THE BLOG | Perfectly Grown

May 97 min read

Book Summary: Know Better, Do Better

Know Better, Do Better -David & Meredith Liben A couple of school years ago, as I started my journey as an Instructional Specialist for...

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Perfectly Grown

May 95 min read

Book Summary: Reading Above the Fray

Reading Above the Fray -Julia B. Lindsey Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills To be...

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Phonics Worksheets: Not Just for Kindergarten Anymore!

Perfectly Grown

May 24 min read

Phonics Worksheets: Not Just for Kindergarten Anymore!

PHONICS When you see the word “phonics” I bet you think of reading instruction in kindergarten. Maybe first grade. As a former upper...

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Perfectly Grown

Apr 222 min read

Rhyming Words Worksheet: Hink Pinks!

HINK PINK HINKY PINKY HINKETY PINKETY I feel like I am about to cast a spell in a Harry Potter movie! But NO, It’s just a fun rhyming...

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DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency: Not All Passages Are Created Equal

Perfectly Grown

Apr 174 min read

DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency: Not All Passages Are Created Equal

Administering a Universal Screener to all students in your classroom to identify progress (or holes and gaps) in foundational reading...

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Perfectly Grown

Apr 154 min read

Nonsense Words Aren't Nonsense!

I have come to the realization that nonsense words are misunderstood and do not get the respect they deserve. This is very unfortunate....

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Models of Reading: Teaching Kids How to Read

Perfectly Grown

Mar 47 min read

Models of Reading: Teaching Kids How to Read

A variety of different models have been created in the last couple of decades on what processes work together when learning to read. The...

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The Science of Reading: How Our Brains Learn to Read

Perfectly Grown

Feb 267 min read

The Science of Reading: How Our Brains Learn to Read

Introduction to The Science of Reading Maryanne Wolf, in her book Proust and the Squid, references an incident from China in the 1930s...

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Reading Proficiency: Phonics vs Whole Language

Perfectly Grown

Feb 2012 min read

Reading Proficiency: Phonics vs Whole Language

As elementary school teachers, one of our BIGGEST jobs is to ensure that all students can read proficiently. For students that struggle...

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Book Review: Effective Universal Instruction by Gibbons, Brown, & Niebling: An Action-Oriented Approach to Improving Tier 1

Perfectly Grown

Feb 83 min read

Book Review: Effective Universal Instruction by Gibbons, Brown, & Niebling: An Action-Oriented Approach to Improving Tier 1

Universal Instruction is what all students receive in the form of academic and social emotional instruction and support. Universal...

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Book Summary: The Classroom Instruction Book by Wong & Wong - 2022 Creating Lessons for Maximum Student Achievement

Perfectly Grown

Feb 84 min read

Book Summary: The Classroom Instruction Book by Wong & Wong - 2022 Creating Lessons for Maximum Student Achievement

This book, part of a 3-book series, contains sensible, evidence-based instructional practices that have been thoroughly researched and...

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Book Summary: Explicit Instruction - Archer and Hughes

Perfectly Grown

Feb 83 min read

Book Summary: Explicit Instruction - Archer and Hughes

According to the book by Archer and Hughes, explicit instruction is defined as the following: EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION: a structured,...

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30 Things Only Teachers Would Understand

Perfectly Grown

Feb 12 min read

30 Things Only Teachers Would Understand

Personally, I think teaching is the BEST. JOB. EVER. We get to build relationships with an exponential number of students. We sing,...

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Bubble Talk: Use Games with Narrative Writing

Perfectly Grown

Jan 293 min read

Bubble Talk: Use Games with Narrative Writing

Looking for a fun, engaging way to have students practice their writing? Look no further! A favorite activity in my classroom is BUBBLE...

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Classroomscreen - All the Tools You Need!

Perfectly Grown

Jan 252 min read

Classroomscreen - All the Tools You Need!

Have you heard of Classroomscreen? If you haven’t, I highly recommend you give it a try. Classroomscreen is an incredibly useful and...

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7 Classroom-Tested Practices That Foster Student Success

Perfectly Grown

Jan 182 min read

7 Classroom-Tested Practices That Foster Student Success

How do you know if you are an effective teacher? I would imagine if you ask most teachers if they believe they are doing a good job, they...

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Perfectly Grown

Jan 87 min read

Finding Work-Life Balance as a Teacher

Find the right work-life balance as a teacher can be difficult. I grade papers at home and work on the weekends - and it’s OKAY if you do...

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New Year's Refresh: Winter Classroom Ideas

Perfectly Grown

Jan 44 min read

New Year's Refresh: Winter Classroom Ideas

When a new school year begins our rooms are sparkly clean, filled with fresh new supplies, brand new workbooks, neat piles of prepped...

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Perfectly Grown

Nov 27, 20233 min read

How to Teach Kids to Show Effort

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE EFFORT! If you want to get the very best out of your students in both academics and behaviors, having high...

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SMELLY SPOTS: Rewarding Positive Behavior

Perfectly Grown

Nov 16, 20232 min read

SMELLY SPOTS: Rewarding Positive Behavior

We learn something new EVERYDAY! Until recently, I had NEVER heard of “Smelly Spots” as a classroom management strategy. So I jumped on...

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