Cate O'Donnell

If you are like me, you never have enough time to teach science content thoroughly, and you want students to work independently so that you can pull small groups during reading. After reflection, I came up with this life cycle resource to address both needs. Usually, during reading time, I have students read independently. The more books kids read, the more vocabulary, story structure, and background knowledge they experience. However, I have some kids who spend more time looking through...

Closed syllables are one of the first types of syllables kids learn to read. However, if a child doesn't understand phonics, they may struggle to spell the same words they can easily read. Phonics is a powerful tool for teaching spelling and reading. The following worksheets on closed syllables can help students learn to read, but they will need adult assistance. Readers can use the closed syllable worksheets to understand the rules of closed syllables and improve their spelling. The first...

This month, my second graders are learning about culture. Culture is one of those things that is hard to understand in the abstract. Instead, kids find it easier to learn about culture through specific examples. To help my students understand culture, I created these slide shows on Mexican and Chinese culture. The slide shows teach about language, food, music, art, clothing, and holidays. Students can use these slide shows to compare and contrast the two cultures, or to discuss parts of...