Here is where you will find resources for kindergarten classrooms.

Quick Take: Awkward Beginnings with English Language Learners (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury In this short video, Ruth Shagoury gives two pieces of advice to teachers who feel awkward as they are trying to communicate with young English language learners. . . . more Parent Contributions Beyond Instructional Support Trish Prentice Teachers clearly communicate the various ways that parents can help so they can feel a part of the school community. This can be done through newsletters, emails, meetings and personal contacts. Personally, I grab parents the first time they walk in my classroom, before school even begins, at our school supply drop-off day. My board is filled with an array of sign-up sheets with pencils underneath for easy access. Parents can volunteer to provide snacks, make playdough, send in clear plastic bags for materials, work the binding machine, plan the Valentine's party, or contribute card-stock and on and on. There's plenty for everyone. But, is there ever a time when it's best not to have "parent help"? When do you say "no" to parents who want to be in the classroom often? Is there ever a time when it should be just the teacher and the children? . . . more A Congenial Parent Night Trish Prentice Parent Night . . . most classroom teachers schedule a meeting during the first few weeks of school. The task sounds straightforward - welcome parents, introduce yourself, and explain all the brilliant things that will be happening in the classroom throughout the year. But for years it has been my least favorite teacher task! I find it difficult to dilute all the meaningful work we do into sound bytes and fit them into an one-hour meeting. It reminds me of to trying to squeeze into that blue pair of pants in the back of my closet, too much into too little. I've tried various formats to find that perfect mix: provide visuals and handouts, question and answer sessions . . . and when all else fails, I talk faster. None of these strategies inspired the kind of evening I was hoping for. . . . more Creating a Kindergarten Classroom Library Mandy Robek Overwhelming. This is the only word I could use for many months as I thought about the transition from my third grade to a kindergarten classroom library. The first step was easy - pack away my chapter books. I could do that at the end of the school year. I kept my nonfiction, biographies, and poetry texts for the initial move because I knew I wanted to include those genres. But I wasn't sure what would be appropriate for these younger students. . . . more Preschool Writing Center (VIDEO) In this video from Melissa Kolb's preschool classroom, children work in the writing center. Melissa explains how she routinely changes the supplies in the center to spark interest in students and make connections to their experiences. . . . more Make it Personal Trish Prentice What turns a respected teacher into a beloved teacher? Maybe it's just one small thing. Maybe it's a myriad number of events. Sometimes it just happens, but most times, I believe those beloved teachers purposefully design opportunities to build strong relationships with children and their families. Make it personal - personal for them and personal for you. Here are my tried and true tips . . . more A Community of Parents: Connecting with Email Trish Prentice To promote solid relationships with my parents, I use email as a tool to communicate with families every day. I start this process before school even begins. As soon as records are available listing family data including email addresses, I copy email addresses into a "class group." I send out a welcome "test" message to work out all delivery kinks. . . . more The Book Matchmaker: Texts to Inspire Our Youngest Readers and Writers Franki Sibberson In this installment of the "Book Matchmaker" series with Franki Sibberson, Franki helps first-grade teacher Danielle think through what books might spark better writing in her young students who are mostly interested in toys and video games. . . . more Drawing to Words: Conferring with Luis (VIDEO) In this four-minute video, Andie Cunningham confers with Luis during writing workshop. Luis is a six-year-old English language learner whose passion is drawing. . . . more Community Language Board: Building Vocabulary All Year Long (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) The Community Language Board is where the class shares interesting new words from read alouds, sight words, and alternatives to common words in writing. In this video tour, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk about how the board changes and evolves over the year, building a sense of community and shared literacy. . . . more Conferring with Anna (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing. . . . more Spacing Words: A Minilesson with Young Writers (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham In this three-minute video, Andie Cunningham reinforces the concept of spacing words with her kindergartners using her own writing and a brainstorming web. . . . more Conferring with a Child in the "Silent Period" (VIDEO) Larisa is a six-year-old who speaks Russian at home, and is in the "silent period" in school. In this conference, Ruth Shagoury demonstrates different strategies for eliciting responses from Larisa. . . . more Tracking Young Children's Writing Growth and Development in Writing Workshops Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury It's important to us to be aware of each child's writing growth as they progress through the year. Knowing what a child is attempting, experimenting with, and mastering helps us plan appropriate instruction. Understanding what they are writing helps us build on children's needs and celebrate their strengths. Here are the assessment tools we use regularly... . . . more Kindergarten Room Tour (VIDEO) Maureen Knostman In this room tour, Maureen Knostman of Dublin, Ohio shares literacy areas in her kindergarten classroom. . . . more Kindergarten Room Tour (VIDEO) Maureen Knostman In this room tour, Maureen Knostman of Dublin, Ohio shares literacy areas in her kindergarten classroom. . . . more Kindergarten Literacy (RESOURCE ROUND-UP) We've gathered together a number of resources published over the last two years at the site that can help kindergarten teachers develop their literacy curriculum. . . . more Coaching in Kindergarten: Conferring (VIDEO) Joan Moser What's in a name? For kindergartner Maria, it's the start of learning how letters and sounds work. In this coaching session, Joan Moser of "The Sisters" helps Daniel understand how to use a child's name as a beginning point for teaching letters and sounds. . . . more Multicultural Books for Beginning Readers Shari Frost "Why isn't there an African American Henry and Mudge?" asked a teacher in the audience of a session on multicultural children's literature. I reminded her of a previous slide stating that only .03% of all of children's books published during the previous year featured African Americans. She retorted, "Well, at least 50 of them should have been the 'Henry-and-Mudge-Frog-and-Toad' kind of books. Children who are just starting to read need to have books about their own kind of experiences. . . . more Whatever Happened to Mrs. Wishy Washy? Shari Frost I noticed a basket in an isolated corner of the primary wing in a school. I wondered what was inside of it. When I got close enough to get a good look, I couldn't believe my eyes. The basket was filled with abandoned big books in various stages of disrepair. As I knelt down to get a better look at the basket's contents, I tried to recall the last time I had seen a teacher engage a class in the shared reading of a big book. Had it been weeks? Had it possibly even been months? . . . more Conferring with Leonela: A Two-Day Progression (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Leonela is a six-year-old student whose first language is Spanish. In these videos of conferences with Ruth Shagoury filmed over two days, she makes connections between her drawing, writing, and experiences at home and in Mexico. . . . more Helping Classroom Volunteers Become Better Listeners Andie Cunningham In my school, asking students questions when the answer is already known by the questioner was a common practice. Frustrated by these conversations, I decided to see what might happen if I brought some of what I learned as a Courage to Teach facilitator into my classroom. . . . more Bookroom Tours Part II (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this three-minute video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) continue their tours of school bookrooms. The focus in this presentation is on the checkout system used to keep track of where sets of books are in different classrooms. . . . more Important Book, Important Notes: Guiding Young Students Through Notetaking Suzy Kaback Since my experiment with Lindsay, I have shared The Important Thing About... data chart with several elementary-grade teachers. They recognized the promise of using this organizer as a notetaking tool for research papers, but they also saw potential for using the chart in more informal ways. One fourth-grade teacher said she would use the chart to help students "hold their thinking" about reading in social studies. She scribbled on the side of her paper a possible beginning entry to prompt students to think more deeply about American history: "The important thing about the Civil War is slavery was not the main reason it was fought." . . . more Personal Touches Early in the Year - Classroom Design Photo Essay Series The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) Early in the year, many of the walls in our classroom are bare, as we wait to fill them up with our learning - our new words, books we've read together, literacy goals, math graphs, anchor charts. Yet our goal is still that our students can quickly see their place in this community. We want the classroom to feel like home to them, with those personal touches that connect home to school, and students to each other. Here are four quick art/design projects you can complete in the first weeks of school that personalize the classroom for students . . . more Meeting Area Makeover (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) Meeting areas in classrooms serve many purposes - they are gathering places for students and teachers, and they also are key storage areas on the perimeter for student work, materials, and literacy supports like big books or chart stands. In this two-part video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help first-year teacher Christine reorganize her meeting area so that it is less cluttered and easier for students to access the materials they need...without disrupting lessons. . . . more Reorganizing the Classroom Library (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this brief time-lapse video, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser help Carrie, a second-year teacher, begin to organize her classroom library according to themes and traffic patterns in the classroom. . . . more More Than Listening Centers: Using Audio Books in Literacy Instruction Shari Frost A lanky boy in a hooded sweatshirt was sprawled across a beanbag chair in the back of the classroom. He was staring intently at the book in his hands. "Uh-oh," I thought, as I noticed the tiny earbuds tucked into his ears. "He is not reading at all. He's listening to music." Soon his teacher appeared and gently pulled the hood off his head. He took the earbuds out of his ears, clicked the tape off, and he and his teacher engaged in a quiet conversation. The teacher went on to another student, and he put the earbuds back in. I wondered what was going on. . . . more Community Language Board: Building Vocabulary All Year Long (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) The Community Language Board is where the class shares interesting new words from read alouds, sight words, and alternatives to common words in writing. In this video tour, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk about how the board changes and evolves over the year, building a sense of community and shared literacy. . . . more Concepts of Print: Conferring with a Kindergartner (VIDEO) In this conference with five-year-old Mariano, Joan Moser (of "The Sisters") assesses his understanding of reading, print, and books at the start of the school year. After the conference, Joan debriefs with Gail Boushey about appropriate next steps for this kindergartner. . . . more Multicultural Picture Books for Young Children Ruth Shagoury There is a growing list of multicultural children's books that combine the delight in playful oral language with striking images to enhance the experience. As an added bonus, you can use federal funds to purchase these texts; according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, these are the perfect books for an early--and contextual--exposure to phonemic awareness. . . . more Giving New Readers a Diet of More Than Leveled Books Franki Sibberson I am going on another diet. Not one of my favorite things, but something I have to do. I know that for the diet to last through all of the weight I need to lose, I need a little variety. I can't eat lettuce, grilled chicken and oatmeal for months at a time. When I have gone on diets without variety, I have always ended up deciding that I'd rather just be a little plump. It isn't really worth it. I am wondering if this is the same thing that our youngest readers feel when they are given only a diet of leveled books. I wonder if after months and months of leveled books as their only independent reading material, they feel as we chronic dieters do. Do they watch other students in the room reading "real books" in the same way that we watch size 5 colleagues in the lounge eating brownies? Do they think maybe they'd just rather not be readers? . . . more Desk Area Reorganization (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this brief time-lapse video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help Carrie reorganize her desk and rug area for better access to literacy materials and teaching supplies. . . . more Flexible Groups: Moving Beyond Levels to Assess Reading Needs (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In the past, flexible groups really weren't that flexible in our classrooms, especially when we based the groups on students' reading levels. For years we said, "Yes, of course we do flexible groups!" But the truth was we didn't really know what that meant, and we certainly had no idea of how to manage those groups. Once we started slotting kids into groups based on needing to know something more about specific reading strategies or skills like inferring or fluency, it moved us beyond levels... . . . more Learning to Cross-Check: Conferring with Hailey (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this conference, Joan Moser confers with five-year-old Hailey and helps her set a reading goal. Hailey reads a text, and Joan helps her see how cross-checking is a useful strategy for readers in decoding and comprehending text... . . . more Alphabet Books for English Language Learners Ruth Shagoury Young English language learners benefit from seeing different alphabet books, scripts, and logograph-based writing systems as part of their classroom library. While it has become fairly easy to find good bilingual alphabet books for Spanish speakers, other languages can present more of a challenge. Below is a beginning recommended list of books that will invite young writers to delight in the variety of languages and scripts from their own home language and those of their classmates... . . . more Helping Young Readers Understand the Middle East: A Booklist of the Best Fiction Picture Books Ruth Shagoury I still remember the first time I read The Day of Ahmed's Secret. I showed the book to colleagues and friends, telling them, "He looks just like my uncle Girgi! " or "Those clothes are like my Sitti wore." It was the first time I saw illustrations of people who looked like my family. As an Arab-American, I grew up as part of a large extended family, with eleven Syrian aunts and uncles who called me "habibi," or little darling. But the images in the media about Arabs didn't match my warm and caring family. The lack of Arab or Arab-American characters in children's books adds to misconceptions about those of Middle Eastern heritage. . . . more Planning for K-3 Author Studies (eGUIDE) Gayle Brand "Planning for K-3 Author Studies" is an eGuide designed for use by teachers working alone or with partners. The guide includes grids for monthly and year-long plans, suggested authors and activities, and strategies for collaborating with colleagues during author studies... . . . more Ready for Choice: Katie Wood Ray Interview Part II Katie Wood Ray's new book, Study Driven, already is claiming its place as the definitive guide to designing writing units of study on many teachers' bookshelves. Warm, wise, and witty, the book honors teachers by challenging them to trust their own knowledge and instincts when it comes to writing curriculum design. For all the practical resources Katie has provided to teachers, it could be her uniquely respectful voice that is her greatest gift to our profession... . . . more In the Zone: Conferring with a Young English Language Learner (VIDEO) The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a concept developed by the Russian language researcher Lev Vygotsky nearly a century ago. The theory simply stated is there is a learning "zone" each child . . . more Creating Anchor Charts with Sticky Note Responses from Young Readers (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Learners who focus on comprehension strategies rely on different tools. One of the most popular is the three by three inch sticky note. High school teachers like Cris Tovani and primary teachers such as Debbie Miller write about how they use these little notes in their comprehension work with students. But what adaptions do pre-school and kindergarten teachers need to make in order to use these tools as successfully as teachers who work with older students? . . . more Reading Comprehension Posters: What, Where, and Why (PHOTO ESSAY) Andie Cunningham Several years ago, I started creating permanent posters to use in my reading comprehension strategy work. My hope for the large posters was two-pronged. I wanted the posters to serve as a visual reference, a way for us to all narrow our focus over and over again when we turned to strategy work. The second hope was to show the children (and classroom visitors) how important the strategies were to all of our classwork... . . . more "Approximation is Everything": An Interview with Katie Wood Ray (Part 1) Warm, wise and provocative - is there any expert on writer's workshop who has burst on the scene with more influence than Katie Wood Ray in the past decade? Katie's new book, Study Driven: A F . . . more Webbing to Learn: A Writing Strategy to Chart Thinking with Young Learners (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury Teachers and teacher educators used to think that a web structure was too advanced for our youngest school learners, and reserved this work for more academically experienced students. A couple of years ago, we decided to see what would happen when primary grade students are invited to use webs to document their new understanding of texts. What we discovered was that webs can play a crucial role in comprehension work even with five- and six-year-olds... . . . more Spacing Words: A Mini-Lesson with Young Writers (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham In this two-minute video, Andie Cunningham reinforces the concept of spacing words with her kindergartners using her own writing and a brainstorming web. . . . more Every Language Counts: Adding Multilingual Counting Activities to Morning Meeting (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Every year I have children who come from homes with many different first languages. In the past year alone, first languages included English, Spanish, Hmong, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Russian. One way I help welcome these different languages and cultures into our classroom community is by counting in different languages during the morning meeting. . . . more Family Dichos: Bringing the Language of Home into the Classroom Ruth Shagoury We started to wonder how we could discover favorite family sayings in an attempt to create bridges from home to school. In order to bring the words of the children's families into the class, Andie wrote a letter to parents asking them to send in the sayings or proverbs - what the Mexican families call dichos - to hang in the room. She specifically requested "sayings of respect" to post in our classroom community. . . . more Planning for a Year of Author Studies (TEMPLATE) Gayle Brand It's important to me that the author studies include meaningful reading, writing, and discussion activities. Anyone who knows me knows I avoid the cutesy author studies art activities that can be fun, but have little or no connection to the books. I haven't found that random craft projects deepen students' awareness of reading and writing. Instead, we take the time to write and talk about text features, the author's writing craft, and themes in the book in ways that help students understand their own emerging skills as readers and writers. . . . more Conferring with Anna (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing. . . . more Planning for Author Studies (AUDIO) Gayle Brand In this interview, Gayle Brand talks about how she works with her first- and second-grade colleagues to plan author studies. She explains the criteria for selecting the authors, how she plans author studies across the entire year, and which authors work well at different times in the school year. . . . more Conferring with a Child in the "Silent Period" (VIDEO) Larisa is a six-year-old who speaks Russian at home, and is in the "silent period" in school. In this conference, Ruth Shagoury demonstrates different strategies for eliciting responses from Larisa. . . . more The Lines are to Write My Words: Phonics in Context Ruth Shagoury Educators who work with young children often wonder how to teach "phonics in context." Fifteen minutes in Andie's writing workshop shows the hard, intentional work that the children are engaged in as they develop their written language skills... . . . more Mix It Up: Helping Young Writers Learn to Confer with Peers and Teachers Ruth Shagoury Many kindergarten, first-, and second-grade teachers struggle with a tension in their writing workshops: How do you introduce the notion of conferencing to young writers, many of whom do not yet "read"? Andie Cunningham and I decide to introduce conferences with her five- and six-year-old authors by modeling with our own writing. . . . more Honor Books: Helping Children and Families Build Bridges Between Home and School Andie Cunningham The students I teach come from home environments of limited resources, but their years of family and life experiences are rich. Many of these families only recently immigrated to America, so there is a wealth of languages and cultures to tap in these homes. . . . more Shopping With Ana: Expanding Our Definition of "Just Right" Books in Grades K-2 Ana's shopping taught me so much about emerging readers and their choices of books. As teachers, we don't ever have the luxury of spending the amount of time I did with Ana in the bookstore, choosing two books. We don't often get to see the thinking that is behind the choice. . . . more The Art of Listening in Writing Conferences with English Language Learners Ruth Shagoury and Andie Cunningham Listening to individual children in active writers' workshops is especially challenging, and understanding the words of students who speak a different first language than yours can be downright daunting. Here are some tips for mastering the art of listening in conferences with English language learners... . . . more Reading Comprehension Posters: What, Where, and Why Andie Cunningham Several years ago, I started creating permanent posters to use in my reading comprehension strategy work. My hope for the large posters was two-pronged. I wanted the posters to serve as a visual reference, a way for us to all narrow our focus over and over again when we turned to strategy work. The second hope was to show the children (and classroom visitors) how important the strategies were to all of our classwork... . . . more Chapter Book Read Alouds in the Primary Classroom Shari Frost Some of my all-time favorite books are picture books. However, I learned from many years of teaching first grade that something magical takes place when a class shares the experience of journeying through a chapter book together. How could I convince this group of urban teachers to surrender some of their read-aloud time to a chapter book? . . . more