Turn PDFs into Collaborative Learning Spaces
Picture this: You’re emailed a document that needs your input, but you don’t have a printer. What do you do? You could head to your local library, or go and buy a printer… or, you could simply use Kami! What’s Kami? Kami is so much more than just a PDF editor. The tools in its […]
Boost Your Students’ Reading Skills with Phonological Awareness Activities
Phonological awareness is the first step in learning about words and sounds and is crucial for developing good literacy skills. Most children develop phonological awareness skills from birth through the first five years. The most complex stage is phonemic awareness skills which are the ability to hear individual letter sounds and use them to form […]
Phonemic Awareness Activities for Reading and Writing
If you teach pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade, you probably spend a lot of time chatting with your students. Spoken words are the first experience of language and communication in early childhood. Phonological and phonemic awareness — the ability to recognize word and letter sounds — are important stages in developing better literacy skills. Struggling […]
Phonological Awareness vs Phonemic Awareness
Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness — boy, those are long words for something that we expect five-year-olds to be able to master! But don’t panic. The skills are actually a lot simpler than the names. When you are teaching children in pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade, a lot of the focus will be on developing […]
Celebrating Black History Month in the Classroom
Black History Month is an essential observance for people all over the world to celebrate and learn about the rich history and culture of Black people and their contribution to the progression and improvement of society. It’s a time to honor the many accomplishments of Black people throughout history and recognize the challenges they’ve faced […]
What is Character Education and Why is it Important?
We all know why schools exist; they prepare young people to take the reins of the nation that will one day be theirs. The Department of Education describes it as “fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” So how can we tell if we, as educators, have done a good job with the young people […]
Examples of Character Education
You’re well-versed in character education. You’ve devoured Kami’s “What is character education and why is it important?”. If you have a spare couple of minutes, you may even pop over to the Department of Education’s website to read their take on character education. Now you know the “what” you want to know the “how” and […]
Character Education Activities for Middle School
You’ve arrived. You read “What is Character Education?” and you’ve checked out “Examples of Character Education.” now you’re looking for some activities you can implement in your character education lesson plans. Alongside literacy, mathematics, language arts, and social studies, teaching social skills is one of the most foundational things we can be teaching our middle […]
Why We Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On the third Monday of each year, Americans commemorate the life and work of an exceptional person — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). MLK was among the most influential figures in the African American civil rights movement during the 1960s. His leadership and rhetorical prowess were paramount to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 […]
Celebrating Kwanzaa With Your Class
Why celebrate Kwanzaa? Celebrating different cultures matters. All students should feel safe to express who they are and share their beliefs, values, and traditions. There are roughly 42 million people who identify as African American in the US, and African American children account for around 15% of school students. Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate […]
Warm-Up Activities for High School Classes
Keeping your high school learners’ attention can feel like a challenge at times. Especially if you’re teaching during the warmer months and your class happens to be straight after lunchtime!If you haven’t already, check out our blog on middle-school warm-up activities for a good place to start. If you’re after something a little more advanced, […]
Celebrate Hanukkah in Your Classroom
Blog is written by Rabbi Jonathon Simons. A Jewish studies teacher from the UK. He teaches coding and robotics to primary school children and is CEO of his own company Code Inventorz. Why celebrate Hanukkah? As our schools become more multicultural, celebrating different cultures in the classroom is increasingly important. All students should feel safe […]
