When working with kids, part of the job is dealing with their behaviors. Just like adults, kids have good and bad days, experience emotions, get excited, and would rather partake in activities that interest them than do their school work. Learning to understand their behaviors and how to manage them in a productive way is the key to supporting them. To help with this, in today’s episode, I have guest Sara Cottrill-Carlo on to discuss understanding student behaviors and proactive intervention strategies to put in place. Grab Sara's Behavior Intervention Handouts here! Sign up for my FREE privat ..read more

Class discussions are a major part of our classrooms. We want our students engaged, talking, sharing, and interacting with their peers. In an ideal world, all of our students would willingly participate, they’d know exactly what they want to say, and conversations would be flowing throughout the day. However, we know that’s not the case. Many students are reluctant to share, are worried they’re going to have the wrong answer, and so many other worries. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing five quick and easy ways for you to enhance class discussions and create more meaningful and productive con ..read more

If you’ve been teaching literacy for a while, you know all about the balanced literacy approach to teaching reading. However, you also know that the approach is outdated and not effective in teaching students how to read. And no one knows this more than my guest, Anna Geiger. A former balanced literacy teacher herself, Anna eventually found her way to the science of reading. In today’s episode, she is sharing her journey and why she believes in a structured literacy approach to reading. Pre-order Anna's book, Reach All Readers, here! Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Sy ..read more

We’ve made it to that time of year again when we begin to trickle in test prep throughout our instructional day in order to prepare our students for the end-of-year standardized test. Even though this test is inevitable, it doesn't mean the way we structure preparing for it has to be boring or monotonous. Instead, we want to provide our students with high energy and excitement revolving around test prep. So in today’s episode, I’m sharing four ways you can make test prep more engaging and fun for your students. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here! Joi ..read more

Being literacy teachers, we know the importance of having good literacy skills and how they can positively impact our student’s learning and communication. And those teachers who don’t teach literacy tend not to make writing a focus in their classroom. However, according to my guest, Katie Novak, that’s the wrong attitude to have. In today’s episode, she shares her philosophy on literacy and how incorporating a Universal Design for Learning approach in your classroom helps create authentic writing experiences for your students. Buy Katie's Book, Shift Writing Into the Classroom Want to learn m ..read more

Even though you’re almost three-quarters of the way done with school, it doesn't mean you can’t teach your students new skills or try new things in your classroom. One thing you’ve probably been doing all year is pulling small groups. And even though you’ve done this all year, it’s still important to implement new strategies or have your students work on new skills. I get a lot of questions involving small groups, and an underrated skill students need is independence. So in today’s episode, I’m sharing four steps in helping your students become independent when pulling small groups. Sign up fo ..read more

Everything that a literacy teacher does is to try and help their students be successful readers and writers, which is why, over the last month, we've been focusing on the five pillars of reading. And one of the big factors that contributes to reading is a strong vocabulary. It's no surprise that the way most of us were taught vocabulary when we were younger is not the most effective vocabulary instruction anymore. Instead, there is a new way. So, in today's episode, my guest, Michelle Sullivan, is sharing some evidence-based strategies for building student vocabulary. Sign up for my FREE priva ..read more

We’ve really taken a deep dive into the five pillars of reading over the last few weeks. My goal is to provide you with accurate information and practical tips that you can apply in your classroom to improve your students’ reading. With each pillar, I’ve brought in guests who are experts in their field, and today is no different. Aylin Claahsen not only is a fluency expert, but she is also a close friend of mine. So in today’s episode, Aylin is sharing ways to improve accuracy in fluency that you can use this week in your classroom. Download Aylin's Free Fluency Resources here (Phonics Focused ..read more

We are continuing our series on the 5 pillars of reading instruction with effective phonics instruction. If you teach upper elementary, you might be wondering how phonics fits into your literacy instruction, but I’m here to tell you it does. I love bringing on experts in the field to share their knowledge, which is exactly what I’m doing today. My guest on today’s episode, Savannah Campbell, is sharing how phonics instruction can help all students be successful in reading. Download the Free Sound Decks here (graphemes) and here (morphemes)! Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Wr ..read more

Last week, I gave an overview of the 5 pillars of reading, which gives us the foundation of reading. But today I’m doing my first deep dive into one of the pillars, which is phonemic awareness. Whether you’re like me, who learned about it in college, or someone who this is a new concept, I’ve got an expert today who’s going to share her wealth of knowledge on this topic. So, in today’s episode, guest Christina Winter is debunking common myths around phonemic awareness and sharing research for best instructional practices. Download the Getting Started with SOR Toolkit here! Sign up for my FREE ..read more