Nellie Edge Kindergarten

“Nellie Edge is a kindergarten teacher-researcher, national presenter, literacy coach, folk musician, children’s author, recording artist, and recipient of the “IRA Reading Excellence Through the Arts” award. Thousands of teachers from across the country have learned from her live kindergarten workshops and Nellie Edge Online Seminars. She incorporates music, American Sign Language, drama, dance, and the visual arts to enhance early literacy skills and maximize a child’s learning potential. Her desire to make learning to read a successful and joyful journey for all children led to her partnership with the team at Sign2Me® Early Learning and the creation of this delightful new book. Learn more about Nellie’s work at NellieEdge.com.” -From “About the Author, Nellie Edge” from ABC Phonics: Sing, Sign, and Read! ©2010, published by Sign2Me. “All the best things I do come from Nellie Edge Seminars!” -Live workshop attendee See "Teachers Evaluate Professional Development with Nellie Edge" “Nellie Edge, you should do a TED talk!” -Live workshop attendee

We make words come alive and create a high-achieving, joyful community of learners! With happy hearts, we • dance and sing • dramatize and perform language • fingerspell and sign with our students! Growth mindset and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) are woven into everything we do: We teach children to work hard and be kind. Kindergarten Is for Language! It is the familiarity with the English language that allows a child to develop phonemic awareness, build comprehension, and extend vocabulary. And it is the familiarity with the English language that allows a child’s decoding to be error-free and their reading to be fluent. Oral language is THE vital foundation that allows us to reach rigorous Common Core Standards and develop ambitious, thoughtful readers and writers. We teach most powerfully when we celebrate language, involve parents, and honor childhood. “I Love Nellie!! I have been using her resources since I took her online seminars. I purchased this resource to have easily available to me when printing. My students love the heart word boards/posters and are so excited when a new color is pulled out.” -Ciara Z., TpT "How Kindergarten Children Learn: Our Teaching Philosophy" The SMILE Approach to Joyful and Accelerated Literacy

• Recipient of the IRA Reading Excellence Through the Arts award • Author of the best-selling children’s cookbook, “Kids in the Kitchen” (and now on TpT) • Author of “ABC Phonics: Sign, Sign, and Read!” (a multicultural illustrated ABC book) • Author of the collection of “Read and Sing Books” © • Creative Child Magazine’s Kid’s Educational DVD of the Year award, 2013 • Founder of the Northwest Coalition for “Excellence in Kindergarten Literacy” • Developed a Professional Learning Communities (PLC) for teachers to inspire collaborative inquiry into best teaching practices: “The Kindergarten Cadre” • It has been my privilege to honor accomplished kindergarten teachers and literacy leaders with Nellie Edge Excellence in Kindergarten and Early Literacy Awards for many years.

• BA in Home Economics from University of Washington • Master’s degree in Early Literacy from University of New Mexico Research project: “The Importance of Children's Play” • Documented the work of accomplished kindergarten teachers in professional resource books: See Professional Resource Books written by Nellie Edge

I live with the greatest kindergarten supporter EVER and my best friend, husband, Jim of 51 years, in Salem, Oregon. Our daughters, Elissa and Gina, live close enough to still enjoy family dinners around the old oak table and music gatherings. I love to teach baritone ukulele to young people and invite them to be part of my playful “ukulele bands.” I am honored to continue sharing my best proven resources, and I enjoy reading and responding to your TpT comments! Poetry Bundle: “This is such a RICH resource, full of inter-connected learning. My little students have already enjoyed some of the poetry and their illustrations make the poems come alive in a personal way. I am looking forward to using this resource all year and for many years to come. THANK YOU!” {:>Barb C. Kindergarten Handwriting Bundle: “These lessons are a game changer for my kinders. So engaging and I’ve seen so much improvement. Wish I would have started these in the Fall!” – C.G. Sight Word (aka Heart Word) Bundle: “I absolutely love this program! Integrating handwriting with sight word practice is amazing! Very authentic learning.” -Jessica H. Kindergarten Writing Bundle: “This bundle gave my kinders the scaffolding and confidence to truly become writers. The ideas are simple yet profound; this product should be required in every kinder classroom.” -Melissa R. ------------------------------------------ Thank you for stopping by! I know well that only the rarest kind of best in anything can be good enough for the young.” -Walter de la Mare, from Bells of Grass Nellie Edge Online Seminars (NEOS) complement and support these TpT resources. To see my teaching in action and to find video clips and photo essays, head over to my website, NellieEdge.com Read my weekly kindergarten blogs. Learn from my YouTube Channel. Check out my Pinterest boards.