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Self evaluate

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Start the story out

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When the kids say they have nothing to write about

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Everyone needs goals!

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1st grade can be rough fitting in

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Teaching Resources for Dolch Sight Words

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How do I begin to thank you for the fabulous job you did today! The staff has fallen in love with you! You had as much passion and energy at 3:00 as you did at 8:30! The feedback from the staff was amazing! Nearly every teacher thanked me for bringing you to the school, and they've already requested a follow-up training! I even have teachers requesting the book immediately so they can plan to implement their new learning over the summer! It is the highest honor when you are able to motivate a staff that has been working since the beginning of September, and has nearly run of steam at this time of the year. Thank you for a most informative and pleasurable day! Joanne, an Elementary School Assistant Principal in Brooklyn, New York

Needless to say, I have had numerous messages since Saturday and they are all very positive...
-Engaging!
-Outstanding!
-Best session Mercer County has had in quite a while!
-Katie is FANTASTIC!
-Great Session!
-Every K-5 teacher should hear her!
-Please bring her back in the Fall
-I am going to begin using what I learned on Monday!
...And that's just a sampling of what I received!
Rick, Assistant Superintendent in Princeton, WV

I learned more in Katie's half day workshop than I did in quarter long graduate course on teaching reading!
The Secret Stories are just so easy to teach.... the stories, music, visuals, and movement engage students with the complex rules of phonics! Thank you for truly making me a better and much more effective teacher!
Lerline, Kindergarten Teacher in North Dakota

Let me tell you, this has been the BEST training I have ever been to. For years I have been trying to figure out how to teach the vowels to beginning learners and BOOM-DONE! In kindergarten, we've always tried to teach the most common vowel combinations and digraphs, even though most of our little ones just weren't developmentally ready to "get" it. With the Secrets, they are flying!!!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Jessica, Kindergarten Teacher in Brownsville, TX

I have to tell you that the day our staff spent with you on Wednesday was the best in-service training I have attended. I was able to immediately start using the strategies- I am excited and so are my kids! My family at home thought I had be 'abducted by aliens' and was nuts because at dinner I was telling every 'secret' that I could remember! My teenagers were impressed that you had motivated all those teachers without any power points, videos, or 'stuff.' Your humor was wonderful. You are so accurate on the reality of a real classroom. Even one of my most struggling readers picked up the excitement of the first few 'secrets' I shared and was so excited about going home to tell them to her parents. Thanks so much!
Julie, First Grade Teacher in Germantown, Tennessee

I had the pleasure of sitting your session this morning at NAEYC and want you to know that it was a true honor! I am a former 1st grade teacher and current lead editor for the Literacy Team at "--" Publishing House. I found you to be one of the best presenters I've ever seen. Your passion for and expertise for literacy left me wanting to give you a standing ovation at the end of your presentation! It's not an easy feat to find people who really get the challenges students and early childhood/early elementary educators alike face on a daily basis! Jamey, Educational Publishing Editor in Hunnington Beach, California

Thank you for the fabulous workshop you presented in Santa Clara, California. You certainly wowed me! I have been an elementary grade teacher more years than I can count, and the strategies you shared were of more use to me, and more beneficial to my students than anything I have ever brought to my classroom
Thank you for 'revitalizing' my year!
Carolyn, Kindergarten Teacher in Burbank, California

As a newer teacher, I am so grateful to have had the chance to see Katie a couple of months ago at our state reading conference! I learned more in just that one hour session than in all of my teaching classes combined! I love how the Secrets provide such strong framework for instruction while still allowing the flexibility to adjust to individual student needs and my own creative teaching style. I feel like a new door has been opened for me and my students! THANK YOU!!!

Leslie, First Grade Teacher in New Mexico

I thought of you while doing observations in my primary classrooms, as I attended a workshop with you about 7 years ago and have since implemented the SECRET STORIES Strategies in two schools. I intend to make it part of our 'woodwork' here as well! We are hoping to be Title I next year, which would allow for some additional Professional Development, and include the Secret Stories. I think they are wonderful, and can't wait for the rest of my teachers to experience the incredible learning you have in store for them!
As the kids would say- 'You Rock!!'
Danielle, Assistant Principal in Boca Raton, Florida

My intermediate teachers that attended your workshop at a neighboring school were amazed at the 'common sense' approach of the SECRETS to 'explain away' all of the inconsistencies in our language......simply telling learners the 'secret' behind the pattern. It's just so simple!
B arbara/ Reading First Literacy Coach in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I have been an elementary grade teacher more years than I can count, and the strategies you shared at workshop were of more use to me, and more beneficial to my students, than anything I have ever brought back to my classroom!
Thank you for 'revitalizing' my year!
Carolyn, Second Grade Teacher in Burbank, California

I am listening to Katie Garner talk about Cracking the Reading Code. OMG, she's soooo good. I LOVE her!!! Scott, a Principal in Texas TEPSA Committee Member

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About Katie Garner: Keynote Education Speaker & Literacy Expert | The Secret Stories

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How do I begin to thank you for the fabulous job you did today! The staff has fallen in love with you! You had as much passion and energy at 3:00 as you did at 8:30! The feedback from the staff was amazing!

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It's only the second day of school and I'm wiped out! Currently, I'm procrastinating on grading phonemic awareness assessments, DIBELS and math samples. My little guys have a HUGE range of abilities this year. Looks like I'll be teaching the alphabet and numbers to one group, and long vowels and double-digit addition/subtraction to another group. And my last little genius boy will be learning social stories for reading time because he's 5 years old and read 175 words per minute already!!! So I'm using reading for an entirely different purpose for him.That's my homework tonight... to find a way to make a reading curriculum of social stories. It's an experiment. I seem to do a lot of those in my room. Special education seems to be famous for "make it up as you go" to meet the needs of amazing kids.

Ok, so today my class made perfectly clear some of their sensory needs. One kid couldn't stop making noises with his mouth, another kept covering his ears, and another accidentally wet his pants and almost cried when he told me because he said "I feel terrible that I let you down!!" as tears welled up in his eyes. There was no way I could be mad at that point. This got me thinking about all the different ways I meet those needs in my room. I know many of my followers are general ed teachers, but you may have kids with autism or Asperger's in your classroom. I thought I'd show you some super easy solutions to these problems and others.
UPDATE: Here is video I made to cover some of these topics!

I'll try to add to this list as I think of more things I use. Feel free to bookmark it or "Pin It" and it will be work in progress for sensory strategies. If you like, I can also make a direct link at the top of my page for it.

Oral Stimulation Options (Solves problems with mouth noises):

Gum! I can't tell you how much the "no gum in class" rule seems ridiculous to me now. Teach the kids to chew quietly and throw it away properly and the annoying mouth noises stop. I've had at least a dozen different noises I've stopped with this including whistling, squeaking, and sucking sounds.

Rubber necklaces to chew on. This works with some kids, but not all. I actually like gum better. And less germs!

Water bottle with rubber sucking straw

Auditory Over Stimulation (covering ears):

Noise reducing headphones. They don't stop sound, just muffle it. Mine are red and hang on my wall using 3M Command cord hanging hooks. I'll post a pic of them on my wall tomorrow, no time for pics at school today. My new ones are red and block a bit more sound, but I my old ones that just broke were like the pic below and I liked that they folded up small.

Quiet music, sounds counter productive, but it actually keeps the kids from talking as much and the student is no longer over stimulated by all the conversations

Bathroom troubles:

I remind the kids to go to the bathroom during quiet work time. I realize this breaks many teacher bathroom rules, but I can remind my special little guys 800 times until I lose my voice, but that does not mean they will actually remember to go during recess. I have a bathroom in my classroom a whopping 2 feet from our work table, so it doesn't waste too much time and is significantly faster than me having to change a student's pants later.

Wiggly kids:

Sensory cushions. These can be official wedges as you can find below, or you can also use exercise balance cushion.

Figits- I have squishy stars the school had made for a conference booth

Let the student stand at their desk instead of sit. I usually put this child on the side or in the back of the class where they won't block other students view of important teaching materials

Let the student lay on their tummy on the floor with a clipboard

Use a weighted vest during work time

Let the student kick their feet on an exercise band tied to their chair legs

Agitated Student:

A designated quiet place to sit without having to ask permission when too upset to talk. I have a stairwell in my classroom that EVERY SINGLE KID uses when they get upset. I've never once assigned it, yet somehow the kids always run straight there when they get upset. I think it's quiet, no one can see them, and the walls are completely bare so there's no additional stimulation

A weighted lap pad. I had a boy last year tell me it was like the blanket pushed the extra energy out of him. And it was only for about 5-10 minutes at a time, it didn't take too long. I only have one and it has been there for at least 3+ years. Mine actually has velcro so I've wrapped it around the student's chair before to cover their lap when their legs had too much energy. (The student liked it and it was never a "trap" or forced on him. SAFETY NOTE: Check for laws in your school, state or district, as well as get parent permission before using!

Fine Motor Struggles:

Tracing

Cutting

Picking beads/Cheerios up with tweezers

Legos

Bead lacing

Pencil grippers

A rubber band to hold the pencil/crayon properly

Let the students type assignments instead of hand-write. I've had several students that can type at least 2 or 3 times faster than they can write with a pencil. I also have AlphaSmart so the kids can type, but there is no way for them to play games when you walk away. It only types words like a typewriter, then I plug it into my laptop to print.

Use special scissors such as the Goldilocks Scissor from Pocket Full of Therapy

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Meeting Sensory Needs For Kids with Autism/Asperger's

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It's only the second day of school and I'm wiped out! Currently, I'm procrastinating on grading phonemic awareness assessments, DIBELS and math samples. My little guys have a HUGE range of abilities this year. Looks like I'll be teaching the alphabet and numbers to one group, and long vowels and double-digit addition/subtraction to another group.