Savvy Teaching Tips Podcast
25 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago -Teaching can be challenging and it’s hard to know what you’re doing right. Listen here for help through teaching’s toughest stages. From classroom essentials, to getting a handle on curriculum delivery, this podcast has it all, including tips and tricks on how you can become a better Kindergarten to 3rd-grade teacher. Find out how to manage your time and energy from experienced teacher, Sandra Farrell.
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Episodes
Story Writing Part 1
November 15, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 3.88 MBToday I go over the method I use for introducing story writing to kids in later First Grade and early Second or Third Grade. I will model the outline and then write a short story. Here are the highlights: 0:18 Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then 0:42 Somebody 1:28 Wanted 1:40 But 1:50 So 2:14 Then 2:23 Review it 2:52 Writing out the story - Somebody 3:26 Wanted, But 3:55 So 4:15 Then 4:23 Illustrations Join my Facebook Group If you happen to use any of these ideas at home or in your class...
Number Sense Games
November 13, 2022 14:00 - 9 minutes - 6.37 MBToday show you some fun dice and card games for teaching number sense. Here are the highlights: 0:18 Number Sense Games 0:32 Dice Games 0:48 Roll and Match K and 1 1:53 Extensions 2:17 Dotzee 4:04 Card Games 4:49 Ordering number cards 6:00 Extensions 7:00 Go Fish 8:12 Extensions Join my Facebook Group If you happen to use any of these ideas at home or in your classroom, leave a comment below and let me know how they go! :) Also, if you share any of the games from Savvy Teaching...
WRITING - How to retell a story.
November 11, 2022 21:00 - 6 minutes - 4.2 MBToday I explain the technique I use to get children to write a summary of a story they've read in their Journal. It's a step-by-step procedure that is easy for most first graders to follow. I find it's also great for ELL third graders. Here are the highlights: 0:22 Beginning of story 1:15 Middle and End of story 1:50 How to draw it in the Journal - who, where 3:18 Problem, solution 3:34 How to write it out in Journal - who where 4:17 Problem 4:45 Ending Join my Facebook Group I...
How to Explain Number Sense to Parents
October 19, 2022 08:00 - 11 minutes - 7.73 MBToday I explain how you can tell parents about Number Sense and ways you can teach it to your own class. Number sense is very important to learn and in this video I explain why. Here are the highlights: 0:22 Explaining to parents. 038 Basically Number Sense is... 1:05 Number bonds 1:42 Fact families 2:11 Mental math 2:40 Word problems 3:20 K and First Grade activities 4:09 Deck of cards 4:24 A game that K's love 5:05 5 minute time fillers 5:44 Open ended questions 6:54 Get the ...
Journal Writing - how to introduce it to your class
October 18, 2022 08:00 - 9 minutes - 6.29 MBToday I'm explaining how I introduce Journal writing expectations for 2nd and 3rd grade. I use a step-by-step format to guide the kids to write a complete page that makes sense. Here are the highlights: 0:42 Brainstorm what we need in a journal entry - who, what, when, where, how 1:33 Brainstorm transition words 2:10 Write the date 2:20 Draw 4 pictures 3:35 All 4 pictures done 3:47 Writing for the first picture 4:23 Writing for the second picture 4:47 Writing for the third picture 5:47 ...
Fun Games to Teach Probability
October 17, 2022 20:00 - 6 minutes - 4.18 MBToday I'm sharing 3 different games for teaching probability. Probability is a difficult concept for young children, but they all understand when something is fair. Here are the highlights: 0:48 Game One - Heads or Tails 2:14 Game Two - Same or Different 3:55 Game Three - Catch a Point 5:00 Probability is difficult... Join my Facebook Group If you happen to use any of these ideas at home or in your classroom, leave a comment below and let me know how they go! :) Also, if you share an...
What to do when students don't know what to write about in their Journals
October 01, 2022 19:00 - 6 minutes - 4.38 MBHere's what I do when I have students tell me that they don't know what to write about in their Journal. Here are the highlights: 0:15 Find something in their desk 1:00 Start describing orally 1:55 Start writing 2:36 Good writers re-read what they write 3:31 Puzzle Eraser Description 4:00 Writing conventions and concluding sentence Join my Facebook Group If you happen to use any of these ideas at home or in your classroom, leave a comment below and let me know how they go! :) Also, ...
How I Introduce Patterning in Primary Classrooms
September 25, 2022 21:00 - 10 minutes - 7.31 MBToday I go over my introductory lesson on Patterning. I show adaptations for students in Kindergarten to Third Grade. Here are the highlights: 0:19 Using Math Junk 1:00 Introduce concepts 2;32 Sharing their pattern with the class 4:30 My unit on patterning 6:05 Repeating patterns 6:23 Growing patterns 7:20 Patterns in clothing 8:13 Create their own growing patterns 9:13 A cute activity Join my Facebook Group If you happen to use any of these ideas at home or in your classroom, ...
Introducing Journals in the K to 3rd Classroom
September 14, 2022 18:00 - 14 minutes - 9.96 MBToday I will show you step-by-step how I introduce Journal writing to 5 to 8 year olds. This is what I do every September with Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade and even Third Grade students. Here are the highlights: 0:15 Introducing the Journals 1:01 Temporary Journals 1:45 Kindergarten expectations 2:24 Expectations for first, second, and third grade 2:57 Sequence of events 4:15 Write the list on the board 4:55 Step 1 Date 5:34 Write L to R 6:04 Step 2 Write and Draw 6:4...
Using Math Junk In The Classroom
September 08, 2022 02:00 - 11 minutes - 7.67 MBToday I am discussing Math Junk. Some people call them Junk Collections. I give a step-by-step account of how I introduce these to my class and then discuss all the fantastic ways you can use Math Junk in your classroom. Plus I tell you all about how you can start your own Math Junk collection. Here are some highlights from the video 0:17 What is Math Junk 0:45 Storing Math Junk 1:02 Routines 1:56 Containers 3:09 Ready Position 6:40 How long at each rotation 7:00 Kids need to "get thei...
Phonemic Awareness Game
August 31, 2022 13:00 - 4 minutes - 3.04 MBToday I show you a quick and easy phonemic awareness game. It's fun and all you need is a whiteboard, marker and eraser. Here are the highlights: 0:23 Phonemic Awareness Game 1:28 Extensions to the Game 2:41 Older Children and the Game Join my FB group: If you happen to use any of these ideas at home or in your classroom, leave a comment below and let me know how they go! :) Also, if you share any of the games from Savvy Teaching Tips, please tag me on Instagram @savvyteachingtips so I ...
Setting Up Your First Classroom
August 23, 2022 11:00 - 8 minutes - 5.64 MBToday I go over what you need to think about when setting up your first classroom at the start of the school year. This is perfect for first and second grade teachers. Here's a breakdown of the highlights. 0:45 Teacher Desk Area 1:27 Sink/ Art Area 1:37 Coat Hooks 1:45 Carpet Area 2:34 Calendar Wall 3:05 Classroom Library 3:55 Student Desks 4:23 Classroom Storage 5:16 Student Supplies 6:42 Small Group Area Join my FB group: https://www.facebook.com/savvyteachin... If you happen to use any...
Phoneme Mapping
August 16, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.28 MBIf you are interested in learning about Science of Reading you will like this video. Today I go through the process of teaching phoneme mapping to 5 to 7 year olds. It's great for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. I explain why I like to teach it near the beginning of the school year. Here are some highlights from the video 0:27 What are Phonemes? 0:46 Phoneme Mapping 1:45 Elkonin Boxes 4:08 Simon Says Phonemic Mapping 4:50 Phoneme Hopscotch 5:37 Break It Down Game Join my ...
Teaching Graphing to Young Students
August 09, 2022 08:00 - 8 minutes - 6.08 MBToday I describe how I introduce and teach graphing for kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade. I explain why I like to teach it near the beginning of the school year. Join my FB group: https://www.facebook.com/savvyteachin... If you happen to use any of these ideas at home or in your classroom, leave a comment below and let me know how they go! :) Also, if you share any of the games from Savvy Teaching Tips, please tag me on Instagram @savvyteachingtips so I can see!! Y...
Classroom Management Tips
August 04, 2022 22:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBHere's a compilation of 12 Classroom Management Tips for new teachers. Use these tips to manage difficult children from Kindergarten to 3rd Grade (Grade 3). I give clear, concise tips on all the little things needed to create a calm and respectful classroom. Here's a breakdown of where to find these tips. 0:00 Hallway Management 2:05 Classroom Critters 4:23 Attention Getters 6:21 Classroom Callbacks 8:11 Flashlight Fridays 9:45 5 Minute Time Fillers 12:24 The Pencil Problem 1...
My Thoughts on Back to School
August 31, 2021 10:00 - 12 minutes - 8.59 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success my thoughts on going back to school During this podcast I discuss my feelings and thoughts about the Back to School "season". Including: the joy, the anticipation, and the comfort of returning to school each year setting up my classroom in a way that works for me going in early to set up, or waiting until the last minute feelings of anxiety over Covid-19 and how that affec...
Some thoughts about Guided Reading
August 24, 2021 12:00 - 8 minutes - 5.91 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success Does the thought of running small reading groups just fill you with overwhelm? I know it used to for me. Here are some tips and thoughts for you. Make sure you have an established area in the room to run your guided reading groups. There are lots of things that you will need to have ready, and they need to be stored within reach. When you are teaching in a small group situ...
How I do the first day of school
August 17, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success Today I wanted to talk about the very first day of school. I'm going to give you an example plan of how I would do it. This is something that I've kind of tweaked over the years so it's always evolving, and especially with COVID I've had to make, accommodations, just like all of you have.
Listening to Reading - essential for improving language skills
August 10, 2021 08:00 - 12 minutes - 8.83 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success In this weeks episode I talk about my take on the value of Listening to Reading and why it's so important in Elementary School.
Read to Self - Silent Reading in the primary classroom
August 03, 2021 08:00 - 9 minutes - 6.63 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success In this episode I go over how I introduce and build Silent Reading time in my classroom. I like to call it Read To Self as they are reading by themselves during this time. I believe that you can do silent reading in most K to 2nd classrooms. It just takes time to build stamina.
Partner Reading - reading with peers as a strategy
July 27, 2021 08:00 - 11 minutes - 8.25 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success Let's talk about reading with peers. Letting children not only choose what they read, but WHO they read it with can be very powerful. It's highly motivating and children love having that little bit of control over what they are doing. And reading with their friends is an excellent technique in any comprehensive reading program. This is perfect for Kindergarten, First and Seco...
Sandra's Stories
July 22, 2021 12:00 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success In this episode I tell an inspiring true story from my own teaching experience. check out more on my blog savvyteachingtips.com
Oral Reading - how to teach it
July 19, 2021 11:00 - 7 minutes - 5.5 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success Today's episode covers Oral Reading. Oral Reading is an important part of a comprehensive Literacy program. In this episode I discuss: What is Oral Reading? Why is Oral Reading important? Strategies to teach Oral Reading lessons in your K to 3rd classroom. Find out more at savvyteachingtips.com
Reading Instruction - Direct Instruction Tips
July 15, 2021 08:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success In this episode we go over the essentials for direct reading instruction. These include: Decoding Vocabulary Building Working Memory Fluency Identifying Sentence Structure Building Background Knowledge Listen in to learn more about what these topics are and how they can be used and taught in reading instruction in the K to 3rd classroom.
Guided Reading - a quick overview
July 12, 2021 05:00 - 9 minutes - 6.44 MBThe free masterclass link is linked here or type in slfarrell.clixli.com/webinar-sign-up-3-secrets-to-gr-success I've just started a podcast. I have so many tips and tricks to share with you. This episode is all about my thoughts about guided reading.