Primary Chalkboard: reading
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts

Bring History to Life for Your Students… And Integrate Reading into Social Studies!!!

Hey everyone! It feels good to be back blogging again with the most supporting, amazing, and caring collaborative group: The Primary Chalkboard! It's November, and while you shouldn't give thanks only during this time of year, I do want to give a huge shout out to my Chalkies because I am SO thankful for each and everyone one of them. Love y'all!!!!!

Now, onto business :) If you know me, I am a huge proponent of content integration. There just isn't enough time in the day to separate every subject in isolation, and students learn better when they can see the relationship between the various concepts they are learning. I also love using authentic documents to teach social studies. Which is going to engage a child more? Reading an informational text about the Declaration of Independence, or reading from the actual Declaration of Independence? (Ok, so I know they may have a hard time with the cursive handwriting but that was just an "off the top of my head" example). Which brings me to the meat of my post: 2 amazing resources you can use to find some authentic documents that will keep your students engaged and help you integrate reading and social studies. DocTeach and Digital Archives. Head on over to my blog to read up on how I use these 2 resources, and how they can help you, too!

I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving, and a SMOOTH last week/days with your students before the break! Good luck, y'all! 

Heather


19 Books for Halloween Fun!

Hi, friends! 
It's Laura from Peace, Love, and First Grade!
Hope your weekend is going well!

If you read my blog, you know I'm obsessed with children's literature!
I. LOVE. IT!!

I spend a great deal of time checking out titles to use in the classroom! 
 Old and New!

This week on my blog, I shared 19 titles perfect for Halloween!
http://www.peaceloveandfirstgrade.com/2014/10/19-halloween-books-for-kids.html
 Click the pic to read about my favorite Halloween stories!
Hope your Halloween is spooky!!


Why Not Give Close Reads a Try This Year?

Hey guys! I am so excited to be posting today for Primary Chalkboard! I just started school a couple of weeks ago, and am teaching a new grade level, so I am super busy right now with so many different things. Sigh, summer, where did you go?!


One thing, though, I am not too busy for is to make sure I am implementing Close Reads in my classroom. I am actually teaching 6th grade ELA this year, but I am STILL Close Reading with my students. A while back I posted this tidbit about what to do when you finally decide to try Close Reads with your students, so I hope you will head on over to check it out on my blog, 2 Brainy Apples. I share some tips for getting started such as how often and when, what your students can read, how long does it take, questioning, and more! I would love to hear your experience with Close Reads, so please feel free to leave a comment!

Heather 
2 Brainy Apples


Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Intervention Activities

Hi Friends,

Nicole, from Mrs. Rios Teaches, here!  I am teaching a 1st and 2nd grade combo class this year, and had 5 of my first graders come in considerably behind in reading readiness.  I immediately set aside a 20 minute block of time to work with these students, and I am so happy to say that all of them have made wonderful progress!

Here is how I structured this powerful learning time.



Learning objectives keep the kids and me accountable for our time together.



I schedule this 20 minute block of time for first thing in the morning.  We say the Pledge of Allegiance, and then it's work time!  The rest of the class does Read to Self at this time.  We meet everyday, except Wednesdays, because we have our PE teacher that day.


I keep notes on all of our meetings for RTI purposes, and to keep track of student needs and progress.  I also keep track of students who miss our group due to absences or tardies.

I just got a new 2nd grade student on Monday, who has had to join our group.  So,  I have had to color code my notes because I am essentially running two groups within one now.  EEK!

Download the form above, and a Comprehension Strategies monitoring form, for FREE below!



Here is our daily routine!


What is that? I bet you are asking yourself.



We use these little treasures to practice segmenting and blending words containing our focus pattern.  I made these by cutting legal-size envelopes down to 6 1/4 inches long.  I put a little tape on the back to keep the envelope closed.  Then, I cut sentence strips to about 6 1/2 inches long so they stick out a bit, and oila!

This is a great opening activity for us because it is independent.  So, if kids come in late, it doesn't hold back the rest of the group.  Also, students can be working on different words.  Right now, I have my 5 first grade students working on -dge, and my new student working on short a words.  But, everyone is doing the same activity, which makes it easy for me!

Now before you run out and start cutting envelopes and sentence strips,  I am going to be honest and tell you that prepping these is a bit of a pain in the neck.  I have been using mine for several years now, and have most of my sets made.  Come to find out that my bloggy friend, and new Primary Chalkboard contributor, Karen Jones from Mrs. Jones' Kindergarten, has an adorable set of these available in her TPT store!  One of the things I love about her set, is the little picture at the end of each card so that kids can self check.  Brilliant!  Next time one of my sets looks like it's been through the ringer, I'm buying these! Click on the image below to find out more.




Next, my students use whisper phones to read decodable books containing our phonics focus.  These books are from Reading A-Z.  LOVE!



Next, my students practice spelling words with our pattern focus, and writing simple sentences.  We use these fantastic Interactive Phonics Booklets from Laura Martin's TPT store. Click on image below to find out more.


I love these booklets because they are so versatile.  I can have kids cut and paste with the provided letter sheets. I can have students just write in their letters, or I can use letter tiles!  I like to mix it up!



As for the sentences we write, I keep them focused on our mastered and current spelling patterns, and try to incorporate some High Frequency Writing words from this list.  Click on the pic above to download!



I also have some alternative activities.  For example, my new student will be working with my Phonemic Awareness Task Cards on Thursday.  We will start by just having the him place his finger in each box as he segments each phoneme.  When he is successful with that, we will place letter tiles in the boxes to solidify the letter-sound connection.

You can find these cards in my store.  Click on the pic below to learn more.




This is our 4th and final activity! The lists I use are the ones from our district.  I listen to all of the students read their lists everyday.  Each time a student reads a word correctly, they are able to star their paper!  My 1st grade kids started with the Kindergarten list at the beginning of the year.  This little one above has mastered almost all of the first grade list now! 





Well, that is how I do it!  Still looking for more ideas?  Check out this great assessment for early readers, by Read Like a Rock Star.

And here is a great Freebie for CVC words, from Victoria Moore!


I would love to hear how you structure your intervention or small group time. Please share by leaving a comment below.

See you next time.

Nicole

Is Your Library A.R. Ready for Read Across America Day?

Reorganizing my library at the beginning of the year was one of the best choices I made. At my old school, when I taught second grade, A.R. was offered, but wasn't a big push at my school. My new school has a big push for getting A.R. goals! Since I wasn't used to A.R., my classroom library was organized by Genre. This year, I reorganized it by AR reading level and it is making things work much smoother during my Readers Workshop and it is making my kiddos much more aware of their Good Fit books!
If your school doesn't do AR, this post will still benefit you!

Read Across America Day is a day to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday and childrens' amazing successes in reading. 'Accelerated Reading' is a program that is part of Renaissance Learning.
AR is throwing a little reading party called Read the Most From Coast to Coast!
We are going to read lots of AR books and take lots of AR quizzes in our pajamas on Friday!
Start with AR levels.
I used my own color coding system because I like things in ROY G. BIV order. :-)
Circle stickers will be your best friend!
0.5-1.0 Red
1.1-1.5 Orange
1.6-2.0 Yellow
2.1-2.5 Green
2.6-3.0 Blue
3.1-3.5 Pink
Anything past this, I double sticker and let my first graders know they are going to be very advance. If you are an intermediate teacher, you would maybe resort your levels!




Use ARbookfind.com. It is a one stop shop for book information.
Enter the title or the ISBN number. You will get the reading lexile level, the AR book number, and how many AR points each book is worth.



 




Then sort them into their baskets!


And, as always, to keep them on track for comprehension, grab this freebie!


Thanks guys! 
(One of) Yours truly,
Jessica from Second Grade Nest
 
at my wonderful collaborative blog....

Reading Stamina Tip

Happy Sunday, friends!! Thanks for stopping by the Chalkboard today!!!

Lisa from Growing Firsties here, with a post about Reading Workshop for you...

But, before I start, did you see Katie's Primary Chalkboard post the other day about saving your sanity on Valentine's Day? Love her tips!!

Also, be forewarned...her post is also MUCH prettier than mine! (She has a seeeeerious talent for graphics!)

But...hope you'll still like mine, too! :)

My topic today is Reading Workshop - more specifically Private Reading.

Well..that's what we call it for our first graders...we liked that the title is pretty blatant that it's reading done PRI.vate.ly. And...since it's immediately followed up by Partner Reading, when the kiddos come across something they'd like to share from their reading, they are motivated to plan for what they'd like to discuss and read during Partner Reading. (They use sticky notes for this planning.)

It helps that they place their chairs back to back, too. :)


I digress...

This particular tip is helpful for those friends that have a hard time staying engaged during Private Reading.

Not that I E.V.E.R. have students with troubles like that.

I'm sharing this for a friend.



On the left (green) side, kiddos put all their book box books. As they read each one, it goes onto the right (red) side.

Once they finish, if there's still time, they move the pile from the red side to the green side and start again.

Please forgive the I-forgot-to-take-a-pic-of-it-at-school-with-classroom-library-books sample above...I quickly made one with the THREE books available to me downstairs in the kitchen while my own kids were sleeping.

But you get the idea, right?

It works nicely, too, for students who really love that sense of accomplishment that one gets from moving stuff from to-do to done! Sooo, I invite EVERYone to try it and privately really ENcourage a few friends in particular.

Right now, my firsties are reading for 35 mn during Private Reading while I confer and meet with small groups. Partner Reading remains at around 8 minutes.

If you'd like to check out a few more posts about Reading Workshop...head on over and check these posts out...

Book Box Organization

General Update on RW (includes a few freebies)

Smiles to you! Lisa

Fun Ideas from PC


Oh, boy!  So, today has been one of those crazy, busy days!  First, I taught… I'm guessing you knew that, but at the same time a lot of my buddies are getting lots of snow days, so I figured I'd share.  Then, I had a meeting after school, Bible study, and a trip to Target.  You know you have loaded up on randomness when the cashier says, "You must be a school teacher!"  Yep!  Friends, I got poster board, bubble wrap, lots of Valentine goodies, cards, and then of course a few random snacks and make up.  That brings me to here - babbling and really needing to get started on my blog post?

So, what am I blogging about?  Well, some of my PC friends and I were just part of an awesome hop.  Since PC wasn't in it, I thought, "Hey!  I should shout out the girls!"  So, here is the DL on each of their posts.  You won't find freebies, but you will definitely find some incredible tips and tricks.  Honestly, these girls rocked it so well, you won't even care that there aren't freebies.

Since I'm visual, I am going to load you up with pictures.  All you have to do is click on pictures that peek your curiosity and it will take you right to that blog.  Hope you guys enjoy!









Faith :)