Author: Tammy Mulligan

Hi Friends, Thanks for reading and thinking along with all of us at TBR Blog. It is time for summer break. We will see you again in August with new books, new ideas, and new insights about teaching and learning. Happy Reading and Happy Summer!

As school comes to an end, I can't stop thinking about what these first graders will remember about this school year. I want to know their thoughts. Did they feel welcome, included, and valued? Did they feel that I listened? I can't help but wonder what I could have done differently to honor each one… Continue reading Listening and Collecting Feedback

"Wow. Look at all those books!" This is exactly the reaction I want as kids enter the classroom and find a giant pile of books on the rug. Yes, before a new unit of study that is exactly what I do - I let the children wade through a pile and touch all of the… Continue reading Look at all Those Books! Co-Constructing the Classroom Library

All year I've tried different ways to organize small groups with my first graders while teaching in a socially distanced classroom. Finally, I think I've figured out a system that I'll keep even when staying six feet apart is a thing of the past. At the beginning of the week, I create a slide to… Continue reading Who Would Like to Join Us?

Certain books fly out of the classroom library and into the hands of readers, and I love how these books change as the first graders grow. Right now, a few series baskets are empty, and I need to “quarantine” the books overnight so that other readers can have them ASAP. The Hello, Hedgehog series is… Continue reading Series that Fly off my Classroom Shelves

This week, my first graders said goodbye to a classmate who moved away. For these children, moving in and out of communities is part of their lives as they are children of military families. They know how it feels to be new, and they know what it means to start over. When a child leaves,… Continue reading Being a Military Child

I sit down on the couch to write my post for Thursday.  Guilt is the feeling inside of me, as I know it has been a few weeks since I’ve written.  The words don’t come.  I know my topic - writing about the different ways I’ve tried to give students more choice and ownership during… Continue reading A Surprise at my Kitchen Door

To launch informational writing, we began with a mystery QR CODE, and the kids worked together to figure out how to unlock the code.   A student mentor text children studied throughout the unit. These first graders were so excited to “crack the code.” They were excited to write informational chapter books. But this exploration didn't help… Continue reading Day 75: Cracking the QR Code

It still surprises me how when problems arise, unexpected opportunities follow. I would think at my age, I'd anticipate the silver linings on the other side, but somehow they still sneak up on me. Over these past weeks, my class needed a few tips on navigating some tricky social situations. After trying many different moves,… Continue reading Day 65: A Little Humor Goes A Long Way

As a staff developer, I taught the pre and post on-demand assessment process in the Teachers College Units of Study formally. On day one of the unit, students wrote in the genre we were going to study and on the last day of the unit, students wrote a final piece. Then they used a checklist… Continue reading Day 60: A Little Informality Goes A Long Way

Connecting with families during COVID-19 is tricky at best. There are no daily interactions and no face-to-face contact unless I meet with a family over Google Meet. Families and caregivers do not come into the building or the classroom, so they have very little information about what happens each day. To help families understand what… Continue reading Day 54: Connecting with Families

It's been quite a week. Last Thursday, my entire school went remote. With fifteen minutes to pack, these first graders grabbed their books, writing folders, extra math manipulatives, a whiteboard, and headed out the door. Oh, how I miss moments of listening to what the kids have to say. Online, I only get minutes when… Continue reading Day 47 – Listening Remotely

On the day before winter break, a student shared with me that school felt hard, and I left for break without a chance to listen (To read part 1, click here.) This comment surprised me, as reading, writing, and math seem easy for him, and I am continually thinking about how to extend his learning.… Continue reading Day 40 Part II – “Now It All Makes Sense. That Is Why It Is Hard.”

I can't remember exactly how the conversation began, but I know where we were. The kids were lining up for recess, and a child asked, "Where did you work before you became our teacher?" I respond. "I used to work with all of the teachers at this school. We would meet and plan what to… Continue reading Day 30: “Now It All Makes Sense. That Is Why It Is Hard.”

It all started when I ran out of time taking a running record. I asked Samantha (name changed), "I need to start morning meeting, can you write and draw what happened in the story?" When I finally got back to the table, this is what I found. Samantha worked so hard, and it was so… Continue reading Day 26: Kids Create Their Own Learning Wall

It's first thing Monday morning, and one first grader asks, "Mrs. Mulligan, do you know who we are going to meet today?" When I heard this comment, I knew that Meet Someone New Monday was having an impact. I learned about #MeetSomeoneNewMonday from Melissa Quimby, a 4th-grade teacher in Natick, Massachusetts, and now it is… Continue reading First Graders and #MeetSomeoneNewMonday

Kids all over the room popped out of their seats yelling, "I'm done! I'm done! Mrs. Mulligan, I'm finished" Now, I know Lucy Calkin's saying, "When you are done, you've just begun," but these kids needed a quick win. Yes they do need to write many more books, but at this moment, they wanted to… Continue reading Day 22: How Editing Became Joyful

I have a love hate relationship with GoNoodle. Yes, it gets the kids’ moving while they are required to stay near their seats, but I don’t love that the kids are following rather than creating.  So, I’ve been playing with how to make movement breaks more child-centered and bring a little laughter into the room.… Continue reading Day 17: When GoNoodle Became a Mentor Text

When I envision partner reading in first grade, I see children sitting side by side holding a book across their laps, joyfully reading together. They point to the parts of the text they love, laugh together, and coach each other as they problem-solve. I know that vision doesn't work with COVID, but I was determined… Continue reading Day 10: The Ups and Downs of Partner Reading in a Socially Distanced Classroom

It is day four of teaching first grade, and one tool enables the kids to be more independent writers - Seesaw. I can't describe how much I love this platform. Right before writing workshop ends, students log into Seesaw. First, they take a photo of what they wrote, and then they read their writing. Now… Continue reading Day 4 – A Writing Workshop Tool that Builds Agency and Independence

Monday is my first official day as a first-grade teacher, and didn’t you hear?  I am bringing you with me.  You see, it has been quite a few years since I have had my own classroom, but I am less worried, and that’s all because of you.   I am bringing: hundreds of elementary teachers… Continue reading I am Bringing You with Me

There before us was Haystack – the famous Cannon Beach rock that juts hundreds of feet from the surf.  It was so beautiful, but my attention was not on this giant rock.  It was on the lawns just past the dunes.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a snow-white bunny nibbling on… Continue reading A Surprise at Cannon Beach

I walked into this bookstore, skeptical about what I might find because there weren't any children's books in the window. Now, I should know never to judge something at first glance. The entire back room of this store is devoted to a lovingly curated collection of books for children. I was lucky to be the… Continue reading Treasures from an Independent Book Store in the Pacific Northwest

When my kids were young, each evening we shared highlights from our day. This small ritual helped us notice how it is the little moments that touch our hearts, not the grandiose events. Even though my kids are grown, and on their own, I still think about the highlights of my day. Sometimes my husband… Continue reading Small Moments of Joyful Magic

As I travel across country, I’ve taken photos of signs that get my attention.  These creative expressions make me smile because their message is so clever. I love how these signs turn something negative into a joyful moment for readers.  I hope to use this collection of signs in a variety of ways when I… Continue reading Word Choice Matters

I am on a hill looking down on Park City, Utah, and what am I thinking about - getting better at mountain biking. You see, I'm a relatively new mountain biker, so when I get on my bike, I think, don't forget to shift as you go uphill. Remember to lower your seat when the… Continue reading Lessons from my Husband

Right now my husband and I are living in small quarters.  I have one cubby for all my clothes. A space to store our bedding is under one cushion. One cubby for all dishes and pots and pans, and a college-size refrigerator to store groceries. Now, I am not complaining. I love traveling in our… Continue reading Learning from Living in Small Quarters

It’s early in the morning and it is twenty degrees in Yellowstone National Park.  So what is the problem?  I am living in a tiny trailer, and I am freezing.  All I want is a cup of hot tea and a yummy muffin.  We exit the park, and just a few miles away is this… Continue reading Finding Books in Unusual Places

This is the first time in twenty-four years that I haven’t been with teachers and kids in September. So what have I been doing as I travel? I spy on kids in the campgrounds. I sit at my picnic table and notice what they do with so much free time on their hands. It is… Continue reading Kid-Watching in Campgrounds

Last night, I served salad and ice cream on my grandmother’s dishes. Now, you might be picturing an elegant china bowl etched with a gold rim. Nope, not these dishes.  These dishes are dark blue and plastic - plain as can be.  There isn’t a full set anymore, either.  I have one serving dish, three… Continue reading My Grandmother’s Dishes

Last week, Ruth Ayres’ post encouraged writers to celebrate lists as a valuable writing craft.   Then I went to my writing group, and both educators included lists in their draft articles.  The ideas these authors listed in their pieces helped me as an educator and as a writer.  As I read their drafts, I… Continue reading Lessons Learned from Teaching Phonics Online