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How Teachers Can Find the Best Books
LATEST BLOG: The best way to find good books is to seek out your ideal bookshop, use social media and refer to different children’s book awards. Great books are key to success for teachers of literacy, so finding the best books for the classroom library is essential. But with so...
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New resource: Reading Workshop - Daily Planner (Editable), F-6
Use this resource to help you with your daily planning of Good Reader Mini Lessons, within your English workshop unit. The document is in Word format, so it can be filled in/adapted on your device. Some schools are using this document for year level collaborative planning and then storing on...
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Can Writing Live Without Reading?
LATEST PODCAST, Ep 70: Teaching writing (and literacy) can sometimes be 'a bit of this and a bit of that'. Sometimes we teach in a compartmentalised way, and there is no connection between lessons . We often don’t see a transfer of what we are teaching to students using the...
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How to Teach Letters and Sounds to Early Learners
LATEST BLOG: Teachers need to use clear statements and shared readings when teaching the different sounds of letters to early learners. Establishing the best steps for teaching letters and sounds to early learners can be tricky, but Diane Snowball believes the key is honest, clear statements. Diane is a renowned...
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Morning Message as a High Impact Tool
LATEST PODCAST, Ep 69: While the Morning Message can feel like a standard routine, it is a crucial way for teachers to help their students connect with literacy, the day and each other. In this era it is more important than ever, with many students still in and out of...
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The Best Questions Teachers Should Ask When Thinking About Reading
LATEST BLOG: Asking the right questions will help students to think effectively about reading, and understand text in a deeper way. A hurdle literacy teachers can face is students not doing the ‘big thinking’ as they read. And quite often, it’s because teachers aren’t enabling students to engage in the...
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The Power of Key Words with Rob Vingerhoets
LATEST PODCAST, Ep 68 The Power of Key Words with Rob Vingerhoets As teachers, we're always on the look out for easy ways for students to access vocabulary and build knowledge about words in lessons. How do we teach and empower students in their word knowledge and use, and see...
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How to Teach Writing Effectively by Identifying With Students
LATEST BLOG: Education consultant Alan Wright says effective teaching begins with teachers understanding and better relating to students’ joys and struggles in writing. It can often be tough for teachers to construct meaningful writing lessons. But for Alan, the key is for teachers to immerse themselves in the writing activities...
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Planning Effectively With The English Curriculum
LATEST PODCAST, Ep 67: Literacy expert Sharon Callen talks about how to connect the English curriculum with teaching. As motivated teachers, we need easy ways to access the English curriculum and connect it to our teaching. This includes knowing how to plan with the curriculum effectively, and finding ways for...
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English Curriculum Planners, Yrs F=6
Are you looking for an easy way to ensure you are covering the Australian Curriculum (version 9) in your English planning? In this package English Curriculum Planner, Yrs F-6 (best enlarged to A3), all content descriptions for Language, Literature and Literacy are presented on a single page. You receive: Content...
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How to Teach High Frequency Words Through Student Exploration
Top educator Diane Snowball says exploration allows young students to meaningfully learn high frequency words. The key to teaching high frequency words, and in fact anything in literacy, purposefully and meaningfully, is to allow for student exploration. This is the advice of highly-regarded literacy leader Diane Snowball on Episode 61...
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How to Engage Struggling Students in Reading and Writing
How to Engage Struggling Students in Reading and Writing Struggling or ‘striving’ readers and writers can be better supported by teachers using a range of strategies to promote higher engagement. On Episode 60 of The Teacher’s Tool Kit for Literacy, literacy expert Sharon Callen talked about the methods for supporting...
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Video Casts FREE for Teachific members
Dear all, All our Video Casts and Video Mini Lessons are now FREE as part of your membership. Those who are not members can still purchase them throgh the SHOP. Access Video Casts and Video Mini Lessons here. Access the SHOP here. * FREE VIDEO CASTS * - FOR ANY...
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Reading Calendars: Growing Your Readers
Reading Calendars (Years 2-6) are a simple yet highly effective tool for students to track and showcase their life as a reader over the course of a year. They promote independence and responsibility, supporting all students to be successful. The My Reading Calendar 2022 pack contains new features and tools:...
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Conferring with Readers: Assessment Rubrics
Conferring with students is a unique and significant opportunity to learn about what a student is doing as a reader/writer as we engage with them side by side during the Reading Conference. This resource, Conferring with Readers: Assessment Rubric, allows you to have a comprehensive eye on the child as...
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Conferring With Reader Prompts
Conferring With Reader Prompts Find out what your readers know about the act of reading with these 5 really good questions/prompts. Have them handy when you confer with each student individually, or during the Reflection/ Share Time. Or glue the sheet into their Reader's Notebook, ready for when you meet...
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I Can't Said the Ant
I Can't Said the Ant by Polly Cameron, 1961 (old as me) and a favourite, is a perfect poem for writing innovation. We’ve been talking a lot about poetry in podcasts and this is one of those poems that has danced along with me through childhood and into adulthood. A...
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The Motivation to Read Profile - Survey for Students
Designing effective and engaging instruction means considering the motivational needs of students. The Motivation to Read Profile: Survey for Students is a tool that supports teachers in creating motivating classroom contexts for literacy. Students who are engaged have their eyes on what they are doing, are ardently attending to the...
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Teaching Poetry: Mini Lessons
This resource, Teaching Poetry: Mini Lessons presents a range of Mini Lesson ideas K-6 to transform your teaching of poetry: from hearing it, to exploring it, to collecting it, to enjoying it, to creating it. The seven categories of Mini Lessons: Reading & Enjoying Poetry Collecting Poems Reading Like a...
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Standardised Tests - Preparing Students
Included in this resource pack 'Standardised Testing - Preparing Students' is: NAPLAN/PatR reading tips for helping students do their best on multiple choice questions NAPLAN/PatR reading top 10 suggestions for embedding test-taking skills into the Reading Program NAPLAN/PatR reading prompts to teach readers how to find specific information in texts...
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Question Answer Response - Resource Sheets
Included in this resource 'Question Answer Response - Resource Sheets' are: 4 Question Types Right There Questions Think and Search Questions Author and You Questions On My Own Question These tips/prompts are featured on our Teacher's Toolkit for Literacy podcast, episode 23. Enjoy!
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Reading Comprehension Prompts: Flip Chart Yrs 3-4 and Yrs 5-6
Reading Comprehension Prompts: Finding Specific Information in Texts, Yrs 3-4 and Yrs 5-6 This flip chart resource has a focus on 'Good Readers Find Specific Information in Texts.' It can be enlarged to A3 and made into a handy chart for easy reference and display to students. Purpose: To support...
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The Teacher's Toolkit for Literacy
The Teacher’s Tool Kit For Literacy is the free podcast for motivated teachers and school leaders who want the latest tips, tricks and tools to inspire their students and school community in literacy learning. Literacy expert and founder of Cue Learning, Sharon Callen, along with her special guests, provides practical...
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New Writer's Workshop Planning Packs!
The Writer's Workshop Unit Planning Pack is everything you need for effective, high impact planning in writing. Download a pack for each year level from Foundation to Year 6. Each pack includes: Notes to guide you through each of the 9 steps in the planning process F-6 Australian Curriculum: English...
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Help your kids thrive on Maths at home!
Dear Principal, AP, Numeracy Coordinator, Lead Teacher (Numeracy), My name is Rob Vingerhoets and I’ve been a Maths Consultant for over 15 years and have worked in many of your schools. To assist schools with ‘learning from home’ I’ve developed a range of mathematically engaging and worthwhile activities that students...
