Teachers carefully craft classroom walls to dazzle and sparkle as well as engage and inspire. Student work, alphabet charts, and number lines transform walls into learning-enhancing tools. One specific wall serves to build vocabulary and word knowledge: the word wall.
How to Build an ELL-Friendly Classroom
Most of us have been the new kid at school before. We’ve had those pesky what-ifs wander into our heads: What if I get lost on my way to class? What if I walk into the wrong class? What if I can’t
Any Port in a Storm: Learning English Idioms
Now that Hurricane Irma has past, I’m riding home to Ft Lauderdale. VocabularySpellingCity is headquartered in South Florida so we shut the office last week and everyone scurried like ants to safety. In my case, my “port” was a dog-friendly
5 Successful Strategies to Engage ELLS
One of my earliest elementary school memories is sitting on a multicolored carpet in Mrs. B’s pre-k class. I remember watching her sway back and forth in a rocking chair, picture book in hand. Then her sweet voice suddenly stopped
Invest in a Science Solution for Early Learners
It can be tempting to consider a K-5 or K-12 science program for your school–a single purchase would cover the science curriculum for many grade levels, or even your entire student body. The problem with applying a single program to
Favorite Reads for the First Day of School (K-2)
It’s important to start off the new school year on the right foot. So much of first day of school lesson plans focus on classroom rules and procedures. Read-alouds are an engaging way to address your expectations for the year,
How to Build a Classroom Library
The most important back-to-school teacher supply was not featured in our Top 20 Teacher School Supply list: Books! Books are a staple in every classroom, but brand new books are worth a hefty buck. Often schools don’t supply teachers with
Hooray for ILA
This weekend, the VocabularySpellingCity team traveled to sunny Central Florida. Instead of twirling in tilted teacups in our matching mouse ears, we got back-to-school-ready at the International Literacy Association (ILA) Conference! Every year, educators, reading coaches, and literary enthusiasts from
Top 20 Teacher School Supplies
With the back to school season quickly approaching, it’s time to stock up on school supplies. Parents and students will be piling their shopping carts with suggested items from the supply list, but what should teachers purchase? The following list
Bulletin Board on a Budget
Back to School means putting together a back to school bulletin board! Designing a welcome-back board can be a fun task, but might become costly once you realize you have three or four boards or doors to decorate. Before splurging on