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Author Archive | Karen Langdon

Poetry Fun With Word Clouds

We are in the middle of one of my favorite reading units in kindergarten – poetry!  This unit was actually removed from our mandatory curriculum, but I still spend a few weeks on it with my kids because I love it so much!  (And so do they.) We have been discussing and exploring how poems [...]

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Kidblog!

This year I learned about one of the most fantastic technology resources I have used in ages – Kidblog!  Kidblog.org is a secure blogging service designed specifically for teachers and students.  It allows teachers to create a classroom network of student blogs.  Students can write their own blogs, read their classmates’ blogs, and write and [...]

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Teaching Kids to “Zoom In” on Small Moments

We are working on our “small moments” writing unit right now.  We have done some extensive work with writing personal narratives (stories about our own lives.)  At this time of year the focus is on getting kids to “zoom in” on really interesting moments in their lives, and then share rich details about those moments. [...]

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Alternative Clip Charts – Flipping Management on its Head

I have had this post swimming around in my head for a long time.  For me, it was just a matter of how to present it.  I hope this works… Why We Need A Change I think we owe our children better “behavior management systems.”  I will be sharing a plan with you in this [...]

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Peter Johnston and Some Powerful Ideas

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear Peter Johnston, author of Choice Words and Opening Minds, speak.  I read Johnston’s first book, Choice Words, during my student teaching, and I can honestly say that his ideas and suggestions have forever changed the way that I talk to kids.  So, I was of course very excited [...]

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Spring Board Game

It is finally officially spring on the calendar, and at moments it even feels like spring!  So it was time to break out our spring board game. The premise of the game is simple.  Kids each have a bear that they are trying to get from start to finish.  They collect “spring cards” along the [...]

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Highlighter Tape in Writing Workshop

Recently my colleague had a brilliant idea during writing workshop, and it grew into this.  I am so excited to share!  We are currently working on a writing unit focused on expressing opinions.  In our district, our kids are required to do this in letter format, and they are meant to be writing opinions about [...]

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Have Students Assess Their Own Behavior

As teachers we spend a lot of time assessing students’ behavior for them.  We do it in lots of ways.  It may come in the form of praise (and unspoken criticism).  It may be an actual points or reward system, or behavior clips.  It may be in the looks we give, the discussions we have, [...]

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Reading Strategies Homework Poster

By this time in kindergarten, my readers have come so far!  While they are, of course, each on their own journey as readers, I am seeing them choose and read books independently, talk about books with partners, ask deep and interesting questions, and solve difficult words in books!  This is all wonderfully exciting, as I [...]

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Using Technology To Elevate Share Time

Share time has been a focus of mine over the last couple of years in writing and reading workshop.  I know that kids LOVE to have the opportunity to share their work and be recognized for things they have worked on or done well.  I have been doing a share time for years that basically [...]

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