Primary (Paradise) Teaching

In this Author to Teacher Episode: Conversations with published authors about writing, teaching, and how we can support our students, Martha interviews author and illustrator Gaia Cornwall. Gaia's books include Jabari Jumps, Jabari Tries, and The Best Bed for Me.Gaia shares about her experience as an author illustrator, the journey to becoming an illustrator and eventually an author, and encourages future writers to write without worrying if it's good or bad. This conversation will inspire teachers to look for the talents our children have and encourage them to never give up.If you're a teacher who teaches writing, or really any subject, this is a helpful, insightful, and important listen filled with interesting, real life anecdotes and useable advice you can apply to your classroom today.Listen along and learn how we can help our students find their passion and voice as writers.

In this Author to Teacher Episode: Conversations with published authors about writing, teaching, and how we can support our students,  our host Martha speaks with author, singer song writer, and speech pathologist Dennis Mathew. The two discuss Dennis' journey to authorhood, his desire to help students feel loved and welcome at school, and how he encourages children to use their everyday life as inspiration for writing.You can find Dennis's books Bello the Cello, My WILD School Day,  and How Grizzly Found Gratitude  on his website and Amazon.If you're a teacher who teaches writing, or really any subject, this is a helpful, insightful, and important listen filled with interesting, real life anecdotes and useable advice you can apply to your classroom today.Listen along and learn how we can help our students find their passion and voice as writers.

In this Author to Teacher Episode: Conversations with published authors about writing, teaching, and how we can support our students,  our host Martha speaks with author, teacher, speaker, and SEL curriculum developer, Jasmyn Wright. The two discuss the importance of letting our students express themselves through writing, how to encourage students to take risks, and how Jasmyn's work as an author and a speaker has impacted her classroom for the better. You can find Jasmyn's book I'm Gonna Push Through on Amazon or wherever books are sold. You can also learn more about Jasmyn and her Push Through Organization on her website.If you're a teacher who teaches writing, or really any subject, this is a helpful, insightful, and important listen filled with interesting, real life anecdotes and useable advice you can apply to your classroom today.Listen along and learn how we can help our students find their passion and voice as writers.

In this Author to Teacher Episode: Conversations with published authors about writing, teaching, and how we can support our students, Martha interviews author and illustrator Jarrett Lerner. Jarrett's books include the EngiNerds and Geeger the Robot Series, Give This Book a Title and Give this Book a Cover, and the first book in the soon to be released The Hunger Heroes Graphic Novel Chapter Book.Jarrett shares how, despite his love of writing, it took him some time to find the confidence and tools to realize his dream of becoming an author. He gives teachers insight into how we can spark a love of writing through encouraging creativity, the power of relatable and relevant books, and the importance of letting kids use their lives and interests as inspiration.If you're a teacher who teaches writing, or really any subject, this is a helpful, insightful, and important listen filled with interesting, real life anecdotes and useable advice you can apply to your classroom today.Listen along and learn how we can help our students find their passion and voice as writers.

As the school year winds down, it's always amazing to think about how far your students have come, the things you've experienced together, and what the future may hold. In the last episode of season 1, Martha shares a heartfelt open letter from students to teachers.

As a teacher, there's nothing worse than going to school when you're feeling sick... except maybe preparing sub plans. In this episode, Martha shares 3 easy sub plan tips that will give you the freedom to roll over and go back to bed on the days you're feeling under the weather.

Being a new teacher can be overwhelming. Going from a student teacher where you have someone to hold your hand to being in charge of 25-30 small humans is a big leap. The first year of teaching can be especially daunting. Although it's normal to make mistakes, there are some common new teacher mistakes that can be avoided. In this episode, Martha shares 3 common new teacher mistakes and what to do instead.

Parents often question why we're teaching students "new math" that seems illogical to them. Whether it's common core math or state standards, it's certainly different from the way they learned. In this episode, Martha shares 5 ways to respond to parents who question new math.

, What do you do with books that are past the point of no return? Picture it. A student hands you a book that has been taped back together a dozen times, the spine is crumbling, and has clearly been well loved. I know I had this happen a few times each school year. You know the books that need more than a little TLC (tape love and care). Those books that look like they need the book morgue, are waving a white flag, are just past the point of use? Well, we can give them new life and turn them into FRANKENBOOKS! In this episode, Martha shares 6 ways to reuse old, worn out books as useful classroom tools.

Teaching writing skills in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade involves many parts. One area that students in this age often struggle with is creating descriptive writing pieces. Primary grade students need teachers to foster their ability to show, not tell when it comes to their sentences. In this episode, Martha shares 5 ways to help elementary students create descriptive, interesting sentences in their writing pieces that you can easily implement in your classroom today.

What do you do when students are struggling with decoding words that should come easily? Teaching students the 6 different syllable types and how to use them will help students decode words more easily. In this episode, Martha takes you through the whys and hows of teaching syllable types to your students. She explains the six syllable types and gives concrete activities to do with your students to help them learn this skill.

Mentor texts are an important part of writing instruction. In today's episode, Martha shares what mentor texts are and 5 reasons why it's important to choose rich mentor texts with your students. She also shares 3 places to find good quality mentor texts.

Creating successful digital writing lessons might feel complicated. However, there are some simple components that will make planning and executing virtual writing with primary students easier. In this episode, Martha shares 6 practical steps you can take to create engaging, student friendly writing lessons for your kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students.

Writing during distance learning, especially for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students, presents challenges. Although it's not the ideal way to teach writing, there are some actionable steps you can take to make it easier on you and your students. In this episode, Martha shares 7 things to keep in mind that can make distance writing easier.

90% of the population is right handed, which means most teachers are right handed as well. Right handed teachers might not always understand the difficulties left handed students face. In this episode, Martha (a lefty herself), shares some of the struggles of being a left handed student as well as 5 practical and helpful tips to help you better support the lefties in your class. She shares some simple accommodations, things to be aware of, and some personal stories as well.

Understanding how to write complete sentences, knowing where to put punctuation between sentences to avoid run on and fragments, and understanding what makes a complete simple sentence is a difficult skill! This episode, Martha shares how we can use the concept of subject and predicate to teach our students how to write complete sentences.

Sentence writing: how do you teach young students such a complex skill? In this episode, Martha shares how you can teach kindergarten and first grade students how to write complete, basic sentences in five lessons. By the end of these 5 lessons, students will be able to write simple sentences with capitals, punctuation, and proper spacing. 

Student confidence is clearly linked with students being willing to take risks and try new things, and this is especially true when it comes to writing instruction in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. In this episode, our host, Martha Moore, shares 3 easy to implement strategies to help boost your students' confidence as writers.

Learning how to plan writing is incredibly important. If we are able to teach students how to make a plan before beginning writing, we are setting them up for writing success. In this episode, our host, Martha Moore, share 3 effective ways to help teach our kindergarten, first, and second grade students plan their writing pieces.

In a world where filtered, perfect images of teachers in perfectly organized classroom seems to be the norm, being a good teacher can feel impossible. Even though we all “know” that those perfect pictures are well cropped and well staged, teaching today, especially as a new teacher, can be super overwhelming. In this episode, Martha shares some of her favorite tips for navigating teaching in an Instagram world.

Whether you're a new teacher who just finished up student teaching, or a veteran teacher with many years under your belt, there's one thing that likely sends you into a state of stress: teacher observations. Tt can be hard to show all of the hard work you and your students do in a 20-30 minute snapshot. In this episode, Martha shares 10 ways to stress less, nail your classroom observation, and impress your administrators.

Student teaching is often your first real experience in the classroom (except as a student of course). It's a great chance to get your feet wet, learn from your cooperating teacher, and try new teaching strategies. It can also be overwhelming. In this episode, Martha shares 6 ways to make the most of your student teaching experience, and 4 things to avoid.

Homework is a staple of our educational experiences, but should it be? Our host, Martha, shares 8 reasons why she no longer assigns students homework, even if parents as for it.  The research is clear when it comes to the benefits of homework in elementary school, but are teachers ready to make the change? Listen to learn why you should consider it.

Martha Moore, the host of Primary (Paradise) Teaching, shares about her background, her experience as a classroom and intervention teacher. She shares where she's been, where she is now, and her passion for engaging, research based, and practical educational strategies.