One of the trickiest things to teach in maternelle can definitely be writing. Many of our students can't even speak French yet, but we are expected to teach them the mechanics of writing... PLUS how to write stories that have great content (for their age, of course!). When I first...
8 Activités simples pour l’Halloween au primaire
Can you believe it's already October 20th? Just 11 days out from Halloween! Can I also get a heck yes to Halloween near the end of the week this year?! Last year, when Halloween was on a Wednesday, I wasn't sure we were going to make it, ha! Monday and Tuesday my...
Introducing Classroom Rules in Maternelle
We all know that maternelle is a... special adventure, especially in September ;) When we school starts in September, some of our students may have never been in an environment where they have to follow group rules before. (Or ANY rules ;) haha) I remember one year having a student...
Laminating Tips for Classroom Teachers
I think I speak for educators everywhere when I say that laminating is both a blessing and a curse! While it does wonders to make our teaching materials last for years, it is so incredibly time-consuming! We all have a love/hate relationship with laminating, don't we? And who else only...
Why You Should Sing With Your Maternelle Students
Rhyming is fun, and knowing how to rhyme is very important for anyone wanting to learn to read. Last week, I shared with you how much little Andrea loved to rhyme, and how crazy she drove her parents with The Name Song (along with begging for 100 bedtime stories per...
6 Tips for Teaching Rhyming in Maternelle
When I was a little girl, I went through lots of weird phases. I don't remember learning to rhyme per say, but I DO remember being obsessed with "The Name Song". I think it was from a TV show, or possibly sung by Sharon, Lois, & Bram, but either way,...
Why You Need to Teach Rhyming in Maternelle
Teachers are busy. We are busy inside of school, and outside of school. During the school day, we are teaching lessons, wiping noses, tying shoes (jk, I don't tie shoes haha), tracking down lunches, writing notes in agendas, mediating conflicts, and loving our students as if they are our own....
How to Quickly Warm Your Students up for Guided Reading
If you've been following my blog a bit, you may have already seen my post about My Favourite Ways to Warm up my Students for Guided Reading. But let's be honest for a second, here... Some days are less than ideal in maternelle, and you won't always have time for...
How to Use Nonsense Words to Practice Decoding
Teaching five-year-olds to read is super fun, and one of my favourite parts of the job. But, it isn't always easy! Most students catch on to the idea of looking at the picture to help them figure out an unknown word, and many grasp looking at the first letter pretty quickly,...
4 Rules for Teaching Syllables en français
Confession time! As you probably know, I am anglophone. I grew up speaking English, in an English household, in an English community. I fell in love with the French language in the sixth grade and never looked back, but I was taught completely in English up until grade seven. (In...