Phonological Awareness Ideas
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
1y ago
Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness are essential building blocks for reading.  Even students with impressive phonics knowledge may struggle if they are lacking in these important prior skills.   I work on phonological awareness activities with all my groups grade K-4 to make sure they continue to be able to manipulate sounds.  Everyday we practice these skills, so I needed to find engaging ways to teach and assess quickly. In this post I’ll share with you some fun ways to make sure your students have phonological awareness and can manipulate phonemes. Making lear ..read more
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February Favorites
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
2y ago
This short month is always super packed with activities for Valentine’s, President’s Day, the 100th day and other fun frozen themes.  So I thought I’d share lots of activities to help you plan.  There are tons of freebies within this post and you can also grab some adorable Valentine’s at the link at the bottom of this post.         The post February Favorites appeared first on Fabulous In First ..read more
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Phonics
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
2y ago
     As a school we’ve mastered lots of literacy.  Our teachers have been using guided reading for almost 20 years.  They do a nice job of teaching comprehension skills as well, but we found we fell short in the area of phonics.   All of our teachers were teaching phonics in whatever way they chose. Some used F and P phonics and some used word families and really focused on phonics during spelling. As the reading specialist I notice that about 80-85 percent of our kiddos have reading strategies and pick up the phonics through the spelling and do just fine.&n ..read more
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Easter Basket Ideas
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
3y ago
Often times I’ve found that I fill my boys Easter baskets with junk that just gets thrown away or used once.  Therefore, I’ve searched high and low for Easter basket items that will actually be useful. I especially wanted to include toys, crafts and games that would occupy our littles during these trying times.   In addition, I wanted to find items that could be shipped pretty quickly since browsing the aisles of Target is no longer an option.  Below you will  find a bunch of items that are great for children 0-11 and another for kids 12 and up.  I also include ..read more
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Reading Resources for At-Home Learning
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
3y ago
This past week I’ve spent hours sorting through resources for my student’s in reading intervention. I’m very systematic about my instruction, and during this time I wanted to continue some semblance of routine and give my student’s learning opportunities that were  worthwhile.  While there are many wonderful programs out there to continue to help you to teach kids to read, I’ve narrowed down some I feel are the most beneficial and are also FREE! Phonics Resources There are two apps that highly recommend if you use Orton or have used a systematic phonics approach. These are great ..read more
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At-Home Activities for Kids
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
3y ago
Remember those days when we were rushing from work to sports, to the grocery and we wished we had just one day to do nothing? Well those busy days certainly came to an abrupt end.  There are only so many movies and video games one can play, so I decided to create a few tools to help you while we navigate these crazy times.   Visual Schedules Many children, especially those in primary school, rely heavily on schedules and routines.  In  these uncertain times, knowing what is going to happen next, is not only helpful for children, but necessary.  That is why I w ..read more
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Holiday Gift Guides
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
3y ago
1. KitchenAide Mixer 2. Echo Show 3. AirPods 4. Leopard Sweater 5. Make-up Travel Kit w/brushes and Beauty Blender 6. Kate Spade ID Clip 7. UGG Slippers 8. FabFitFun Box 9. Leopard Beanie 1. AnovaCulinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano | Bluetooth 2. Carbon Fiber Money Clip Wallet – Aluminum Credit Card Wallet 3. CostaDel Mar Costa Del Mar SLT181OGMP Slack Tide Sunglasses 4. Neat Glasses 5.ThermoPro TP-08S Wireless Remote Digital CookingMeat Thermometer  6. Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS 7. Philips Norelco Multi Groomer, 29 PieceMen’s Grooming Kit  ..read more
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The Last Week of School
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
3y ago
    If you are still plugging along in the classroom, 1. I am sorry (I can’t imagine seeing everyone’s beach photos while still being in the classroom) 2. I know what that last week is like. I am telling you, on the last day we were all packed up and down to some crayons and paper plates left in a cabinet. You will get through.   Our last week,  I wanted it to be fun and keep the kiddos engaged and learning down to the last minute, or at least the second to last day.      Theme days seemed the easiest and most fun. So here is a peek of some of o ..read more
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Karaoke in the Classroom
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
3y ago
After posting on my instagram story about using karaoke in my classroom, I had several messages asking for a post on the hows and whys of this activity.  So here it goes. WHY KARAOKE?: As you may know, the last three years before becoming a second grade teacher, I was the reading specialist for K-4.  The little ones are a piece of cake. I can make reading, learning letter sounds, sight words, decoding and becoming more fluent fun.  When I would get my third and fourth graders that were lacking fluency it was a bit harder. Yes, I could teach them fluency strategies, we could do ..read more
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They Say It’s Your Birthday!
Fabulous in First
by MichelleOakes
3y ago
Going back into the classroom meant finding a way to display and celebrate student birthdays. Years ago I put practically everything in frames, not only because love the homey look, but also because I love the ease of using a dry erase marker on my displays and it still looking brand new the next year. This is my birthday display. I love being able to quickly write up student birthdays and on this 16 x 20 frame.  You can grab several versions of this chart by clicking the picture below. In addition, I recently posted my birthday gift to my students on Insta and had lots of reques ..read more
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