- All the Primary Teacher Things

How Phonics Mystery Picture Puzzles Calm Chaotic Word Work Stations and Boost Engagement

If literacy centers feel more like uncontrolled chaos than it does calm, meaningful learning… it’s ok, I’ve been there, too. Between managing small groups, answering a million questions, and trying to keep students actually engaged, centers can quickly spiral into off-task behavior and teacher burnout. The good news? Phonics Mystery Picture Puzzles might be the …

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Phonics task cards designed for K-2 classrooms featuring hands-on activities that build hand muscles, including clothespins and linking cubes.

How to Strengthen Fine Motor Skills Using Task Cards in Your Classroom

Ok, teacher friend, tell me if this sounds familiar… You’re running a small group, mid-blend drill, and you take a quick peek at the rest of the class… one student is chewing on their pencil, another is using their glue stick like lip balm, another is trying to cut while holding his scissors upside down, …

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A colorful phonics featured image of a phonics mat sheet featuring CVC word families. The sheet includes sections with word family headings, example CVC words, matching pictures, and spaces for tracing and writing the words. The layout is bright and engaging, designed for early readers to practice decoding and spelling simple consonant-vowel-consonant words.

Hands-On Phonics Mats That Make CVC Word Practice More Fun and Effective

If you have ever found yourself stuck reteaching short vowel sounds over and over (and over) again, you’re not alone. Teaching early reading skills can feel like a never-ending loop of letter/letter sound and CVC word practice, but it doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) boring—or time-consuming. Whether you’re working with beginning readers or …

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Kickstart the New Year: New Year Activities For Students

Sweet teacher friends, the holidays are winding down… but first, New Year’s!! It’s time to gear up for a brand-new {calendar} year in the classroom! But let’s be honest—easing back into the school routine after a much needed {and deserved} Christmas break can be a challenge for both students and us teachers. And… if …

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colorful pumpkin in front of bulletin board

Spooktacular Halloween Activities for the Classroom

It always took me hours and hours trying to search for free halloween activities for the classroom that were relevant to what we were learning and would also be engaging for my students. That’s when I thought, “Wait a minute… why am I wasting time, when I can create exactly what I need?” 💡 So, …

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teacher sitting in front of class explaining behavior system to students

Teacher vs. Students Behavior Management System: A Fun Way to Tackle End of The Quarter Blues

Managing behavior is always a thing… especially when the end of the quarter approaches, both teachers and students can start to feel the pressure. Energy levels drop, motivation wanes, and classroom behavior may become more and more challenging to manage. This time of year can feel like a drag for everyone, but there’s a fun …

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Student practicing cutting skills in kindergarten

Top 10 Tips to Enhance Cutting Practice Skills in Kindergarten

Have you noticed that more and more kindergarteners come to school without any idea how to properly hold, or even use scissors? Just me? I’m guessing this is not just something I’m seeing in my own classroom. Since cutting is something that is not really covered in the standards, I know it can be hard …

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Blog image of young students drawing out solar system.

Ideas for Teaching Primary Students About The Total Solar Eclipse

The total solar eclipse is coming April 8, 2024! Anyone else super excited?? We are actually out of school specifically for the event because we would have been right smack in the middle of it during dismissal. So, e-Learning day it is! Yay! Psst.. There is a letter included in the freebie to send out …

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Blog featured image showing students during reflection time.

Adding a Reflection Component to Morning Meeting

If you are anything like me, you are constantly seeking ways to create a positive and supportive learning environment for your students. Sound familiar? Well, one thing that I have found to be beneficial and super meaningful is adding a Reflection component to our Morning Meetings. I am so excited to wrap up this blog …

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Blog post image showing students engaged in answering a question from Morning Message.

Cultivating Connections to Learning Through Dynamic Morning Messages

If you have been following along with this blog series I hope you have been able to pick up on how much I truly believe that the Morning Meeting serves as a cornerstone for establishing a positive and supportive learning environment for all students. Among its various elements (Greeting, Activity, and Sharing), Morning Messages stands …

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Blog post title with image of students playing dice game during Morning Meeting Activity.

Unravel the Magic in the Activity Component of Morning Meetings

Morning Meeting has become a staple in my classroom, fostering a sense of community, setting a positive tone for the day, and providing a structured start to the learning journey. While the typical Morning Meeting includes elements like Greeting, Sharing, and Message, the Activity component often takes center stage. In this blog post, I will …

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The Significance of Sharing in Classroom Morning Meetings

I am continuing my blog series all about Morning Meeting and this post will focus on the Sharing component. Within the daily ritual that is Morning Meeting, Sharing plays a vital role. This is the heart of the morning meeting, where students have the opportunity to express themselves, their thoughts, and their experiences. I will …

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A boy and a girl giving a high five to greet each other.

Enhancing Classroom Connections & Engagement With Fun Morning Meeting Greetings

I am so excited to continue my blog series all about Morning Meetings! Our next stop is Morning Meeting Greetings! Morning Meeting Greetings are always so fun and in my classroom, we keep things fun and interactive. I always begin our Greeting with “Good Morning, Mrs. Garrett’s Gang. My class is my gang and I …

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Morning Meeting Blog Image

Harnessing the Power, Purpose, and Process of Morning Meeting

Something that I am super excited to talk about is Morning Meeting! I’m not sure if it’s because it is one of my favorite parts of the day, or if it’s because it’s going so well… or maybe it’s one of my favorite parts of the day because it is going so well. 😉 Alright, …

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color word practice using boom cards title over a desktop showing desk supplies

Color Word Practice Using Boom Cards

Are you looking for a way to merge your typical color word worksheets with digital color word practice, so you can get more bang for your buck when teaching color words? Well, look no further… you’ve come to the right place! You (and your Littles) will L O V E these Color Word Practice Boom …

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How to Use Epic in the Primary Classroom That Will Foster a Love for Reading

Let me tell you a story all about how I stumbled upon this incredible website called Epic! that is, well… EPIC!! It’s so easy to incorporate Epic into the primary classroom! Once upon a time, our school librarian got rid of all our books on tape/CD… with no warnings, they were just gone. As an …

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Fun Ways For Teaching Sight Words in a Way That Ignites Retention

While teaching phonics is my main jam, I also love teaching sight words to my Littles. Learning sight words is just as important as learning the basic foundations of phonics. Sight Words help little learners become the amazing readers they are meant to be! After all, sight words do make up over 50% of the …

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5 Powerful and Super Easy Hands-on Activities Using Elkonin Boxes

If you are a primary teacher, you know just how important it is for students to build strong phonemic awareness and phonics skills. You also know how these skills are directly linked to their reading success. And if you’re anything like me, you are using what’s left of your precious summer days thinking about how …

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Teaching Volume Control With a Voice Level Chart

We have been using our voice level chart since the beginning of the school year, however upon recently returning to school after remote learning, I quickly realized that my kiddos needed a refresher course on our voice levels and when it is appropriate to use them. What is a Voice Level Chart? A voice level …

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