Search This Blog

Monday, November 14, 2016

Thanksgiving Emergent Reader




That means it's time for another holiday, emergent reader.  And here it is...




[This is a revised version of this reader. If you have purchased it in the past, you can download the new file for FREE!]

As the literacy coach for my building, I found that the 1st grade teachers were not only willing, but anxious, to meet weekly for a mini-lesson on reading instruction strategies. Their responses have been so favorable that I thought I would share some of the strategies with you.

When working with emerging readers, it is advisable to choose 1 strategy and focus on it until your students show mastery. While I will be covering several topics, you should choose the one that best fits the needs of your students at the time. One of the most valuable lessons I learned in Reading Recovery™ was to avoid the shotgun approach.

High Frequency Word Practice
The text provides practice with the following high frequency words: theis, on, in, & of. Additional HFW may appear only once, such as inside or between. Some of these HFW may be unknown or partially known. Support your student's efforts by finger masking the new or partially known words.  In this example, where inside is unknown, mask the word so that the reader can recognize the known chunk in. 


Draw your child’s attention to the picture for a clue as to what the word that starts with in- could be. This practice builds the dual skills of chunking and using picture cues. Should the word inside continue to be problematic, draw your finger back slowly while providing the /s/ sound. If the student still cannot provide the word, simply tell him.  

Picture Cues
The last word on each page is a noun that may be unfamiliar to the reader. The illustrations provide support for these unfamiliar nouns. If a student balks when he comes to one of these words, remind him to check the picture for a clue.  

Or, upon turning to a page with a problematic noun, simply remind him briefly about the word on the page by saying, “There’s the [barn].” Then again, you might point to the picture and finger mask the word so that only the first letter shows. Ask him to say that sound. If that still does not elicit the word, tell the child what it is.


1-1 Correspondence/Self-checking
Because the number of words on each page varies, this text provides the opportunity to assess your students’ ability with one-to-one correspondence. To check this skill, ask the student if he had enough words on a given page. Then have him check by pointing to each word as he says them. Ask again, after he points and reads, if he had enough words. On another page, ask if he had too many words. After he points and reads, repeat the question. It is important to make these queries when the student reads correctly, as well as when he omits or adds words. By drawing his attention to this skill, you are giving him the ability to self-check.

It is common for polysyllabic words to be problematic to 1-1 correspondence. Words such as between and pumpkin may entice your student to double point. Or he may get lost in the pointing if he moved on to the next word, but realizes it does not match what he is saying. This is the perfect opportunity to explain that some words have 2 or more beats but still get just one finger point. Again, ask your pupil to check the accuracy of his pointing both when he is correct and incorrect.

Phrasing and Fluency
While emerging readers should not be expected to read fluently, it is never too early to encourage phrased reading. This text offers easy phrasing for young readers. Model the phrasing you desire. 
           
            The turkey is  /  [prepositional phrase].

Staccato reading is a problem that can be difficult to overcome later. Start early encouraging your kiddos to read in phrases.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!


Never give up.  Great things take time.


You may also like:

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Election Vocabulary Fun

It's about time, teachers, for some ELECTION VOCABULARY. Mark your ballot for Election Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, Hinkity Pinkities, & Hitinkity Pitinkities.  


Campaign for these riddles with rhyming answers and soon your students will rally behind your efforts.  

If you are unfamiliar with Hink Pinks, et al., you are in for a treat.




Hink Pinks, et al., provide critical thinking exercise and vocabulary development disguised as fun. Students love them and beg for more.



Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.
                                                                        --F.D.R.


You may also like:


Friday, October 7, 2016

Halloween Phonics Sort Literacy Center



If you are looking for a fun, easy, low prep, literacy center for your class, I've got just what you need.








Get your little ghosts busy, practicing the sounds of O.




You may also like:





Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Election Day Learning

It's about time, teachers, for Election Day!


Regardless of your political leanings, you will want to share some lessons about this fundamental rite of democracy.

Mock elections are fun, but not always easily understood by children. Most elementary students will find the political platforms of the candidates unfathomable. (Adults, too?!?) In a mock election, then, they will most likely vote for the candidate their parents support. That's fine, just not packed with learning.

There are ways to make it comprehensible, however. Even primary students can grasp the process when you apply the election to a subject they understand. Take ice cream, for example.

(Yes, please!  I'll take chocolate chip mint on a waffle cone.)

Hold an election to determine your children's favorite flavor. Begin by dividing your class into 2 equitable groups. Each group, i.e., caucus, will discuss their favorite flavors of ice cream. Through persuasive discourse, i.e., campaigning, each group will come to consensus about the best flavor, i.e., candidate. If consensus is difficult to achieve, you may even conduct primary elections.

Once the 2 flavors are selected, i.e., nominated, your students can begin trying to persuade their friends, i.e., constituents, to support their flavor, i.e., candidate. Posters, speeches, bumper stickers, etc. are all appropriate.  Rallies might best be saved for recess.


Students will need to register to vote. Election judges will check voters off their lists before giving them a ballot.


Once the polls close, the election judges will tally the votes and declare the winner. A post- election celebration may be in order -- featuring the winning flavor, of course! [If you are able to enlist the help of parents, have them count the ballots and announce the winner by distributing ice cream of the winning flavor.]

Don't you just love all the learning that this experience will bring your students? Maybe the elected flavor is not their very favorite, but they will learn about the art of compromise, majority opinions, and the election process.  

A mock election will have far greater impact when conducted around a subject that has meaning for children. 


Take TIME today to appreciate someone who does something you take for granted.



Sunday, October 2, 2016

Columbus Day Poem



I have a poem to share with you, as well as some possibilities for teaching with it.



This poem and its possibilities are from my Poetry Possibilities - Fall Edition.  There are 25 more poems and custom designed possibilities for each one in the unit.






You may also like:




Thursday, September 29, 2016

FLASH FREEBIE

It's about time, teachers, for a FLASH FREEBIE!  

Today, 9.29.16, only!


Feedback & followers are always appreciated.



Thursday, September 15, 2016

Alphabet Letter Associations



After several decades of teaching first grade, I became a Reading Recovery teacher. Best. Training. Ever!!!! And, oh so, humbling. It was through that training I came to realize some of the mistakes I had been making as a teacher of emerging readers. And, now, it's about time I share some of those revelations--

Chief among them is the realization that the traditional, alphabet letter associations are fraught with pitfalls, especially for reluctant readers. The first problem comes with the letter e. Common picture & letter associations are elephant and egg. Neither is representative of the letter sounds, despite the fact that they bear an initial e.  

As accomplished readers, we know that there is a short e sound of the beginning of elephant.  For emerging readers, however, it sounds for all the world as if the first sound is L.  
(Elephant was at the zoo.)

Similarly, egg sounds like it begins with a long a, at least here in the midwest. I am fortunate to have an easy solution for this "e dilemma;" my students learned to associate the letter e with Evans, my last name!  That will not likely work for you, however. 

So what's a teacher to do?  My kiddos have grown quite fond of these alternatives:



In RR, we let the child provide the association, which is most likely to be the long sound of vowels.  Of course, if s/he supplies elephant, envelope, egg, elbow, ear, or any of the other "confusing" words, it is just fine. As a classroom teacher, you may want to consider such potential confusions when you select your display posters.

Another consideration when choosing vowel associations, is to avoid r-controlled examples. In my experience, however, this is far less problematic for young learners than the above examples.

With regard to consonants, hard consonants are easier for building associations. Think cow vs. circus; game vs. giraffe. Similarly, consonant blends are less clear than simple, initial consonants. Think grapes vs. gorilla; ship vs. sun; chip vs. cap; three vs. tent. You get the idea.


Time is not measured by clocks, but by moments.



You may be interested in these alphabet posters: