"Hi there! I'm Laurie or Miss K. I've been teaching for over 20 years. I graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University in 2000. I've taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in Broward County including preparing students for the FCAT and Florida Writes. For the last 14 years I've taught grades 5 & 6 in North Carolina.

For writing help, I like to use touchstone texts as springboards-students really benefit from seeing great writing! I understand the writing process can be difficult for some students so I have many graphic organizers, tools, tips, and tricks up my sleeve to assist.

I've also had extensive training in reading comprehension, fluency, and phonics instruction. I can help pinpoint where the breakdown is and work to build their reading skills and their confidence as well. I use a fluency program that will build your child's fluency and in turn, aide in his or her comprehension. I also believe that reading, especially harder non-fiction texts, is an active process so I teach students to annotate or "mark up" the text.

I've helped hundreds of my 6th graders develop a system of organization and studying that works for them. These are systems that need to be explicitly taught and are NOT a one size fits all. No one likes a binder explosion in the middle of the hallway.

As you can see I believe laughter is the best medicine.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have." less...