Teaching & Homeschool Articles

Syllable awareness is a foundational early literacy skill that directly relates to a child’s later ability to decode words and build reading fluency. Think of syllable recognition as a way to learn the sound structure of words so they can one day read new words quickly, even if they don’t know what they mean. Once fluent in reading, older readers use more advanced skills, like using context clues, to learn even more sophisticated words. As you can see, syllable awareness is just one of the first critical steps in the long journey towards reading like an adult!

By the end of first grade, students should be able to determine an unknown whole number in an addition or subtraction equation relating three whole numbers. As students begin understanding addition as part plus part equals total and subtraction as total minus part equals part, they can begin to see patterns emerge in the relationships between numbers in equations. While an explicit naming of inverse operations does not occur until later grades, students begin to see that using a subtraction fact to determine the missing number in an addition problem (and vice versa) is an effective problem-solving strategy.

One of the challenges for those living with ADHD is processing and managing stimuli, which can often lead to overstimulation. According to the UK organisation ADHDZone, those with ADHD can experience overstimulation as a flooding sensation due to specific sensory input. This can be from a variety of noises, lighting, too many people, fatigue, different emotions or mental overload. 

This article will dive a little deeper into the causes of overstimulation in children with ADHD, and explore key techniques to reduce it during home life. 

Operational Properties are used in mathematical fields to describe fundamental rules for operations such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Understanding that we can generalize the way that numbers and operations “behave” empowers students to see patterns and apply what they know to unfamiliar problems.

There are three major addition properties: the Commutative Property, the Identity Property, and the Associative Property.

Being an educator that has taught lower and upper grades math subjects, it was very noticeable that place value is one of the most important math concepts students need to understand. It supports future skills like addition, subtraction, and understanding larger numbers. First grade is when place value is learned as a foundational skill. At this age, many children can count well, but place value teaches them that numbers are made of groups, not just counted one by one.

During the 3rd grade, reading instruction reaches a critical juncture in which students use their acquired reading skills as a tool for learning across all subject areas. In a recent article, we talked about how children strengthen their skills during the 1st grade and begin making that transition in grade 2. This becomes even more important in the 3rd grade as they are expected to begin developing text analysis skills.

If you’re wondering about what you can do to help boost your 3rd grader’s reading comprehension to enhance their learning, join us as we explore some of the most critical aspects to focus on to help foster those important skills.

Second grade is a critical year for young readers; by the end of first grade, reading acquisition is well underway, and students must make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. In other words, children must be fluent enough to move beyond merely decoding words so they may read and learn information across all subject areas.

So, what can parents and teachers do to boost their second graders’ comprehension skills? Focus on the following specific strategies to build and foster strong reading comprehension throughout grade two.

As kids grow up and progress through elementary school, homework becomes a reality of everyday family life. Whereas toddlers and preschoolers learn for fun and enrichment, the activities and work a school-aged child brings home becomes an obligation; one that often becomes more challenging as they grow older.

In this article, you'll a list of do’s and don’ts to better guide your family’s homework sessions in a way that avoids common pitfalls while learning how to support your kids’ education in the very best way. 

When introducing pronouns to first graders, be prepared to deal with some confusion. Students will need to make sense of the different categories of pronouns, and all the words that fall within each group, which could make pronouns looks like a big intimidating topic. However, often little learners get to love pronouns realizing that they function almost like a shortcut. Instead of repeating someone’s name over and over, one can just use a small word called a pronoun!

In this article we review the theory on each type of pronouns relevant for Grade 1 and offer some free interactive learning resources for your students to practice this topic.

If you’ve ever read a social media post in which a user leaves out punctuation, then you know exactly how frustrating it is to make sense out of the words on the screen. That’s because punctuation is at the very core of effective written communication. Without it, readers often struggle to make sense of the writer’s words and intentions. Punctuation allows sentences to form complete thoughts and signal whether the writer is making a statement, asking a question, or conveying emotion.

Because it’s so vital to clear communication, children begin learning about the simplest forms of punctuation as they learn to write sentences and questions. In general, first graders typically begin by learning how to use end punctuation.