Insight to Impact
Empowering Educators. Supporting Families. Elevating Learning.
Welcome!
Insight to Impact is your go-to space for research-based strategies, practical tools, and thoughtful insights that transform how we teach and support students.
Whether you're a classroom teacher looking for aligned resources or a parent seeking tips to nurture learning at home, you’ll find something here for you
Teaching Tools
Evidence-based strategies, lesson ideas, and classroom tips aligned to the Science of Reading, Illinois Learning Standards, and more.Family Support
Guides, activities, and suggestions to help families extend learning at home and foster a love of reading and inquiry.Downloadables & Printables
Classroom-ready materials and family-friendly printables designed to save you time and boost engagement.Seasonal Spotlights
Timely tips and resources for back-to-school, summer learning, testing season, and everything in between.
Building Culture and Routines with Interactive Read Alouds
This blog post explores the power of interactive read-alouds as a cornerstone instructional strategy for K–2 teachers at the beginning of the school year. It explains what an interactive read-aloud is, why it’s essential for building background knowledge and classroom culture, and how to plan one using pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading routines. The post includes research-based insights, planning tips, and a curated list of back-to-school picture books that reinforce routines, SEL, identity, and community.
Perfect for early childhood educators, literacy coaches, and instructional leaders looking to start the year with purpose and connection.
Morning Meetings: What, Why, How
A Morning Meeting is a daily routine used in early childhood classrooms to build community, foster social-emotional skills, and set a positive tone for learning. Lasting about 15–20 minutes, it includes four main parts: a greeting, sharing time, a group activity, and a morning message.
Morning Meetings help children feel seen and connected, support emotional regulation, promote language development, and reduce behavior issues. They are especially beneficial in classrooms with diverse learners, including English Language Learners.
To lead a successful Morning Meeting, teachers should establish clear expectations, vary greetings and activities, and provide visual supports. The practice nurtures relationships, strengthens classroom culture, and creates a calm, joyful start to the school day.
Routines and Relationships
Discover why establishing clear classroom routines in the first weeks of school is essential for student success. This K–2-focused blog offers practical tips, research-backed strategies, and daily structure ideas to help teachers build strong classroom culture, reduce behavior issues, and boost engagement from day one.
Teacher Tips for Summer Engagement
There’s good news: preventing summer learning loss doesn’t require stacks of worksheets or rigid assignments. In fact, current research emphasizes cognitively engaging, interest-driven experiences as the most effective way to maintain academic momentum.
Check out these simple, high-impact suggestions that teachers can offer families—tailored by grade band—to keep students learning, growing, and curious all summer long.