Top 10 Grade me tips
Establish a culture of kindness.
Print these free, downloadable posters to remind your students that kindness matters most of all.
Teach citizenship.
Source: First Grade Wow Read the story of Johnny Appleseed with your students, then analyze the qualities that make Johnny a good citizen. Help students brainstorm ideas about how they might show these characteristics in the classroom and at home!
Teach the difference between reporting and tattling.
Source: Mrs. Warner’s Fourth Grade Classroom Save yourself a lot of headaches and teach your students the difference. Read Is it Tattling or Telling?
Assign jobs.
Give your students ownership of the classroom and teach responsibility by assigning jobs. Remember the saying: Many hands make light work! Here are 38 Flexible, Fun, and Free Classroom Job Charts to choose from.
Read stories that build your students’ social-emotional skills.
Learning how to be in school and be a good friend are a huge part of being a first grader. Share stories that will not only teach lessons but start conversations.
Incorporate daily writing prompts.
We’ve gathered 25 writing prompts that you can download and use to get your first graders practicing their writing skills.
Stock up on fun tools to use for guided reading.
Source: Miss Van Maren’s Fantastic First Grade Learning to read is hard work! Make it as fun as you can with the great ideas found at the blog Guided Reading: A Little Novelty Goes a LONG Way.
Encourage critical thinking by giving your students writing prompts.
“I give students questions that take more thought than our simple carpet discussions—questions that they had to apply what they know to answer. It helps them get away from answering without thinking just to be first.” —Heather M. Here are 37 suggestions from Journal Buddies to get you started.
Encourage Your Child to Ask Their Teacher for Help
Some kids may be timid or afraid to ask their teacher for extra support. Often, they do not want their peers to know that they are struggling to understand that day’s lesson. Encourage your child to spend extra time after class or after school talking to their teacher. They can utilize the time to ask specific questions about practice problems from class or problems they got wrong on their homework. Your child should learn that it’s important to be honest and share how well they did or didn’t understand the lesson. Most teachers are more than happy to work one on one with a curious student – and they usually know an alternative method to explain a problem, even if it’s not their go-to teaching style.
Differentiate reading instruction.
“Read Works is an incredible resource for teaching reading! At least once a week, I use a reading passage and question set in either the ‘guided reading’ or ‘read to someone’ for small group practice. I can easily differentiate because they provide the Lexile levels. I found this resource to be very helpful, especially with non-fiction to integrate science and social studies concepts into Daily 5.” —Kellie P.