The 100th day of school has become a well-known celebration among primary classroom teachers. Teaching magazines are full of posters, banners, crowns, glasses, pencils, and novelties that can be purchased for the festivities. I think that the 100th day of school celebration began because of the accomplishment of being able to count to 100. Each day my kindergarten students and I count the days of school. My class’s 100th day of school will be Tuesday, January 30th. On Tuesday, we will count to 100! Some other activities that are planned include a 100th day parade. In this parade all of … Continue reading →

As you know, I have described the Four Blocks Literacy Program as having four distinct sections. I have discussed both the Guided Reading Block and the Self-Selected Reading Block. While both blocks enhanced reading skills, they used two very different teaching styles. Today, I would like to introduce the writing block. This block is often overlooked or misinterpreted by educators. Some teachers treat this block as handwriting. However, writing and handwriting are two very different things. The goals of the writing block are to allow children to see that writing is a way to tell about things, to learn to … Continue reading →

As you have seen in past blogs, the Four Blocks Literacy Program consists of four blocks that work together to make a program compatible for everyone and every type of learner. In a previous blog, I described the Guided Reading block. In this article, I will discuss what a Self-Selected Reading block should contain. The goals of Self-Selected Reading are for the teacher to share different types of literature, to elevate student interests in reading, to allow for instructional-level literature, and to encourage intrinsic motivation. The Self-Selected Reading Block has four steps. First, the teacher shares a read aloud book. … Continue reading →

The Four Block Literacy Program is made of four blocks. The first block is Guided Reading. The purpose of Guided Reading is to teach and strengthen comprehension skills and strategies, to expose children to various types of literature, to establish background knowledge, language, and vocabulary, introduce students to the different elements of a story, and to encourage confidence and motivate students to students to read. Guided Reading begins in kindergarten and continues through the eighth grade. All children are being exposed to the same level of reading and receiving the same instruction during this block. During Guided Reading, the teacher … Continue reading →

As a teacher, I want all of my students to be successful readers. As a parent, I want the same for my children. But, what happens when this isn’t the case and your child isn’t reading at the level you think they should be? Here are some proven tips that will help your child become a more successful (and happy) reader: Build a home library that is full of different types of books. Even if you have an older reader, add some picture books. These types of books are great and can even be educational. Even older readers like to … Continue reading →

As a kindergarten teacher, I often have an overwhelming number of parents (moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, etc.) attending my class trips. I, for one, am delighted! After teaching eighth grade and having virtually no parent participation, the change is refreshing. However after observing many parents throughout my kindergarten years, I have decided to offer some suggestions on how to make field trips more enjoyable for everyone involved. I think most parents are very open to the suggestions and just have not thought of them before! First, obtain all details for the trip at least one day in advance. Make sure … Continue reading →