Words Their Way

The last couple weeks I have been busy assessing our students to determine where they are so I can plan our curriculum.  We have started early concept sorting activities that will be followed with picture sorts that develop phonemic awareness and include activities for rhyming, syllabication, and sound play. The purpose of these activities is to get our students used to these procedures so they are prepared for their individualized program. 

Sight Word Fun

Most of our class has started their sight word homework. I've enjoyed getting pictures of all the creative ways you are practicing your sight words at home! Here are a couple I've received. You can always go to our class webpage to see an ongoing gallery of pictures I receive.

Our Class Virtual Bookshelf

Dear Parents,
If you look on the left, you will see our virtual bookshelf. I have just updated it. It currently has some of my favorite books and will from this point on, contain books that we are reading in class. If you click on the bookshelf, it will take you to our Shelfari page where you can see an ongoing list of books we're reading in class.
Enjoy!

The Ant and the Elephant

      First of all, it was great to see so many faces at Back to School Night! Thank you so much for coming! This week we worked on a lot of projects which you saw hung around the room last night. We also started talking about our first comprehension strategy-Wondering (Self-Questioning). Generating questions while reading are essential components of the reading process and must be explicitly taught. Asking questions is a skill that underpins every comprehension strategy. For this reason, we should ensure that students understand how to create questions by engaging in explicit instruction. This is why I like starting with wondering.
      This week, I read The Ant and the Elephant by Bill Peet. I first explained why it's important to wonder while we read. Before we read, I looked at the cover and said, "This book is about an ant and an elephant. I wonder if the ant and elephant are friends. If so, how can an ant and elephant be friends?" I then read a little bit of the story and modeled how we ask questions while reading. At this point, I had the kids join in and give their wonderings. When we finished the story, I introduced "Turn and Talk" which is where kids turn and share ideas with 1-2 neighbors. I then asked the kids what they thought the author was trying to teach us through his story. I charted responses throughout the book and was really pleased with all of their insight!