The document below is quick access to important PD links that will support you with your use of Seesaw as an assessment tool. 

Preschool Games, Videos, & Coloring Pages to Help Kids Grow Smarter, Stronger & Kinder
With a mission to help kids meet critical early development needs — the program many of us grew up on is still going strong and providing online content and shows every weekday morning. Many parents will attest that “Sesame Street” is still one of the best resources for the pre-K and kindergarten set, as well as kids with special needs. You’ll find video, games and art projects online.

Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of a book or other text while guided and supported by a teacher. The teacher explicitly models the skills of proficient readers, including reading with fluency and expression. The shared reading model often uses oversized books (referred to as big books) with enlarged print and illustrations.

This short podcast (about 4 minutes) explores tips and suggestions for how to share a book at home with your child.  There isn't a wrong way to share a book - but we hope these tips help you have the best experience possible. 

The Dolch Sight Words list is the most commonly used set of sight words.

This site has lists of the Dolch Sight Words at each grade level, as well at Dolch Sight Word Lessons, Flash Cards and Word Games.

This podcast is highly recommended to anyone that teaches children of any age.

"There's an idea about how children learn to read that's held sway in schools for more than a generation — even though it was proven wrong by cognitive scientists decades ago. Teaching methods based on this idea can make it harder for children to learn how to read. In this podcast, host Emily Hanford investigates the influential authors who promote this idea and the company that sells their work. It's an exposé of how educators came to believe in something that isn't true and are now reckoning with the consequences — children harmed, money wasted, an education system upended."

Sounder & Friends is a resource that focuses on phonological awareness & the Science of Reading. It has engaging activities and characters and the Instagram page also does weekly posts that break down different elements of reading and explain them clearly. This could be a great resource for teachers and families!

You need to sign up with your email to receive access to the books.

"The ten Extended Code First Steps books:
*contain beautifully illustrated quirky stories that children will love
*are carefully written to match the Sounds-Write units
*are great for the classroom and for home reading too
Available as pdfs for you to download."

Titles include:
Extended Code Unit 1 /ae/ - Kate Bakes

Extended Code Unit 2 /ee/ - Lee Reads

Extended Code Unit 4 /oe/ - Flo Rows

Extended Code Unit 6 /er/ - Earl's Words

Extended Code Unit 7 /e/ - Ali's Chess Set

Extended Code Unit 8 /ow/ - Tao's Trek

Extended Code Unit 10 /oo/ as in moon - Charity's Flute

Extended Code Unit 11 /ie/ - Tess's Bike Race

Extended Code Unit 12 /oo/ as in book - Jack Camps in the Woods

Extended Code Unit 14 /u/ - Doug's Cousin

Early-childhood learning can help prepare students for better academic engagement. This Spotlight will help you discover how coding exercises can enhance preschooler’s academic skills; learn how to support young students’ language growth; understand the gaps in preschooler’s language development since the pandemic; examine the impact of early education programs on high school performance; investigate challenges facing school readiness; and evaluate Pre-K programs from multiple lenses.

Download the PDF file.

Nurture the Roots of Every Student with Sprig Language. Sprig Language uses a holistic approach to assessment and instruction that provides teachers and parents with personalized and curriculum aligned learning activities specific to each students’ strengths and abilities. Sign up for a free account.

Are you ready to help your preschooler begin their journey into reading? Visit the StoryPlace website where you can discover stories and activities designed just for them, organized by different themes. This website acts like a virtual library for kids. Besides all the fun stuff for children, parents can also find helpful information about teaching early reading skills.

Once a story is selected you can:
*listen to the story
*complete an online activity
*watch related videos
*find more suggestions on the reading list
*complete an at home activity

Outcomes Art CPK.2 Explore a variety of drama strategies including: • role • imaging • parallel play • journeys • meetings. CPK.4 Create art works that express own observations and ideas about the world.

ELA CRK.1 Comprehend and respond to a variety of visual, oral, print, and multimedia texts that address identity (e.g., exploring interests), community (e.g., belonging), and social responsibility (e.g., contributing). CRK.2 View and interpret the basic message of visuals and objects in a variety of texts including models, photographs, dramas, dance creations, and videos. CRK.3 Listen, comprehend, and respond to gain meaning in oral texts. CRK.4 Comprehend, retell, and respond to basic ideas in stories, poems, songs, and informational texts read to them. CCK.1 Compose and create various visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore and present thoughts, ideas, and experiences CCK.2 Use and construct symbols, pictures, and dramatizations to communicate feelings and ideas in a variety of ways. CCK.3 Use oral language to converse, engage in play, express ideas, and share personal experiences.

Social Studies PAK.1 Understand and respect the agreed-upon rules of the classroom, playground, and school, and recognize that rules and expectations are designed to promote a state of safety, selfregulation, peace, balance, and harmony PAK.2 Recognize situations in which disagreement may be part of living, studying, and working together, and that resolution may be an avenue to progress to a state of peace, balance, and harmony.

Storytelling/Story Acting (STSA) is a simple movement based on the work of Vivian Paley. STSA involves children dictating stories to adults, followed by a teacher-facilitated acting out of children’s stories at meeting times throughout the day. STSA develops narrative fluency, the concept of a story, and the opportunity to express emotions and experiences. There is no need for rehearsal or special props and stories can be acted out anywhere. It is however, important to designate a “stage” and develop a routine around STSA.

A great way to motivate kids to read.

The stories are read by celebrities.

After you watch the video of the book being read, the parent or teacher can download the teacher guide. It provides questions to ask your little reader, projects to go along with the book and websites to help kids further explore the topic. You can even purchase your favorite books directly from the site.

Cross-curricular connections are also made!

Materials include:
Teacher guides
Student workbooks
Decodable readers
Assessment and remediation guides
Videos
Flip books
Many other supports

This site offers several online decodable books covering different letter sounds while introducing phonetic and sight words. Reading prompts and discussion points are imbedded throughout the book, with discussion questions at the end.

Summer reading challenges from Common Sense Media. For all ages.

Grab these free syllable clip cards today! Great for preschoolers and early readers.

The good reasons this skill of counting syllables has shifted down to pre-readers as they begin to make sense of the world of literacy:
- When kids can chunk words into syllables, they can read longer words more quickly, accurately, and fluently.
- Beginning spellers do better when they can break words into pieces.

Download this free phonemic awareness today!

Recent discussions occurring online, in journals, and at conferences are creating uncertainties about what phonological awareness instruction will be most effective with which children. This guide addresses some of these questions by using what we currently know from the scientific research, from teacher experiences, and from observations in clinical teaching environments for children who struggle with reading.

The outline of the resource includes:
Section 1. Reading Research, Instructional Practice, and Phoneme Awareness
1.1 When should reading research influence instructional practices?
1.2 What is Phonological Awareness? Why is it Important?
Section 2. The Who, When, What, and How of Teaching Phonemic Awareness
2.1 Who needs to be taught phoneme awareness?
2.2 When should phonological awareness instruction begin?
2.3 What phonemic awareness skills should be taught?
2.4 How should phonological awareness instruction begin?
2.5 How much phonological awareness time should involve phonemic awareness activities?
2.6 Is there any value in beginning phonological awareness instruction with larger units, such
as syllables?
2.7 Do onset-rime activities have a role in early phonemic awareness instruction?
2.8 What are manipulatives and how can I use them when teaching phoneme awareness?
2.9 Is it important to teach phoneme awareness with tasks like phoneme deletion and
substitution?
Using sound chains to teach phoneme awareness