Shownotes
If a student has come to you with little to no letter or number knowledge and your first instinct is to panic, this episode is here to help you take a breath and make a plan instead. Kids arrive in kindergarten from different places, and not knowing letters or numbers is not a crisis, it is a starting point.
In this episode, I share:
- why a child arriving with no letter or number knowledge is not something to panic about, and what your job is when that happens
- how to figure out what a student does know so you can meet them exactly where they are instead of focusing only on the gaps
- where to start with literacy when a student has no letter knowledge, from name recognition to fine motor to the most foundational phonological skills
- how to back up and build number sense step by step for students who are not yet tracking count, number order, or one-to-one correspondence
- why strong social-emotional skills in a child with no academic knowledge is actually a really good sign, and what that tells you about their ability to learn
- how to talk to families early without panicking them, and why that conversation is one of the most important things you can do
- why celebrating even small growth with the student matters as much as the extra practice itself
Not knowing the letters or numbers when they walk in the door is not the problem. The question is how they progress once you start teaching them, and this episode helps you stay focused on exactly that.
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Kindergarten Essentials
Grab the year-long, mega-bundle kindergarten activities here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Teacher-Essentials-Year-Long-Mega-Bundle-Kindergarten-Activities-8356704
