Your students are excited, routines feel shakier than usual, and attention spans are… well… short. At the same time, you still need meaningful literacy instruction that supports real reading growth — not busywork that leads to chaos five minutes in.

That’s where winter reading games can be a game-changer. The key is choosing winter reading activities that are hands-on, predictable, and purposeful.

Let me walk you through what that can look like in a real kindergarten classroom.

Why Winter Reading Games Work So Well in Kindergarten

During the winter months, students benefit from activities that:

• Feel playful, not worksheet-heavy
• Offer movement and interaction
• Allow for repetition without boredom
• Build independence during centers

The best winter reading activities for kindergarten don’t try to reinvent your literacy block. Instead, they reinforce skills you’re already teaching — just in a way that feels fun and doable.

That’s exactly what these winter reading games are designed to do.

Snowfriend Syllables: Building Phonological Awareness Through Play

Syllables can be tricky for young learners, especially when instruction feels abstract.

This game turns syllable practice into a visual, hands-on experience. Students say the word, clap or count the syllables, and physically remove counters as they play. The combination of movement, repetition, and clear structure helps students internalize syllable segmentation without it feeling like drill work.

It’s a great example of how winter reading centers can reinforce phonological awareness while keeping students engaged.

Ice, Ice Rhymes Are Nice: Making Rhyming Click

Rhyming is one of those skills that students need lots of exposure to — but traditional practice can get stale quickly.

This rhyming game keeps students motivated by turning matching into a friendly challenge. The visual support, clear expectations, and interactive gameplay help students focus on listening to sounds rather than guessing.

As part of a rotation, this game works beautifully as an independent or partner winter reading activity.

Sight Word Sleigh Race: Repetition Without the Groans

Sight word practice is essential — but let’s be honest, it’s not always exciting for kids.

This winter reading game adds just enough novelty to keep students engaged while still allowing for repeated exposure to sight words. Because the game format stays consistent, students can focus on reading rather than learning new directions every time.

It’s especially helpful for differentiation, since you can easily adjust the words to match where your students are.

Snowflake Sound Subtract: Strengthening Phonological awareness Skills

Phonological awareness practice is most effective when students are actively thinking about sounds — not just pointing and naming.

This game encourages students to isolate beginning sounds and track them visually as they play. The structure supports careful listening, sound discrimination, and confidence with phonics skills — all within a winter theme that feels fresh and engaging.

It’s a strong option for small groups or independent winter reading centers.

Vowel Vacation: Practicing Vowel Sounds With Purpose

Vowel sounds often need repeated, intentional practice — especially in kindergarten.

This game provides that repetition in a low-stress, game-based format. Students are moving, listening, and applying what they know about vowel sounds as they play, which makes the learning stick.

It’s a great reminder that winter reading games don’t need to be complicated to be effective.

Making Winter Reading Centers Work for You

The biggest win with these winter reading activities is how easy they are to integrate into your existing routine.

Teachers love them because:

• Expectations stay consistent across games
• Materials are print-and-go
• Students build independence quickly
• Skills align with what’s already being taught

Whether you’re planning for December or January, these kindergarten winter reading centers help bring calm, focus, and joy back into your literacy block.

Have you used games in your classroom?

Winter doesn’t have to feel like survival mode.

With the right winter reading games, you can keep students engaged, reinforce key literacy skills, and actually enjoy your reading block again — even during the busiest months of the school year.

If you’re looking for winter reading activities for kindergarten that are meaningful, manageable, and kid-approved, these games are a great place to start.

But here’s the thing most non-teachers don’t realize:
December is also one of the hardest months to teach. Schedules change, excitement is high, assessments sneak up out of nowhere, and we’re still expected to keep learning meaningful. That’s exactly why I love using literacy centers and small group lessons that feel festive but stay intentional.

And the Gingerbread Man theme might just be the best example of this.

Let me show you how I make it work without adding more planning to your already full plate.

Why Gingerbread Man Activities Work So Well in Kindergarten

The magic of a Gingerbread Man theme isn’t just the colorful crafts and sweet stories — it’s the learning possibilities hiding beneath the whimsy.

With one theme, my students can:

• Build vocabulary using real pictures
• Develop background knowledge through nonfiction facts
• Practice reading and writing skills with playful prompts
• Strengthen fine motor and listening with directed drawings
• Work independently in kindergarten literacy centers

And yes, they still think they’re just having fun.
(That’s the best part!)

If you teach kindergarten, you already know that engagement is half the battle — especially in December. When learning feels like play, students stay focused, confidence grows, and behaviors calm down.

How I Introduce Gingerbread Man Literacy in a Meaningful Way

I start our week with a teacher-led mentor text, but instead of reading a storybook right away, we explore nonfiction. My students learn real facts about gingerbread, baking, ingredients, and traditions.

We anchor vocabulary using real photo cards, which are incredibly helpful for emergent readers and multilingual learners. Instead of guessing at pictures, they build actual knowledge — the kind that supports comprehension later.

From there, we explore poems, labeling pages, and shared writing opportunities. My students think they’re just talking about cookies… but they’re actually building literacy skills that matter all year long.

A Classroom Favorite: Gingerbread Directed Drawing

This might be the quietest 20 minutes of the entire month.
(Every time we start a directed drawing lesson, I can practically hear angels singing.)

Students practice:

• Listening comprehension
• Fine motor control
• Following sequential directions
• Visual literacy skills

And the best part?
No two gingerbread people look alike — which makes for the cutest hallway display.

If you want to try this part for free, you can grab my Gingerbread Man Directed Drawing here. It’s a classroom favorite and zero-prep.

What Our Gingerbread Literacy Centers Look Like

During centers, I want independence, engagement, and meaningful practice… not busywork. Here’s what I rotate through the week:

• Word work & phonics with a gingerbread twist
• Writing prompts that extend nonfiction learning
• Reading center with gingerbread poem + response
• Vocabulary activities with real-world connections
• Math centers that build number sense through play

When centers stay themed, students understand expectations quickly. They aren’t learning how to do the centers — just practicing the skills inside them.

This is especially important in December. The more familiar the structure, the more confident they become, and the easier small group instruction becomes for YOU.

Want a Week of Gingerbread Man Activities Planned for You?

If planning during December feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. I used to scramble for ideas, search Pinterest late at night, and piece together activities from different places. It took forever — and it wasn’t always aligned with what my students actually needed.

That’s why I started creating thematic literacy + math units that are developmentally appropriate, fun, and academically strong.

Inside the Gingerbread Thematic Unit, you’ll find:

• A nonfiction mentor text
• Real-photo vocabulary cards
• A poetry activity
• Informational writing pages
• Literacy centers
• Math centers
• Labeling
• Directed drawing
• Anchor chart templates
• KWL chart and more

Everything is ready to print, teach, and enjoy — which means you get to spend more time actually teaching… and less time prepping.

Your future December self will thank you.

The holidays are coming, the snowman crafts are multiplying, your classroom is full of twinkly excitement…and attention spans? Well, those start shrinking faster than a snowflake on a sunny day.

That’s when you need learning that feels like fun — something students want to do, even when their brains are already halfway to winter break.

That’s exactly why winter reading games and hands-on winter reading activities for 2nd grade are so powerful this time of year. Instead of battling distraction or pulling teeth to get students writing or reading quietly, you get them learning through movement, play, and meaningful repetition.

And honestly? It feels better for you, too.

Why Winter Reading Games Work So Well

There’s something magical that happens when learning connects to play. Students become more independent, more focused, and more confident. Games naturally build repetition — which means more exposure to the skills you’re reviewing, without worksheets or one more round of the same practice page.

Plus, winter literacy centers give you the structure you need when schedules get unpredictable or routines are interrupted. They work beautifully during:

• Small group time
• Early finishers
• Morning tubs
• Partner work
• Sub days
• Independent literacy practice

…and the best part?

Students don’t even realize how much they’re learning — because they’re having fun.

What Skills Do These Winter Reading Activities Cover?

These winter reading games give students meaningful, repeatable practice with essential 2nd grade literacy skills — without the boredom of worksheets or traditional drill-based work. Each game blends skill-based reading practice with hands-on play so learning feels fun, motivating, and purposeful.

Here’s a closer look at the skills covered and how students will practice them:

Parts of Speech (nouns, verbs, and adjectives)

Students practice identifying parts of speech as they move their game piece around a winter-themed board. Each turn requires reading and sorting the word into the correct category, helping build grammar confidence and vocabulary through movement and repetition — not worksheets.

How it’s practiced: Students roll, move, read, and categorize words while racing to the finish line — making grammar feel like an adventure, not a task.

R-Controlled Vowels

Instead of reading isolated words, students apply r-controlled vowel patterns through a winter BINGO-style game. The repetition built into gameplay helps students quickly notice spelling patterns, sound connections, and decoding routines.

How it’s practiced: Students listen to a called word, read the matching word on the board, and cover it — naturally building decoding accuracy and fluency.

Synonyms + Antonyms

Vocabulary grows through exposure — and this domino-style game introduces multiple word pairings in a way that feels like a challenge instead of “memorization.”

How it’s practiced: Students match word pairs while saying whether each connection is a synonym or antonym, which reinforces vocabulary relationships through oral language, reasoning, and gameplay.

Compound Words

Students build compound words by matching picture cards or text cards, giving them visual and phonemic support. This helps deepen word structure understanding — a key component of morphology and Science of Reading-aligned instruction.

How it’s practiced: Students flip cards memory-style or match pairs to “build” words and fill their winter cocoa cup — giving compound word work a playful purpose.

Subject + Predicate Sentence Matching

Sentence structure becomes much more meaningful when students physically construct sentences rather than just identifying parts on paper.

How it’s practiced: Students match subjects and predicates to build complete sentences, then earn pieces to decorate their snow friend — making writing skills feel playful and purposeful.

What’s Included in These Winter Reading Games?

Inside this set, you’ll find five highly-engaging prepped-and-ready activities, each aligned to CCSS and TEKS and designed for real classroom use.

You get:

5 skill-based reading center games
Kid-friendly directions (perfect for centers, subs, or parent helpers)
Color and blackline versions for flexibility
Winter-themed counters (or pair with mini erasers — hello Dollar Spot )
Standards alignment page

Everything is designed to be easy, predictable, and repeatable — which means you introduce a game once, and students can revisit it all month long.

How to Introduce These Activities

Here’s a tip that saves you time and sanity:

Teach one game whole-group under your document camera.

Let students play against you, model your expectations, and then release it into centers. Students love the challenge, and this routine helps prevent future interruptions like:

“Wait… what do I do next?”
“Can I move this?”
“Am I winning?”

Once modeled, these games practically run themselves.

What Teachers Love Most

You’ll appreciate how low-prep these winter literacy centers are — but what really makes them shine is how much students enjoy them.

Teachers who’ve used them describe them as:

• “A lifesaver during the busy December weeks”
• “My students BEGGED to play again”
• “The perfect mix of fun and meaningful review”
• “Something I can pull year after year without more prep”

And honestly — that’s the goal.

You deserve activities that support learning and protect your energy during a season that requires a little extra flexibility (and coffee ).

Who Are These Winter Reading Games Best For?

This resource is designed with 2nd grade in mind — but you’ll also find it useful if you work with:

• Advanced first graders
• A mix of reading intervention levels
• Third graders who need additional support or review

Because the games are visual, structured, and skill-targeted, they adapt beautifully across support tiers.

Ready to Make December Feel Lighter?

If you’re searching for winter reading activities that are:

Low prep
Aligned to real standards
Purposeful
Engaging
And FUN…

…then these winter reading games will be a go-to tool in your classroom all season long.

Your students will be laughing, learning, and building their literacy skills — and you’ll feel that little sigh of relief knowing your centers are handled.

Click below to check out the full set and get everything ready for your classroom this winter:

Winter Reading Games and Activities for 2nd Grade

These Thanksgiving reading games aren’t just adorable turkey-themed time fillers — they’re research-backed, standard-aligned, and genuinely effective at helping 1st graders strengthen their phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension. And the best part? They’re simple to prep, easy to store, and can be reused year after year.

Why Teachers Love Thanksgiving Literacy Centers

In my classroom, I keep each game laminated and stored in a gallon-sized bag, ready to pull out every November. When my students see the Thanksgiving theme, they light up — and I know I can count on 10–15 minutes of independent, focused work time while they play.

Each of these Thanksgiving reading activities targets a key 1st grade literacy skill and can be used during centers, small group time, or even as a quiet activity while you finish up those mid-year assessments.

Here’s a peek inside:

1⃣ Buffet of Beginning Blends – Students spin and move their way through blend sounds, reinforcing phonemic awareness and decoding skills.

2⃣ Mayflower Matching – Nonfiction text features come to life as students match terms like caption and diagram to their examples.

3⃣ Sweet Sight Word Bingo – Classic BINGO, but with sight words your students actually need. Great for independent or partner play!

4⃣ Dinner Dash – Students clap out syllables to move across the board — the perfect mix of rhythm, reading, and fun.

5⃣ Baked Potato Bump – Vocabulary practice gets competitive as students sort and categorize words in this friendly “bump” game.

All five games include color and blackline versions, Thanksgiving-themed counters, and easy-to-follow directions — so your centers practically run themselves.

Why These Thanksgiving Reading Games Are a 1st Grade Must-Have

Teachers tell me over and over that these Thanksgiving literacy centers save their sanity every November. They’re meaningful, independent, and actually reinforce the reading standards you’re already teaching.

Because students can play alone or with a partner, you can use them during literacy rotations, small groups, or intervention time without constant interruptions. And since they align to CCSS and TEKS, you can feel confident that every minute spent playing is a minute of real learning.

These Thanksgiving activities also make fantastic sub plans or early finisher tasks — no extra prep, no stress. Just print, laminate, and go!

Teacher-Tested, Student-Approved

If your 1st graders need meaningful literacy practice and you need a few peaceful moments to regroup, these Thanksgiving literacy centers are your new best friend. They’re festive, skill-based, and designed by a teacher who gets it.

Your students will love them. You’ll really love them.

Click here to grab the Thanksgiving Reading Games for 1st Grade on Teachers Pay Teachers.

P.S.

Looking for even more Thanksgiving reading activities and literacy centers that keep students engaged while you catch your breath? Check out my full collection of low-prep reading and math games here.

Before we dive into some game-changing tips for your small groups with students who are developing as young readers, I want to share a little secret…

All of the “good stuff” we talked about in here and here– you know, all about phonological awareness – that is still going to apply with these lessons! It’s still best practice to continue developing this highly important foundation even though we are moving into appropriate texts.

So let’s say your students are ready for decodable readers. They’re really mastering their sound-symbol knowledge and can sound out unfamiliar words using phonological blending. Where do we start?

Well, if you know me friend, then you know I love to follow a proven blueprint – I’m not about reinventing the wheel every time I plan a small group lesson. Here’s the basic overview of my small group lesson with developing readers:

1. Review sound-symbols
2. Decoding practice
3. Heart word review
4. Introduce and map new heart words
5. Introduce book and read independently
6. Comprehension / dictation

In all this lesson will run 15-20 minutes (yes, we move at a fast pace)! So let’s do a quick overview of each of these steps in the lesson.

I like for my readers to have a fairly strong development of sound-symbol knowledge before we dive into decodable books – so this portion of the lesson is usually just a minute or two.

I like to run through my alphabet book warm-up where I say the letter, target picture, then sound and students repeat. As they get the feel for this I eventually remove my model/prompt and let them do the heavy lifting.

We then move into decoding practice. I love to start with a list of words that follow the pattern in our decodable for the day. For example, if we are reading a short a decodable, we will mainly focus on short a words during this decoding practice.

Early on I will have my students read each sound aloud and then “scoop” the sounds together to read the word. As students are ready, I’ll move into teaching them to read each sound in their mind then just say the “scoop” or word out loud. This really helps to start building fluency as we are reading.

You can check out our short vowel decodable bundle where this work is already done for you!

Next up we review heart words (these are high frequency words that we have previously mapped and practiced). I love to vary this practice with quick games like heart word memory (cards with heart words written on them turned over and students take turns flipping them over, reading them, and seeing if they have a match).

After our review I’ll introduce any new heart words for the lesson and we’ll map them together and build them with magnetic letters. I love prepping these in baggies or small containers with just the letters the kiddos need to keep things moving quickly.

Now that we’re warmed up, we’re ready to dive into our decodable book for the day. I do a very short introduction to let them know what the text is about (I try to keep these to one sentence), and then we are off and reading independently while I listen and guide as needed.

After reading our decodable we move into comprehension questions (day 1 of lesson) or guided writing / dictation (day 2 of lesson). For guided writing / dictation, I ask a guiding question that leads us to our sentence for the day (usually directly from the book we read). Students repeat the sentence, count the number of words, then write the sentence.

And there you have it friends – a proven roadmap for small groups lessons that will help your developing readers blossom!

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The research behind science of reading isn’t necessarily new, yet it still leaves even seasoned teachers scratching their heads about best practices – and let’s face it… we all want to help our students to the best of our ability.

That’s why I’m so excited to embark on a new series of mini posts to share what the research says, what I’ve learned, and what I’ve experienced success with when working with my students.

And yes mini means they are going to be shorter and more bite sized so you can visit each week, read in just a few minutes, and leave ready to implement!

Today I’m going to share 5 tips for planning small group literacy that will save you SO much time!

• The first thing I always recommend to teachers is to organize your data and plans.

I’ve been there and I’ve done that with searching here and there for notes about how students did, what we did in a previous lesson, who was able to show mastery of a given skill, and the list goes on…

Years ago I decided I’d had enough with literally wasting time trying to find the information I needed to even start planning, and I created a small group binder! And yes… it works for guided reading, structured literacy, or whatever it is your school calls small group literacy.

Inside is everything I need – previous small group lesson plans, blank assessment forms, and a tab for each student so I can look at his/her past assessments to inform my planning.

• Next, when sitting down to plan small group lessons the very first thing I do is look in my binder to see what we covered in the previous lesson(s).

Do I feel like my students did well or mastered the skill covered? Do they need a review? Do they need to see it a different way?

With that information at the forefront of my mind I take a look at past assessments to see if there are skills we need to spiral in for review or build on.

With all of this readily at hand I take the guesswork out of what my groups need to work on and immediately make the planning process not only incredibly faster but also easier.

Tip number 3 goes hand in hand with the data and observations I’m using in tip 2.

• Group students in fluid groups that have a shared need (skill, strategy, phonics pattern, etc).

Trust me on this one… When all of the students in your group share a common need you can easily pinpoint exactly what to focus on during your small group instruction.

It also makes differentiation built in and *almost* effortless because every group is getting instruction on the exact skills they need.

A word of caution though… the only way to create these types of groupings is to start with baseline data and refer back to your observations in small groups and assessments throughout the year.

And yes, fluid means I change my groups often. There’s no magic time table for this, but by meeting with my groups readily it becomes apparent when it’s time to mix things up!

• Use one book for 2 (sometimes even 3) lessons.

Yes, I used to feel the need to introduce a new book during every single one of my small group lessons. However, that really didn’t prove to be the most effective for my students (or for me).

It created twice as much prep work, and I found that each time I met with a group we were literally rushing to get through all of the components of the small group lesson.

And you know what else? Some students aren’t even ready for books just yet – whether it be a decodable book, leveled reader, beginner chapter book or other. Some kiddos need this time dedicated to building their foundational literacy skills like phonological awareness, phonics knowledge, and more.

In a later blog post we will explore what I do during each lesson to split one book between 2 (or 3) lessons.

• Lastly, follow a proven structure when you plan small groups.

If each time we sit down to plan we are recreating the wheel as to what order we are going to do things, trying to remember what skills to focus on, etc then we are inevitably going to increase the time it takes to plan.

I use the same frame work each time I meet with students depending on whether they are working on pre-reading skills or are developing their reading habits and skills.

Does that mean kids get bored? Absolutely not! I vary the activities, manipulatives used, books, etc so it’s always fresh yet I save so much time because my roadmap is already there for me!

So – there you have it! Five easy-to-implement tips for reducing the time it takes to plan your small group literacy instruction.

Head back to the blog next Sunday as we take a dive into what a small group lesson with pre-readers looks like!

You may be wondering, “Bryce, what else could you POSSIBLY have to say about literacy at this point? Haven’t you said it all?” Oh friends please, you know I’ve still got a million helpful literacy tricks up my sleeve. And today I’ll share with you one of my favorites for building independent readers. This fall we’ve been focusing on literacy skills one-on-one, in small groups and in whole class scenarios, but the WHOLE POINT of all of this training is to develop independent readers and thinkers so our students can take these skills and use them on their own, for the rest of their lives. They can’t read with us forever, eventually these baby birds gotta fly. And this time of the year is ideal for implementing independent reading — who doesn’t need a little peace and quiet come back-to-school-craziness in January?!?

What’s the secret for this quiet time? I’ll tell you.

Student Book Boxes/Bags

Seemingly simple. Timelessly genius. Every student should have a book bag (or book box or SOME PLACE that’s all theirs) to store a small selection of books they are reading independently. I recommend 4-5 books at a time, depending on the size of your classroom library. You may want to allow your students fewer books at a time if your shelves start to look a little bare or if you notice a tendency for students to hoard books in their bags without reading them for weeks at a time.

Select a Variety of Genres

Have students branch out when they choose books for their bag, diversifying their interests and pushing out of their comfort zone. This way they can explore things they find individually interesting (there’s always a kiddo or two who’s obsessed with a niche non-fiction topic) as well as learn new things that they may not have chosen without a little encouragement from you.

Keep track of how many books students have at any given time by using student shopping cards (perhaps color-coded by genre). This can help students visualize how many of each type they should select while still giving them ownership over the decision of WHAT to choose.

This balance of independence and guidance helps students develop what I call a balanced literacy appetite. It’s a really tough balance to cultivate for most educators, but (lucky for you) I’ve created Editable Book Shopping Checklists to help out!

Stay Organized

Inside each book bag, help students stay organized with several tools. I have them keep a pencil and a stack of sticky notes to jot key understandings, exciting revelations, questions that arise when reading, etc. This is another great way to check in with readers during guided reading time (or any time really) to see their thought process during independent reading. Plus, it helps students comprehend what they’re reading — WIN/WIN! It’s also a great tactic to check in on independent readers intermittently so they expect to be held “accountable” for their independent reading. When students think you’ll check in on them, they may pay better attention.

Additionally, my students use a filing method with these fun labels (available for FREE at the end of this post!), showing what they’ve finished reading and what they’re looking forward to reading again. Once students have re-read each title a few times, they’re allowed to start shopping for new books for their bag.

For emerging independent readers, it can be helpful to keep an alphabet chart or sight word flash cards on a ring in their bag as well. This way they have all the tools they need to solve for a word if something tricky arises when reading on their own.

Another way I like to keep an eye on student independent reading without too much hovering is having students write teacher letters in their student reading notebooks. This way I can check in on student progress at the end or beginning of the school day without interrupting independent reading.

Integrate Independence

Independent reading can happen ANYTIME. That’s one of the wonderful things about it. It can be an early finish option during your literacy block, included as a center that students rotate through, or a partner activity. I have a few kiddos who take themselves off to read independently during unstructured play — it can be great for introverted students who need a little quiet time with a book to recharge their batteries.

Another great option for boosting independent reading is giving the whole class a prescribed 5-10 minute “reset time” (hey hey behavior management around the holidays — so necessary) right after recess or specials when they need to calm down. Having a short D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) time can work wonders on behavior throughout the year when energies are high. It’s good for high energy kiddos who need to breathe and cool off, and for quieter personalities who need a moment alone. The whole class takes a collective breath that’s refreshing for everyone.

However works best for your classroom, integrating independent reading develops that balanced literacy muscle that is crucial for independent critical thinkers later on in life. And to help you do that more easily, I’ve added some student book bag independent reading resources to my FREEBIES section of the Teaching Texan website for you all — including support for emerging readers and colorful dividers to keep students’ book bags organized that my kiddos absolutely love.

In addition to that extra espresso shot in your morning latte, adding 5-10 minutes of independent reading can really rescue your sanity over the next week or so. A happy, healthy, and SANE holiday season to you all! (And if you haven’t already, join us below to get the password for access to these freebies and LOTS more added regularly from the blog!)

Grab your free copy of this book bag/box organizing mat resource by joining my email list below. You’ll be sent the password to visit the Freebies section of my website.

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And yet, including shared reading as part of your whole group literacy time isn’t quite, well, natural. At least not yet. It still feels like trying to shoehorn another thing in that you know is good for your students but holy moly can’t this all just be EASIER?!?

Yes friend, it can. And it should be! Today I’ll share 5 teaching points for shared reading to make it a fun, simple and second nature addition to your literacy lessons.

Each of these teaching points can easily be customized for any literacy unit, pulled out of your back pocket when you’ve got five minutes to spare before recess, or used as a warm-up before literacy centers. Even better still, they’re perfect for any elementary classroom or reading level — easy to translate for all levels from kinder to fifth!

Let’s dive in:

1. One to One Matching

I don’t know about yours, but my kiddos LOVE their pointers. (I have cute little ones with hands on them that I literally purchased from the dollar store. Money well spent, 100%!) But whether you have “fancy” pointers or just regular pencils, this game is super fun, challenging in all the right ways, and rewarding for readers of all levels.

Whether you’ve got a projector, a white/chalk board, or large poster paper, start by displaying some text to the whole group. (Or if your classroom has tablets, each student can follow along with their own — this activity is super flexible to work with whatever you’ve got!) Ask one student to act as the leader and use their pointer to choose a word where the whole group can see. Then give students a few seconds to read the word silently to themselves (gives slower readers a second to catch up) before reading aloud chorally as a group.

This activity is extremely simple, but oh so important for young readers to gain confidence. By allowing students to focus on one word at a time, and giving a moment to read independently, they can feel confident and supported when reading aloud with the whole group. Plus, even if they get it “wrong”, it’s not a huge mistake that’s obvious to everyone. It’s a tiny blip before moving on to the next word. Also, the student picking the word doesn’t have to worry about “knowing more” in order to lead the group. It’s an easy way to involve all reading levels in different roles.

In fact, I’ve created some super cute winter-themed sight word coloring sheets that pair wonderfully with this activity specifically for Kinder, First, and Second Grades! Play the game as a group, then work individually on the sheets as your first literacy center. Hip hip hooray for seamless integration!

2. Play Detective

This activity can be done with or without additional prep, it works well both ways. It can also be completed whether students have read the text previously or not. Using context clues (or remembering from previous readings of the text in Guided Reading lessons or other Shared Reading activities), students guess what word is missing from a sentence AND practice sounding out the missing word.

It’s awesome if you have a picture to accompany the sentence, like you see below, but for older elementary readers you may have enough context clues in the paragraph without a visual. Either way, students make their guess silently, then adjust their guess as further clues (aka letters) are revealed. Students sound out the word as its revealed, finally seeing the whole word in context.

If you need more details (or just like lots of pictures), I’ve explained this activity in depth in a previous post.

3. I Spy

For this activity I’ve found it best to start with a fresh text that students are not familiar with. Previewing the text without reading aloud, have students locate specific words (most likely sight words you’ve taught) within the text. You can lead the game to begin, saying “I spy a sight word beginning with S,” for example. Students take a few seconds to locate the word on their own, then all respond as a chorus with the word. After a few rounds, students might want to lead a round or two themselves.

This activity is especially helpful for young readers to realize they already know several words on a page even if they’ve never read it before. Talk about building confidence!

4. Focus on Punctuation

Practicing reading punctuation as a group can really help build confidence in less experienced readers. Learning when to pause, raise your inflection and emphasize certain words helps with both reading aloud and public speaking in later elementary and beyond.

Have students read the same sentence with different punctuation and notice how this changes the meaning. How does this sound as a question? Notice how it’s different from a statement. The older your students are, the more involved this activity can become. You can go on a hunt for “question words” like how, why, what, when, where. Or discuss how a story feels different when a character uses an exclamation at the end of their dialogue as opposed to a period. Punctuation is an extremely important storytelling and literacy tool. Integrating it into your literacy lessons can be extremely helpful with student fluency.

5. Cross Check

Cross checking is when a student uses a picture (or part of a picture — revealing different parts of the picture along with revealing letters can be a fun variation on this activity!) and the initial letters of a word to solve for the word. For example, let’s say there’s a picture of a tiger but your kindergarten student is convinced it’s a lion for some reason. They assume they’re reading about a lion but are confronted with a word that starts with a “T”, not an “L”. After sounding out the word fully, they realize the picture must be a tiger since the text supports that reading. Developing the skill of cross-checking helps students use the word AND pictures to read a text, instead of relying too heavily on the pictures and guessing at the story.

I’ve loved getting to share these Shared Reading tips with you this week and I hope you have a blast integrating them into your lessons this winter. Creating a balanced literacy strategy is work, yes, but with practice and the right tools, it can become second nature in no time. Lucky for you, I’ve got all the tools you need to succeed! Grab your set of shared reading poems by clicking here or on the picture below.

When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing that warms me up like teaching kids to love reading! I’m just preparing them to sit by their cozy fires later in life, snuggled up in blankets with a cup of hot cocoa and a wonderful story.

If you’re one of those excellent educators who’s never had a chance to incorporate shared reading into your curriculum, today’s your lucky day. Fortunately for us all, it’s extremely easy to implement. Shared reading is a chance to practice reading skills as a WHOLE GROUP.  It’s a wonderful opportunity for every student to get reading practice at once, in a choral fashion, so that their mistakes don’t stick out, making them feel self conscious. It boosts confidence and stretches students to new levels of accomplishment. This large group time is also perfect for linking to mini-lessons in guided reading, and great for practicing strategies for word solving, re-reading, decoding and monitoring comprehension.

So…what is Shared Reading?

Glad you asked! Shared reading is pretty much exactly what it sounds like — students sharing a reading experience with the same text. This can be done as a whole class activity, in smaller groups, or even in pairs depending on what works best for your schedule and kiddos. The most important elements are that (a) students read aloud and (b) they don’t read alone.

As a whole class activity, everyone should have access to a copy of the same text (you may have partners share a text) and read aloud chorally, like reciting a poem. It’s imperative that students are engaged in reading the text with you, otherwise this would fall under the category of a read aloud.

Shared Reading FAQ:

• How do you choose texts for shared reading? Does it have to be a whole book?

Absolutely does NOT have to be a whole book. In fact, I’ve found poems to be a wonderful way to incorporate shared reading. I’ve just created an awesome package for y’all to use poetry as a form of shared reading complete with projections for read-a-longs and student copies for their poetry notebooks!

I love to use books from Reading A-Z to project for this. If your classroom is equipped with a projector this can be an easy, no fuss way to give everyone access to the text without having to print out copies or do too much prep work ahead of time — y’all know how much I love to cut down your prep-time! I also love to choose books that relate to current themes, units, events, or seasons for relevance. This helps tie in our literacy with other things we’re learning in the classroom.

And let’s not forget about poetry. Having a weekly poem is the PERFECT way to incorporate shared reading. We read through our poem the first day looking for familiar sight words (this day is pretty teacher heavy) and discussing meaning. As the students become more familiar with the poem throughout the week we discuss rhyming words, rhythm, etc.

I also love putting them in a pocket chart so they can become a center where students mix the poem up then rebuild it. After they rebuild the poem they then record the missing words on a student handout. It’s a win-win of incorporating so many skills at once! You can check out my Fall Shared Reading Poems by clicking the image below!

Whatever you choose, it’s important to select texts that are at the instructional level for the majority of your kiddos. This means some kiddos will be stretched a bit and some will be reading down a level or two, but this isn’t a negative at all! You’ll be surprised to see that students at lower instructional levels will rise to the occasion, and those above this level will serve as fantastic peer-models while still gaining fluency practice.

• How do you plan for shared reading?

Instead of reinventing the wheel, I’m going to point you to one of the best strategy guides I’ve found for Shared Reading thus far — ReadWriteThink.org has a study by Jan Miller Burkins that breaks it down brilliantly. She tackles important things to consider before, during and after your shared reading time.

• How often should you incorporate shared reading?

As often as you can! It could even be a daily routine way to bring your class into literacy time. Or a weekly wrap up “Friday Poetry Circle” where everyone also learns to snap like a real poetry session — practicing those fine motor skills all the time too!

• What are the benefits really? I already have so much literacy to plan for!

The benefits are ENORMOUS and you’ll start to notice quickly once this becomes a regular part of your students’ routine. Your kiddos will get more opportunities to practice sight word or high frequency word recognition, as well as fluency practice. Plus, shared reading time allows all students to feel successful as readers.  Shared reading also allows time for students to practice reading texts with appropriate tone and inflection. Reading aloud in a group is a completely different skill than reading silently. It even leads into public speaking skills later in life. Plus, working as a whole group allows you, the teacher to model inflection and tone, then students are given the chance to practice those skills immediately as a group.

Another huge benefit you’ll see right away (within just a couple of weeks) is the effects shared reading has on your guided reading sessions with students. After group experience gaining confidence reading together, students will gain further INDEPENDENT practice with these strategies in smaller groups or on one-on-one mini-lessons with you.

(For more on guided reading and how to get started — head here!)

Incorporating shared reading actually cuts down on your front-loading time teaching guided reading later. It maximizes your time while building student skills — a win/win in my book! Need teaching points for shared reading? Check out 5 of my favorite on this blog post!

However and whenever you decide to incorporate shared reading into your classroom, you’ll be glad you did! I can’t wait to hear your success stories!

• “How do you fit STEAM in? I just don’t have time in my day.”
• “Where do you find resources?”
• “I teach very young students (Kindergarten), can STEAM work for them?”

Thinking back to all of the planning myself and teams I’ve taught with have done surrounding STEAM education, I could probably write a book – and hey, maybe one day I will! One thing though is certain, I am so thankful that I found hoopla digital! So buckle up, I’m about to show you exactly how awesome Hoopla is for lesson planning – plus I’m going to give you a FREE lesson idea with plan so you can get started TODAY!

What is Hoopla Digital?

hoopla digital is a service that has partnered with libraries ACROSS North America to bring online/mobile (think digital here) access to literally thousands of Movies, TV Shows, Music, eBooks, Audiobooks and Comics. It’s truly at your fingertips and ready to download in a snap! Right here in Dallas the Dallas Public Library system has already partnered with hoopla digital bringing a wealth of resources to you – and all you need is a valid library card!

I love a trip to the library as much as the next teacher, but it can be so frustrating when the book you need for a specific lesson is either checked out or not carried at that location. With hoopla digital you always have access to their huge library and never have to worry about a book being checked out!

But, how does that relate to STEAM education?

Oh, I’m so glad you asked! Y’all… it has EVERYTHING to do with STEAM education because hoopla digital has become the leading resource for STEAM content across all age ranges!

If you’re just getting started with STEAM, hoopla has such a diverse variety of STEAM resources – whether you want a book targeted directly for STEAM education, a book about inventors, or a book that can be used to create a STEAM challenge, it’s on hoopla!

5 Ways hoopla Makes Lesson Plans a Cinch

1. No trips to the library! All of their content is available to you digitally! The days of worrying about someone having checked out a particular book are done. Plus, as teachers we know that as students are exploring something new they inevitably have questions we don’t have the answers for. hoopla makes finding resources for the questions a snap!
2. Did I mention how diverse the hoopla library is?! This simple fact means that it is easier than ever to pull STEAM into any content block throughout the day – science, literacy, math… you name it!
3. Hoopla isn’t just ebooks! If you need audio books for listen to reading, videos, music, or even a clip of something from TV – chances are you can find it on hoopla!
4. Not super comfortable with STEAM? hoopla has books that lay out pre-made STEAM activities for you! Take their outline and transfer them into your lesson plans! This is the perfect way to get your feet wet with STEAM education.
5. There are TONS of resources that teach to growth mindset which is important not only for STEAM, but for creating resilient students! Here are some of my favorites available right in the hoopla database:

• “Ada Twist, Scientist” by Andrea Beaty
• “Rosie Revere, Engineer” by Andrea Beaty
• “Iggy Peck, Architect” by Andrea Beaty

OK, I promised you a ready-to-go and FREE lesson plan! One of my favorite traditional content blocks to bring a little STEAM action into is a math block. Something about math centers just really lends itself to incorporating STEAM without changing the entire scope of a content block or your day.

With winter coming up, many of us will engage in some form of study of weather, seasons, or snow. Why not tie that study into a snowflake STEAM challenge?

This lesson plan guide will take you and your students step-by-step through the five step engineering process as students investigate and explore snowflakes then create their own artwork showcasing symmetry. For this lesson, I recommend using “There’s Math in My Art” by Nikole Bethea which is readily available for you on hoopla digital!

Materials are simple (and reusable) – toothpicks, pom poms, glass beads, pipe cleaners, etc. – you can see the full list right on the lesson plan guide under materials.

Students will (1) Ask, (2) Imagine, (3) Plan, (4) Create, and (5) Improve a snowflake design that features a symmetrical design.

Grab your free copy of this lesson plan guide by joining my email list below. You’ll be sent the password to visit the Freebies section of my website. Want more ideas for STEAM lessons – click here.

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Want answers to more of your STEAM-related questions? Join me as I take over the hoopla Instagram on November 7th! I’ll be answering all of your questions live, and I’d love to see you there! Click here to follow Hoopla on Instagram so you don’t miss out!