Blog - My Fabulous Class

The Alphabetic Principle

The Alphabetic Principal. It sounds so fancy, right? It's talked about in the Science of Reading. What does it mean? It is knowing that oral sounds (phonemes) in spoken words are represented by letters in print. We know, once children develop the alphabetic principle, their ability to read improves. How do I support students with the Alphabetic Principle? You can support students by ... Read More about The Alphabetic Principle

First Day of Kindergarten

There is nothing like the first week of Kindergarten. It is exhausting. There is no way to prepare for the exhaustion, but there are a few ways to make it go smoother. Have a plan that is developmentally appropriate. Model and practice classroom procedures...over an dover again. Think About Procedures When planning your first day, that about what do you want your kids to do when they come ... Read More about First Day of Kindergarten

5 Math Manipulatives

Children learn best when they get their hands on materials. They need to physically move an object to count, add, and take away. Today, I am sharing my 5 favorite math manipulatives. Dominos I like to use dominoes in my classroom because they are open ended. You can count them, you can add with them, and you can subtract them. You can work with numbers 1-10 or numbers 10-20, depending on ... Read More about 5 Math Manipulatives

Centers and the Science of Reading

Recently, I have seen some debates on using centers and the Science of Reading. If you have been a teacher for a long time, centers were a HUGE part of Balanced Literacy. Recently, teachers have shifted away from balanced of literacy to research based Science of Reading. You can read my Science of Reading Post 101 here. I am huge believer in we know better, we do better. I am fortunate that my ... Read More about Centers and the Science of Reading

Science of Reading 101

I have had numerous teachers reach out to me to ask me about my thoughts on the Science of Reading. I have been teaching in special education for 16 years. I have been trained in Reading Recovery. I spent 12 years perfecting my guided reading instruction. Then, four years ago I attended an amazing training based on the Science of Reading. It changed EVERYTHING I knew about teaching reading. The ... Read More about Science of Reading 101

Number Sense

What is number sense? Number sense is the fluidity and flexibility with numbers. It is how a child uses and understand numbers. Children with a strong number sense are more less likely to struggle with more complex math concepts. In Kindergarten, we want students to be able to subitize, tell how many are in a group without counting it. Today I am going to share 3 ways to practice number ... Read More about Number Sense