic. The teacher drills on 10 sight words at a time, and once the words are mastered, the students can jump from word to word. Kids love this, they see it as a game, and the teacher can check word knowledge without the usual "drilling" with flashcards.

WordMarks are bookmarks that students use while they are reading. As students come across words they don't know, they write them down on their WordMarks to be looked up later. A great vocabulary builder, and a great tool for teachers to collect when full to gauge vocabulary learning. I have created spelling and vocabulary lists from collected wordmarks, added words to my Word Walls and turned the words into my "Word of the Day." A great way to personalize learning for your students.