Our first annual Book Swap Dessert Night was such a wonderful success! We loved partnering with Kidder PTG to create a fun family night full of sweet treats, great books, and special memories. Thank you to everyone who came out and made the evening so special! @BrunswickCSD

✨ Spelling/Phonics Review ✨ Sometimes the simplest activities are the most powerful. Students spin the wheel to land on a spelling pattern we’ve already learned, then write a word that follows that pattern. That’s it. Simple. Focused. Effective. They can use their reference notebooks (filled with all of our anchor charts!) to jog their memory if needed. But here’s the best part… As the year goes on, they need those notebooks less and less. 🙌 That’s when you know the learning is sticking. Not memorizing for a test… but truly understanding patterns. Explicit instruction ➡️ practice ➡️ retrieval ➡️ independence. And they think they’re just playing a game. 😉 @BrunswickCSD @BCSDKidder

🧱 Word Towers in Action! 🧱 Today my first graders became builders and readers. Using a “blueprint,” they had to read each word, then find the cup with the picture that showed its meaning to build their tower. We were practicing ending t-blends, and yes… many of these were challenging two-syllable words! 🩷What made this extra special?🩷The engagement, teamwork, problem-solving, and confidence I saw. They were so proud of their towers…and I was even more proud of the hard work, perseverance, and joy they brought to reading today. 💜📖 ‼️Learning should always feel like this.‼️ @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD #WordWork #ortongillingham #FirstGradeFun #handsonlearning

✨❄️ Snow much fun in the Reading Room! ❄️✨ Our Elf on the Shelf surprised us this morning with snowball words sprinkled all over the classroom! The kids had an absolute blast catching them, reading them, and turning our room into a winter wonderland of word magic. 📚☃️💜 Nothing like a little holiday sparkle to make reading even more exciting! @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD

Thank you to the @BrunswickEduca1 for making this activity possible through your generous grant. 🩷 💛🔨 Building letters, building confidence! Today our little learners got hands-on with letter construction, sound practice, and LOTS of smiles. There’s just something magical about watching them hammer, tap, and create their way into stronger literacy skills. ✨📚 We’re nailing our letter work at @BCSDKidder! 😉🔠 @BrunswickCSD #PreschoolLearning #EarlyLiteracy #ABCBuilders #FineMotorSkills #HandsOnLearning #LearningThroughPlay #PreschoolFun #LittleLearners #PreKActivities #PreKLife #TeacherLife #Title1Teacher #EarlyChildhoodEducation #KidsAtWork #PlayBasedLearning #LetterRecognition #AlphabetLearning #TinyBuilders #ClassroomMagic #KidderElementary

Today our @BCSDKidder readers got hands-on with nonsense words to strengthen their decoding muscles! 💪📚@BrunswickCSD We practiced sorting each word by its syllable type — closed, open, magic e, and bossy r— and the students CRUSHED it. They were touching, reading, sorting, checking, and teaching each other why each word belongs where. 🧠💡 Nonsense words = real reading growth. Engagement movement = happy learners. And I call that a WIN. 🙌💜 #Title1Teacher #ScienceOfReading #StructuredLiteracy #SyllableTypes #ReadingIntervention

Our kindergartners had so much fun shopping for items that begin with all the letters they’ve learned so far this year. @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD

Our kindergarteners are having a reel good time today! They’re fishing for letters and practicing their letter names and sounds — one colorful catch at a time! 🎣💦 Hands-on learning is the best kind of learning… and it’s even better when it feels like play! 💙💚💜 @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD

Fun and easy fluency activity!!!! #teachertips #teachersofinstagram #ortongillingham #fluency @BCSDKidder

☀️📖It was a beautiful day to enjoy a few good books on the lawn! Students, staff, and families came together to relax and read favorite books! What a perfect way to end our love of literacy week! #brunswickPRIDE

🍁 Kidder turned game night into a literacy adventure! 📚 ✨ We took favorite household games 🎲, SUPER-SIZED them, and gave each one a literacy twist! 📖 From giant Connect-4 to Word Wheels & Scavenger Hunts, our halls & MPR were packed with families, smiles, and so much fun! 💕 Huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out and made it an unforgettable night! 😊 @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD

🔨 Letter Construction 🧰 “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” -Benjamin Franklin @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD

I wrote a combination of real words and nonsense words on sticky notes and hid them around the room. Students then had to find them, read them, and sort them! For added fun, we put "spy music" on in the background. #teachertips #phonics @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD

New reading classes started today. We got to know each other with a fun (and school-appropriate) game of Truth-or-Dare. Love that everyone felt comfortable to be “silly” in front of their peers today. #safespace #newfriends @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD

✨@BCSDKidder Families! Don’t forget to join us Oct. 7th 6:00-7:30 for the Fall Family Literacy Night and Book Fair! Students can even wear their Halloween costumes! ✨ @BrunswickCSD

Teaching reading doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. ✏️ With The Teachers Table, I have access to trusted literacy strategies, quick 10–15 min PD, and a supportive teacher community—all for the price of a coffee ☕. Join me 👉 theteacherstable.org/auth/si… #TeachersTable #EveryChildReads #StrongerTogether #TeacherGrowth #TeachingStrategies #ClosingTheGap #EducationForAll

So happy to be working with my students again! What a great first week of Title! @BCSDKidder

📚✨ Today we celebrate the very first official Library Day at Kidder! ✨📚 @BCSDKidder @BrunswickCSD It’s us—Mr. Smith, your librarian, and Mrs. Jackson, your Title I Reading Teacher! We love sharing books and helping you grow as readers. Today is the perfect day to remind you how powerful and fun reading can be. The library is waiting for YOU! Whether you’re looking for adventure, laughter, mystery, or facts about your favorite animals, there’s a book here with your name on it. 🐾📖 So come check out a book, and let’s keep turning pages together—today and every day! 💜 ✨ “Book it to the library—where the magic happens!” ✨ 📖 “Don’t leave us on the shelf—come discover your next favorite story!” 📖 #LibraryDayAtKidder #ReadWithUs #KidderReaders #GetBooked