How do you teach text-to-text connections in first grade without making the strategy too complicated for young readers? In this episode of The Education Connection, Robin Wilson shares the simple, step-by-step way she teaches first graders to connect one text to another as part of her Writing About Reading series. You'll hear how Robin uses a simple anchor chart with two books and a large arrow, chooses books with easy-to-find connections, and spreads the lesson across two days. She also share

Human Connection Is SO Necessary - FAAF 276 In this 276th episode, I share my reflections from Sept 14-18, 2026. Check out the WHOLE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST I put together with all the listens mentioned below: >>> bit.ly/E276FreshAirAtFivePlaylist <<< 14th: EdTech Bites E305 “How To Fix Student Disengagement In One Day w/ Jon Arguello” 16th: Evolving With Gratitude E156 “Dr. Shefali on Raising Conscious Sons and Daughters” 18th: The Innovator’s Mindset “What AI Can't Replace - Discussing the Importan

Meet Dr. David Wiedlich, the proud Principal of Radnor MS in Wayne, PA. Dave is the PA Principal of the Year for Middle Schools and was a finalist for National MS Principal of the Year. Congrats, Dave, his family, and staff & students at Radnor MS. Dave will join us tomorrow, Thursday, 9/17, at 5:00 pm EST as a guest on #ELB & beyond. Dr. Wiedlich leads with passion, excitement, and encouragement--we'll discuss these as well as Penn State, fitness, family & more! Join us for this LIVE leadership

Being able to handle anything is often viewed as a sign of strong leadership. But there is a difference between true resilience and constantly staying on guard, pushing through, and relying on survival mode to get through challenges. In this episode, I explore the difference between hypervigilance and resilience and how I once confused the two in my own leadership journey. I look at why hypervigilance can feel productive and responsible, especially for school leaders who are used to managing en

Back to School Week - FAAF 275 In this 275th episode, I share my reflections from Sept 7-12, 2026. Check out the WHOLE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST I put together with all the listens mentioned below: >>> https://bit.ly/E275FreshAirAtFivePlaylist <<< 8th: Evolving With Gratitude E105 “Encore: Angela Duckworth on the Power of Situation[Ally]”; Angela Watson’s Truth For Teachers E355 “A short history of the 8-hour workday (and how to protect yours)”; The Easy EdTech Podcast E386 “Strategies for Keeping Stud

How to Teach Background Knowledge for Reading Comprehension in First Grade | Writing About Reading Series How do you teach first graders to use background knowledge while reading? In this episode of The Education Connection, Robin Wilson shares a simple, first-grade-friendly way to introduce background knowledge, also called schema, as a reading comprehension strategy. Robin shares how she begins with a big-brain anchor chart and asks one simple question: “What do you know?” As students share