I teach all subject areas with all different levels 1st graders. I use a website, "Starfall.com" with my 1st grade students. It has many different levels of reading skills from beginning letter sounds to difficult reading material. I also challenge my students by tiling. We have mats with all the letters, vowels, digraphs, and blends on them. The students have 2 songs to match each tile to the letters on the workmat. Then I will say a word and the students listen to each sound and will then spell out the word w/the tiles. You can make this activity as easy or a difficult as needed. I incorporate many different blending and segementing of phonemes. We also tap out the sounds heard in each word. It helps the students with reading skills as well as spelling skills.

I also do many different math activities using foods, such as teddy grahams, gold fish crackers, etc. We add, subtract, and pattern with these different snacks. I find that it holds the students interests as well as making it a fun way to learn.

I have noticed that over the years of my teaching career, that it is much harder to hold a students interest in todays's society. If you can make learning fun and also engage the students as much as possible in the lessons, it helps the students. I like to teach with a lot of hands on activities.