Building a Reader with Jennifer Burns

09/30/2025

Loving learning, literacy & life in action!

10/30/2024

What a great day this was!

Professional development does not only occur on early out days. It is ongoing. We are fortunate to have partnered with Jennifer Burns from, Building a Reader, to deliver quality models of teaching reading to our kindergarten.

10/03/2024

Teach, letters, words, sounds and real reading to the youngest students.
In fact, when you do you will find
increased engagement,
faster letter learning
and no guessing at sounds.

But this is not easy!
You need to help students to
see like a reader,
hear like a reader,
and think like a reader
gradually across the year. In Building Kindergarten Readers I'll show you how.

So, if you're ready to bring more natural, organic joy to teaching and learning
add Building Kindergarten Readers to your professional learning journey.

Why?
As a previous Kindergarten teacher Jennifer has spent her career studying, doing case studies and writing a book to help teachers understand the small details often missed when we try and teach Kindergarten like first grade.

Reply the word 'READ' in comments below
For more information and to hear what others have to say about it!

Talk to your administrator.
&
Don't wait! Registration is only available until October 4th at 11 p.m. CST

09/27/2024

What does it take to create the perfect whole-class reading lesson?...

It takes a lesson plan that creates engagement
and interactions
that are later used to practice the skills
in literacy stations.

If you have this you have a seamless system of…

Teaching, learning, practicing, mastering

Say goodbye to shut-up sheets when you plan for students’ literacy stations.
Your whole group lesson should do the work of teaching and transfer you need.

I get it, you have students who are

a little, rambunctious and movement-oriented (active),

Who are wonderers, explorers, and joy-seekers
needing opportunities to …

see like a reader,
hear like a reader,
and think like a reader in a more authentic way.

You want phonics, phonemic awareness, and reading to come alive as you transfer your teaching to the active learning of the little ones in front of you.

Join me for this live, free webinar (kindergarten and reading teacher gathering).

I’ll see you at the gathering (webinar).
~Jennifer Burns
Author and Literacy Consultant

P.S. This is Sunday, Monday and Tuesday only! So don’t miss out.

https://www.buildingareader.com/webinar

09/25/2024

How can we make reading so that students feel like they want to consume more!

More stories, more poems, more songs, more ideas
more
more
more

My mind instantly goes to the cookie monster on Sesame Street and the image of volumes of cookies. I think about the opportunities we give kids to make reading...

More about wonder
More about ideas
More about learning
More about interactions
More about engagement

More within their daily control.
We can't MAKE students engage but we can give them experiences and opportunities to participate and move themselves closer to the kind of kiddo who wants to read.

Cheers to volumes of reading and volumes of fun!
~Jennifer Burns

09/25/2024

Letter learning can be hard.

Make learning more approachable by starting with what the student knows something about...
*Their name
*The ABC chart in their classroom

Give your lowest students a three-ring binder.
In it, place these things
*Front cover - their name
*Back cover - the abc chart
*Inside pocket - the name puzzle (an envelope with their name cut into pieces) BONUS idea - write out the name and cut it into pieces in front of them.
*In a page protector - baggie of magnetic letters (double of each known letter)
*Consider storing the binder in a student's book box

Activities
*Match the magnetic letters to eachother
*Match the magnetic letters to the abc chart or name
*Put together the puzzle (with or without a model)
*Put puzzle pieces on the abc chart
*Student writes name on model
*Student writes name above model
*Add letters when they become known

When can students do these activities?
*When they enter the classroom for the day.
*During stations
*During read to self
*At the small group table
*With a volunteer

Love teaching, learning and life,
~Jennifer

09/19/2024

There is always something I am trying to master - routinize in my teaching. I know that when I routinize the teaching moves I get better at understanding when and where to use the benefits of it.

Plus, when I routinize a procedure I am freed up to attend to the children around me.

Make a list of
*prompts
*teaching moves
*intentions

that you will master this week.

You will see sticky notes of these for me!

I am currently working on deeper-level observations of letter identification and recognizing student behaviors that correspond with it.

Cheers to the wonderful world of teaching!
~Jennifer

09/09/2024

Reading with kids should feel joyful and amazing. Try out these two prompts... Let me show you how that works. or That's how you know you are right. Love teaching reading, learning and life! ~Jen

09/04/2024

Great days need to end with great bike-rides!

09/02/2024

The Building Kindergarten Readers Mini-Masterclass is COMING SOON!

A MUST watch.
Follow along to make sure you don't miss the chance to join me and other FANTASTIC teachers.

Writing is a slowed version of reading.

Enjoy this little trick when you are starting to move your little writers to hold their pencils correctly.

Cheers to loving teaching!
~Jennifer

08/31/2024

Favorites - books, poems, texts! As many of you know... I LOVE fall and I love the Itsy Bitsy Spider poem. It lets me teach students to isolate the first letter (phonics and phonemic awareness) - 's' and the word 'the' (orthographic mapping). Plus, the spider on a bendy straw creates motivation, excitement, retelling (comprehension) and the desire to return to the text. Whether you teach title reading, kindergarten, or first grade - the love of a good text is real!
What are your favorite texts that you get excited to present to your students?
SHARE YOUR Favorites - Please! They may become mine :)
I would absolutely LOVE to hear what your favorites are. It will be like I get to experience all the love from your classrooms!
Cheers to sharing the love of texts with students!
~Jennifer