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It's all in the description!

29 October 2012

Have you been using our new object based news cards and templates? We have!!

In my Pre-Primary have been using it as part of both our oral language program and daily morning writing program.

My students look forward to every Wednesday when I get out my 'magic bag' and we get to see what objects might be in there!

We place our news telling cards on the board and revise what each card means - at this stage I am only using what, catergory, parts and found. Soon we will be adding 'other information'.

I select a student to come up and choose an object out of my 'magic bag'. This student then gets our 'magic pointer' and leads the class through the cards and we discuss each one. We do this a couple of times to warm up and to also discuss appropriate sentence structure. I have someone come up and choose the final object which we will all be writing and talking about. We discuss the object briefly as a group and students move to their tables to fill in their news template.

After they have filled in their news templates we bring them back to the mat. Using whole brain teaching techniques we use partner teaching (they have assigned partners that they sit next to on our mat with coloured squares) I say 'teach' (clap clap)then they say 'ok' (clap clap). The 1st person tells their news plan in full sentences to their partenr and then they swap. I move around listening to them.

They then take their news plan back to their tables and write about it in their books. They go through each picture and write about each one, and then when they are finished they can draw a picture of the chosen object. I like to staple their plan to their when they are finished.

After they have finished I choose 5 students to tell their news to the class. These students change every week so I get a chance to hear all students.

I use this in conjunction with the event based news telling cards - which I do on a Monday (we talk about their weekend) and run the same way as the object based news. Check them out here!

I find news telling quite tedious, however making it really structured is easier for the student telling news, the other students and the teacher to sit through! Check out our nifty news telling program for news telling cards, different templates and assessment pieces.

''Remember keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan'

Top Teacher xx

Hear all about it!

27 October 2012

In Kindy we have been spending lots of time focusing on hearing the initial sound in words. This is an important pre-reading and writing skill. I try to include at least one initial sounds activity in each literacy rotation, as well as 2 quick mat sessions each day. The focus of this is quick recall and this is why short sharp mat sessions work better!

We have been playing (and loving!!) some of our new initial sounds games. Unfortunately I keep forgetting to take photos of the games in action so hopefully my explanation will be clear enough...

Sound Chicks

To play this game we place a mixture of chicks into the plastic chick (we found the plastic chick at the dollar store at Easter time - how cute is it!). Students in my low group only work on hearing and discriminating between 2 different sounds. Students in the middle and top group work on up to 6 differnet sounds at a time.

If you don't have any of these chicks you could also play memory with the chicks, or just a simple game of lucky dip where the students have to reach in, select a chick and identify the initial sound.

Download your copy of the game here

Sound Spinners

The sound spinners are a great literacy station.They have been grouped according to focus sounds (long/continuant sounds, stop/short sounds, sounds grouped according to the order they are taught). My Kindy class has been focusing on the long sounds (low group) and stop sounds (middle and top group).

Instead of using plastic spinners I found this nifty way of making a paperclip spinner, such a money saver!

Take a paperclip and punch a small hole in the center of the spinner.
Open a small paperclip so it is shaped like an “s.” (see below)
Place the open paperclip over the hole you made and place the split pin/brad over the clip.
Insert the split pin/brad into the hole and open it in the back of the game board.
Tape the split pin/brad on the back to keep it in place.
You now have a spinner!

Download your copy of the game here

Enjoy your weekend peeps!

Remember keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan!'

Top Teacher xx

Run with It!

23 October 2012

Sometimes it can be hard keeping on top of your running record data and using the information effectively! I try to be super organised with my 'Guided Reading File' and we have created a couple of documents to help you keep your running record assessments in order! We have found these documents help us to monitor our students progress and make our guided reading groups.

Use this sheet to make notes during Guided Reading.

Write the name of the group at the top and there are grids for two guided reading sessions - just add the date to each one.

This template makes it easy for the teacher to record the book level, title and strategy they are teaching.

Underneath is a grid to write notes/observations about each child during the session.

Download it here

Use this template to track individual students progress over the year. One side has a column to write in the date, the book and level, and also the students accuracy each time you complete a running record. I like to only write in when the student gets over 90% accuracy and is ready to move onto the next level.

The other side has a line graph to fill in their progress. Write the months along the bottom where the dashes are and place a dot on their current level at the end of each month. Join the dots up to make the line graph. It is good to see their progress on the graph; to see when they are making great progress or when are stuck at a level for a month or two and they need to be taken a closer look at.

Download it here

Use this template to track your whole class' running record progress.

I like to enlarge this sheet to A3 to allow more room to write.

Write your students name down the side and each time they complete a level, place the date in the corresponding box. I like to colour code mine so it is clear to see students progress each term and it also helps to place students into guided reading groups.

Download here

Find all of these documents under Reading - Guided Reading

I have all of the documents in the assessment section of my guided reading file and keep it with me when doing guided reading and running records.

We will have more information and documents from our guided reading files soon!

'Remember keep calm and pretned it's on the lesson plan!'

Top Teacher xx

Make the Match!

21 October 2012

Have you been using our sentence /picture match up cards?! They come in a simple and more difficult set!

Find them here!!!

'Remember keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan!'

Top Teacher xx

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