Behind the Scenes: What Materials Do I Keep Within Arm's Reach
Last week, I chatted about organizing the physical space that you teach in and what items help keep everything in place. This week, I'm sharing what resources I keep in my space and within arm's reach while teaching.
I'll never forget packing my big bag and heading off to a client's house. Not only did that bag give me a bit of a back pain, but the worst part was getting there and realizing that I had left my favorite teaching resource at home.
Since being online allows you a lot of choices, you can have as many teaching resources as you want. Just like with everything else though, I've learned to keep it simple. You don't need to invest in a bunch of online memberships or buy a bunch of materials. You can start an online business with the materials you have. Keep reading for more of a behind the scenes look at what my favorite resources are and what I can't live without for engaging online lessons.
Top Teaching Resources to Keep Within Arm's Reach
Sound Cards
As I've talked about before in this blog, when we use video, sound cards are essential. I look for two different things when I use sound cards. They should have specific colors for the consonants, and that the vowels are different colors. Since I'm a Wilson teacher, I love using the Wilson Fundations or Wilson Reading sound cards.
The second type of sound card that I love is a sound card that shows the mouth positioning. I find this especially useful online so that we can really show what are mouths are doing when we make a sound. My favorite cards are created from @readingwithtlc. They are cute little characters, and all have a fun story.
Word Cards
I always keep a selection of word cards close by. If you want, you can DIY using index cards where students' words are individualized. If you're looking for some great word lists, I would check out Quizlet. Teachers have already created lists, and it's really easy to grab the pattern you're working on and create your own word cards. Reading with TLC also has a set of word cards.
Of course, you can always hop through some of my blog posts and find seasonal word cards that I have for you guys myself. For example, this week I'm sharing a Spring Spelling Game for Students. Click HERE for your FREE download. Comment ⬇️, and let me know how your students like it.
Decodable Sentences/Decodable Texts
We don't want to have just sound cards and word cards. We want to also make sure that students get practice reading decodable sentences and decodable texts. As a Wilson teacher, I love the Wilson Readers and keep them on my side of the online teaching space. I use them over and over again under the document camera. I also love the Once Upon A Phonogram and other structured literacy concepts by Candi Sellers.
Letter Board
A letter board is essential for teachers to have for modeling the engaging part of the spelling lesson. A key component of the letter board is that it is magnetic, and the letters are color coded.
I hope this post helps you understand that you don't need fancy resources for a great lesson to happen with your students. Are there things that you absolutely must have within arm's reach when you teach? Comment ⬇️ and share your resource.
Don't forget that this Saturday, March 26, is the Easy Set Up to Be an Effective Online Reading Tutor webinar. Join me live or watch the recording. Sign Up HERE.
Have a great week!
Michelle