by Jaymie Genovese | Dec 12, 2022 | back to school, reading, writing
What is a reading response journal? A reading response journal is a reading comprehension strategy used to help readers reflect on and write about their thoughts and feelings about books. Typically, the responses are kept in a spiral or composition notebook. The...
by Jaymie Genovese | Dec 15, 2021 | reading, winter
Polar Bears Reading Comprehension {and Freebie} First graders love learning about polar bears! It is always a fun topic to teach during the winter months. Using paired fiction and nonfiction texts is a great way to learn about polar bears because there...
by Jaymie Genovese | Jan 1, 2017 | reading, winter
Today I wanted to share with you one of my Paired Text Units. This unit is perfect for coming back to school in January. It is for the books Animals In Winter by Henrietta Bancroft and The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I really enjoy pairing a fiction and...
by Jaymie Genovese | May 17, 2016 | reading
Teaching theme can be a lot of fun in first grade. I like to explain theme or central message to firsties this way, “What do you think the author wants you to learn from this story that you can use in your life?” It can be tricky and takes LOTS of...
by Jaymie Genovese | Feb 28, 2015 | crafts, reading
Have you ever noticed how sometimes the simplest activities are the best? A few weeks ago we were studying some of the most common contractions. We had been using some of our Words Their Way activities to sort and notice patterns in the contractions. By...
by Jaymie Genovese | Nov 23, 2014 | fall, math, reading
This week we only have school Monday and Tuesday. I am definitely ready for the break! Since we only have two days we won’t be using our normal ELA curriculum, and that frees up a little time for some seasonal activities. We are going to read my...
