Morning messages are short prompts, questions, activities, or written tasks that help students start the day with connection, conversation, and learning. They can be used during morning meeting to build classroom community, review academic skills, support social-emotional learning, and give students a predictable way to
Starting your first year teaching kindergarten, 1st grade, or 2nd grade can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time. This guide walks new K-2 teachers through everything they need to think about before the school year begins, from classroom setup and organization to routines,
R-controlled vowels are vowel sounds that change when followed by the letter r. The five most common r-controlled vowel spellings are ar, er, ir, or, and ur. To teach r-controlled vowels, start with clear sound-spelling instruction, use word lists and anchor charts, then give students
Are you a new 1st grade teacher? Welcome to one of the most exciting years in elementary school! First graders grow academically, socially, and emotionally faster than almost any other grade level. They are learning independence while still needing lots of structure, movement, and encouragement
The CUBES math strategy is a step-by-step problem-solving routine that helps students understand and solve math word problems. Each letter reminds students what to do: circle the numbers, underline the question, box the key words, eliminate extra information, and solve/check the problem. This strategy is
Heart words are high-frequency words that students learn by connecting the sounds they hear to the letters they see, while paying special attention to any irregular or “tricky” parts. To teach heart words, introduce the word, identify the sounds, map the regular letter-sound connections, mark
