5 Simple Ways to Use a Dry Erase Calendar in Literacy Instruction

I love a dry erase board just like every other teacher in the world! But what can I do with them that will make everything go smoothly in my interventions?
Many teachers use dry erase boards in their classrooms, but using dry erase calendars for literacy instruction can be life changing!

I never thought that I would have a use for dry erase calendars in my classroom, but these have made learning a little easier and more organized for my learners.


I purchased a set of 12 of these from NAEIR over the summer, along with some fun metallic washi tape. In just a few minutes, I now had boards that could be used in a versatile fashion! Here are five ways you can use a dry erase calendar in your classroom every day!

Segmenting boards

Segmenting sounds is an important skill in emergent and beginning readers' lessons. I love the idea of using these boards for segmenting words. Students use the spaces to segment out the phonemes they hear in the words. They also are great for counting words in sentences, an important skill to get ready for concept of word. And once they have those phonological awareness skills in place, it's time to start working on writing the sounds in words. These are great for being able work with not only 3 letter words but include 4 letter words too without having to change out sets of phoneme boxes! Easy peasy!
Many teachers use dry erase boards in their classrooms, but using dry erase calendars for literacy instruction can be life changing!
I used this with my daughter to work through her spelling words. She struggles with writing all of the sounds in the blends, so this allowed her to see each part of the word. She loved spelling her words this way and can't wait to do it again.

Writing Phonemes

When I use Orton-Gillingham with my students, I spend part of my session dictating phonemes to the group for them to write. Most of the time we write in our notebooks, but sometimes it's nice to use dry erase boards. This allows us to write the phonemes in an organized fashion.
Many teachers use dry erase boards in their classrooms, but using dry erase calendars for literacy instruction can be life changing!

Practice spelling words

My daughter loves to practice her spelling words each night in these boards. She writes her words, and I get to check off if they are correct or not. My students also love using these to write any words I call out to them. It keeps it organized for them and for me. Children really need some type of order to help them learn. Doesn't this look so much nicer than having words all over the board?
Many teachers use dry erase boards in their classrooms, but using dry erase calendars for literacy instruction can be life changing!

Sorting words 

I love using this for sorting words. While playing the Snowball Fight game, students write their words in the correct column to show what they know. Again, this gives them places to write those words and have order in their work. And I can do a quick check after they are working.
Many teachers use dry erase boards in their classrooms, but using dry erase calendars for literacy instruction can be life changing!

Task card answers

Who needs paper when you can use a dry erase calendar to write the answers? If you are limited on copies like we are, this is a great alternative to paper copies. Students write the number in the date part and the answers in the box of the calendar.
Many teachers use dry erase boards in their classrooms, but using dry erase calendars for literacy instruction can be life changing!

So, now that you have some reasons to use those dry erase calendars, grab a few and use them with your students to enhance your literacy instruction!

What are some other ways you could use these dry erase calendars in your literacy instruction?
Many teachers use dry erase boards in their classrooms, but using dry erase calendars for literacy instruction can be life changing!


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