Ms.Jessica's Jewels

02/27/2026

On Sunday I am going live on Whatnot at 3:15ish in order to support a friend and follow member of the Whatnot community. They host a show multiple times a week called “The Vibe Spot” dedicated to raising awareness and supporting su***de prevention. They are in need of our support so I am showing up and I hope you can take an hour of your time do join me. “The Vibe Spot” is more than a stream-it’s a community. Here, we come together to share, connect, and make a difference. Donated items are auctioned off, and 100% of proceeds go directly to su***de prevention initiatives. Please join me if you can. No purchases necessary, giveaways galore.

With a Little Help from My Friends

12/27/2020

Bam 💥
Give this lady a prize 😂

12/07/2020

One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is the idea that nothing should be taught in isolation. There is, of course, a correct and specific way that it should be done, but when we throw all of these new skills and strategies at students, and don't give them time to process and master them, we end up with a severe reading issue.

Trying hard to stay in the game, Reading Recovery uses a few buzzwords:
Phonemic awareness and phonics instruction are SYSTEMATIC in nature and based on close observation. 🙄
Phonemic awareness and phonics are taught EXPLICITLY in the context of authentic text. 🧐 Decoding in isolation leaves out the critical component of comprehending the meaning in text. 😄
Decoding and reading are not synonymous. 😅

12/07/2020

12/06/2020

FURIOUS!
And it's still happening!!!

How many hours are wasted in Guided Reading groups “working on comprehension” when kids can already understand the stories? I don’t understand this logic. The child is in a Wilson program but “must also receive comprehension strategies” utilizing books that are at his “just right” level. According to the leveling system, that places this child in kindergarten books. How in the world does that make sense?? What kind of strategies can he learn in books three years behind grade level?? How does this help his vocabulary and language development?

11/22/2020

https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2020/11/pandemic-putting-young-readers-behind-the-learning-curve-says-education-expert.html?fbclid=IwAR3144-nPxRZGCbCTVYpLoE6f1Bcjpj98kmKLqgZG9OrrjAMlkVLPr6mpQQ

School closures due to COVID-19 put young, struggling readers further behind in their skills—and the situation won’t get better unless there are changes to online and at-home instruction, suggests a University of Alberta reading expert.

11/22/2020

Enough is enough‼️
Time to
https://highfiveliteracy.com/2020/11/20/soundbites-and-slogans-one-districts-new-literacy-plan/

10/23/2020

If your child is in NYCDOE with an IEPand is affected by this year’s learning, please complete the survey!

10/19/2020

I mean. If anyone ever listened to TEACHERS about what the kids need maybe we wouldn’t be in this predicament now, would we?

A new document emphasizes that sounding out words is the best strategy for kids to use to figure out what those words say.

09/25/2020

Instructors who teach live online classes should thoughtfully consider whether to require students to use their webcams during class.