If you have found this post, chances are you are a first grade teacher using the HMH Into Reading curriculum. I’m so excited to share with you a variety of supplemental resources and activities that will make teaching the HMH Into Reading first grade curriculum fun and easy. It will save you time because you will have everything you need right at your fingertips. AND. . . most importantly, it will make learning fun and engaging for your students!
HMH Into Reading – Stories
At the heart of the HMH Into Reading curriculum are amazing stories. Through these stories, students are taught reading comprehension skills, vocabulary, phonics, high frequency words, and more! So it only makes sense that we start with the stories.
Each week, engage your students in showing what they have learned through a story-related craft and reading comprehension activity.
Story Craft
Each week, students will focus on one reading skill or strategy, like making connections, story structure, identifying the theme, or finding the main idea. The reading skill craft is the perfect way for students to review what they have learned and implement their new skills. Want a sneak peek?
In Module 2, students learn about making connections using the story Places in My Neighborhood. Students will practice making the different types of connections as they make this community craft fan. Not only will this help students dig a little deeper into the story, but it also gives them a chance to practice the target skill.
Let’s take a peek into another one of these crafts. In Module 7, students will be working with non-fiction text and learning to identify the central idea and supporting details. Since the text topic for one of the texts is deserts, why not create a cactus? Students love this cute cactus craft and you will love that they are practicing identifying the central idea and details from the text.
Just like the examples above, each week your students will love creating a themed craft that connects the story to the reading skill or strategy students were learning. Jennifer R., a first grade teacher, left this comment on Teachers Pay Teachers: “My students absolutely love these! They ask every week what our new craft will be this week. They look forward to these and are so focused on the story and what information they need so they can complete the craft.”
Reading Comprehension Trifold
In addition to the craft, each story also includes a reading comprehension trifold activity. Students love creating these brochures. Each trifold brochure includes 5 or more comprehension or extension questions. It’s a great way to get students thinking about what they read.
I love using these as an informal assessment to see how well each student understood the week’s story. I can quickly see where a student or the class might be struggling. This allows me to reteach as needed to the entire class or through small group instruction.
The students love making these trifold brochures. While it has the same reading comprehension questions you would find on a traditional worksheet, there’s something about this form that keeps students more engaged.
You can find a year-long bundle with all the story crafts and trifolds together. Just think of the time you will save lesson planning when you know exactly what you are going to do to reinforce reading skills all year long!
HMH Into Reading First Grade Teaching Tools
I don’t know about you, but in my experience, creating teaching tools to go along with the curriculum is a time-consuming process. Many times, the curriculum doesn’t include posters or anchor charts that are so helpful when teaching. Our young students need those visuals to help them learn. Additionally, school administration often requires a focus wall or standards to be on display in the classroom.
When putting together the HMH Into Reading first grade supplemental resources I knew immediately that I wanted to take this off your plate! That’s why I have a focus wall and word card resource available for every module and week for the entire year.
HMH Into Reading First Grade Focus Wall
Now you will have everything you need for your literacy focus wall. No need to create something or write out those standards. Just print and post and you are ready to go!
The focus wall supplemental resources includes a colorful poster for each of the following: the Essential Question, Grammar skill, Phonics skill, Reading skill, Reading strategy, and more! All of these come in color and black & white options. I’ve also included 2 size options too!
In addition to setting up your classroom focus wall, the smaller version makes a great addition to a student reading notebook. Your students will love using an interactive notebook to track all the skills they are learning each week. It makes a great growing resource tool they can refer back to throughout the year.
Vocabulary & High Frequency Words
I love using the word wall! Providing students with a tool they can use to help them read, spell and understand meaning is a great way to enrich their vocabulary, and improve reading and writing skills. Over the years I have found that I am most consistent using the word wall when I have word cards printed and ready to go.
In the HMH Into Reading focus wall resources, I have included word cards for you. In each set, you will find word cards for the target vocabulary from the story, high frequency words, and words for the target phonics skill. All of these are ready to print and use. The vocabulary cards provide a picture prompt to help students easily remember the meaning of the word.
Practice Activities and Centers
Have you ever followed a provided curriculum only to find that your students needed more practice on a skill or concept than what was provided? I know that I have! That’s why I have created a variety of no-prep printable activities for each story. Well, there is a center activity that requires a little prep – but I promise it’s nothing you can’t do in just a few minutes.
Each set includes multiple practice activities for spelling, vocabulary, high frequency words, and reading comprehension. These pages are so versatile. You can use them as independent practice after a lesson, as morning work or a daily warm-up activity, during small group instruction, or even during independent centers.
In addition to the printable activities, you also get a digital option for these activities to use on Google Slides or SeeSaw. I really love rotating these activities into our centers as a second-time review. Students don’t even realize they are getting a review because the use of technology makes the activity feel fresh and new.
Finally, each set also includes a hands-on matching game students can play. This game focuses on the target phonics skill. Students will work on both reading and spelling skills while playing this game.
You can find these no prep print and digital activities for each module or week.
There is also a special set of Color by Code activities focused solely on the high frequency words. This set includes color by code activities for all 12 modules of the HMH Into Reading first grade curriculum. It is a great supplemental activity to help students with reading and spelling those important high frequency words.
Save Time and Increase Engagement
How would you like to have all of these supplemental resources and activities ready to go for each week of literacy instruction? Now you can! All of these resources can be found in the Emily Education store on TPT. Use the images below to find all the available resources for each type of activity.
Don’t take my word for how great these supplemental resources are! Here are a couple of reviews that teachers have written about how helpful they are:
I LOVE this resource !!! It connects perfectly with HMH and its independent enough to put in stations for students. — Kaci M.
This set has been great for my firsties. The crafts and trifolds are a great way for the students to share their new learning. — Mary Frances A.
Looking for more engaging, hands-on activities for first grade? Check out these blog posts for ideas and resources your students will love!
- Fun Doubles & Doubles + One Activities
- Fun Activities to Teach the SH Digraph
- Penguin Activities for the Primary Classroom
Save These HMH Into Reading First Grade Resources
Pin this to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so that you quickly come back when you need fun and engaging resources for your literacy instruction.
