Instructional strategies and teacher tips - Tales from Outside the Classroom

The Best Free or Affordable Diagnostic Phonics Assessments

As a classroom teacher, reading interventionist, and member of my school’s leadership team, I have seen the need for diagnostic phonics assessments in elementary schools. These phonics tests identify students’ current phonics proficiencies to determine those in need of intervention as well as student placement for small group instruction. I believe every student should have grade level instruction, regardless of the grade level or student ability. However, I also believe that every student should also

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What is successive blending text next to student tapping an ipad with cvc word web

Successive Blending: A Phoneme Blending Strategy

Successive Blending is a decoding strategy for students that struggle to blend more than two sounds when reading words. Many of these students add and omit sounds when blending. Some students even blend words that seem disconnected from their sounds. These are those students that say /m/ /a/ /p/ and then say “fat?”. It’s also a great instructional strategy for those students that add a schwa on to their letter sounds, both in isolation, and

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Build Oral Language with Morning Meeting & a Question of the Day text next to laptop with a question of the day displayed

Build Oral Language Skills with a Morning Meeting Question of the Day

Oral language is an often forgotten about aspect of our classrooms. Students cannot write what they cannot say. We build strong readers and writers through our oral language work. Dialogues about learning, classroom systems such as think-pair-share, and routines for talking in complete sentences all help students develop the oral language skills they need. At the same time, morning meeting is a routine central to our classroom community. It’s a time to get to know one

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How to Write a Teacher Resume Tips & Templates text and sample one page resume on a dark wood surface

How to Write a Terrific Teacher Resume: Tips & Editable Teacher Resume Templates

Whether you’re student teaching and writing your first teacher resume with no experience, or if you’re a veteran teacher looking to update your resume as you look for new jobs, crafting the ideal resume isn’t easy. From ensuring everything fits nicely on the page, to making sure you remember to include everything you need, it can be stressful and a big task. Your resume is the first thing a principal sees. It can help you

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3 Reads strategy for problem solving with poster on clipboard and math manipulatives around it

3 Reads Strategy for Successful Problem Solving in Math

Word Problems are often the hardest part of our math instruction. They can visually overwhelm students. They often contain extraneous information or multiple steps for completion. Students often struggle to persevere through complex problems. But, ultimately, it is through these complex problems that we are able to truly see our students’ understanding of math concepts and standards. Our students are expected to persevere through solving them, to demonstrate understanding, and to use a variety of

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Hi! I’m Tessa!

I’ve spent the last 15 years teaching in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and working beside elementary classrooms as an instructional coach and resource support. I’m passionate about math, literacy, and finding ways to make teachers’ days easier. I share from my experiences both in and out of the elementary classroom. Read more About Me.

The Best Free or Affordable Diagnostic Phonics Assessments

Successive Blending: A Phoneme Blending Strategy

Build Oral Language Skills with a Morning Meeting Question of the Day

How to Write a Terrific Teacher Resume: Tips & Editable Teacher Resume Templates