image of girl reading a rhyming book Hop on Pop phonemic awareness

Learning to Read Starts with the Ears

It may be surprising, but learning how to read actually starts with the ears, not the eyes. Hearing and discriminating sounds comes first, before learning alphabet letters. There are five essential components to reading instruction, but at the very foundation is phonological awareness & phonemic awareness.  So…what is the difference between phonological awareness & phonemic …

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So…what are similes?

A simile compares two unlike things using the words like or as to make the comparison. It’s a form of figurative language as well as a literary device and it is used in both prose and poetry. So…does that clear it up? No? Rather than look at the definition of a simile, which is never …

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Image Alice in Wonderland

Similes in Poems for Kids

Writers use similes and other forms of figurative language to create strong mental images for readers. However, before we can expect students to use similes effectively in their own writing, they should read lots of good simile examples in the writing of others. Similes can certainly be found in prose as well as poetry, but …

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Image of President George Washington & President Abraham Lincoln for Presidents' Day

5 Government Websites for FREE Presidents’ Day Teaching Resources

Presidents’ Day traditionally honors President George Washington, born February 22, 1732, and President Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, 1809, but we celebrate their combined birthdays on the third Monday in February. Because Presidents’ Day is a Federal holiday, I suspected there might be some great online teaching resources produced by the federal government, and …

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