Fluency...it's never too soon to start working on it!

I really like to have fun helping students build their reading fluency. There are so many fun, engaging activities out there that keep the students wanting to learn. One way I start with fluency is making sure my kiddos have automaticity with basic sight words. I use my "Racing to Build Sight Word Fluency" that helps students learn the 100 most used words in reading and writing. The words are split into lists of 10 words. As the lists are learned with automaticity, the students chart their growth on a progress chart grid. Once they have 50 words learned, I like to start them on reading sentence with those words. For that, I use my "Racing to Build Sentence Fluency" pack. These are pages that have 10 sentences on each page. For most of the kids, this is a great next step. For others, I have found that it is too big of a step. I needed to use something a little easier. I started to use "Sentence Pryamids". This is one sentence per half sheet that naturally helps students build phrasing with each line. We practice using different types of voices each time we read them. FUN STUFF!! Below, I have placed links to my TpT store if you would like to check them out!

 

 

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How do you help your kiddos buuild fluency?

 

Mid-Summer Thought!

It has been awhile since I posted anything, I have been a little busy...I recently finished 15 semester hours since March! What was I thinking...right?

Just recently, I was deep in thought about how I wanted to get my room in order and it became overwhelming. A list started to form and it became very clear to me that if I was feeling a little overwhelmed after 17 years of teaching, how are new teachers feeling? How are teachers to a new grade level feeling? I created a "Back to School Teacher's Tool Kit" to help out. In this pack, I included a checklist of things I like to have ready before school starts. Included in this pack are many pages that I like to use and are there for you to copy, personalize and use yourself.

Hopefully you find it useful! Just click and it will take you to my TpT store. Thanks!!!
 

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RTI (Response to Intervention)

Response to Intervention...what does that look like in your district? The district I work in has a plan...but I was never really trained or taught what it is. Thankfully, I read this book and WOW!!! Why haven't I been doing this before???

 

In my last post, I talked about differentiated instruction and how my students LOVED learning! After reading RTI Success, I have learned that differentiated instruction and the RTI process are 2 peas in a pod and should not be separated!

 

I never completely understood RTI and I originally thought that it was a special education process that needed to be completed before a child could be referred for testing. Boy, was I WRONG!!! Response to Intervention starts in the general education classroom and it needs to be used for ALL students!

 

I knew mid year that several of my students were not making the progress that I thought they were capable of, so I asked one of the intervention teachers I work with if she had 30 minutes in her day to spare to help me in my room. Thankfully (with shifting her schedule) she did and together we made a huge difference.

 

Every couple weeks, I would have my students read a book to me as a "cold read" to find their current reading level using a running record. After completing them, I would look at the notes and group my students based on need. No matter what reading level they were working at, I still grouped them based on their needs. "Miss Amy" "pushed-in" and helped work with this group for 2-3 weeks at a time, only addressing the specific skill they needed extra practice in. After the 2-3 weeks, assessments were given to see if progress was attained. If so, new groups were formed, if not, she would continue to work with that group of students.

 

She SUPPORTED what I was doing in the classroom, which is a HUGE component to RTI success.

Thank you "Miss Amy" for helping me to "carry out" what RTI is supposed to "look like" in the general education classroom.

 

I highly recommend this book as another summer read!

 

Differentiation...

I recently read two great books that I highly recommend for a summer read! I'm always looking for a new strategy or idea that will spark creativity in my teaching. Even though I provide my students with different ways of learning and thinking, these 2 books reminded me and showed me how even though common core has dictated the classroom, learning and teaching can still be an enjoyable experience.
 

 

These books showed me how the power of choice can bring learning to a new dimension! I recently started a unit on weather. After a couple days, I introduced them to learning contracts. This is a new concept to me and I absolutely LOVE them! I created projects for my students to choose from to show me what they have learned over the course of our weather unit. It was SO neat to see what they each chose, it complimented their personality and learning style!

 

The energy level and excitement that explodes when I tell them it is time for our weather unit is mind blowing! They love to work in groups and the conversations they are having makes any teacher's heart smile. My kiddos have taken the ownership of learning to a level that amazes me. So...if you are ready to expand your comfort level, this is a great place to start!

The Best Part of Me!

We finished up our opinion writing last week. I was very impressed with my kids' reasoning skills to support their opinions. Our final project was called "The Best Part of Me". Each student had to decide their best asset and write their opinion and tell us why. At first they were very literal with their reasons, but with a little discussion among others, they got the hang of it!

 

To start the activity, I took pictures of their favorite part. Then, they met with a partner and practiced by verbally stating their favorite part, give at least one reason why, and then have some sort of closure. The students loved working in groups!

 

Once they were ready, we took a couple days to neatly write out the opinions. I chose to create a "flap page" so the picture was a mystery until they turned the page. This was definitely a hit!

 

Collections...and opinion writing

For the past several weeks, we have been working on opinion writing. The class has done a great job stating their opinion and giving reasons to support their opinion. This past week, each student brought in a small collection of items. We took turns learning about each collection. Then each child had to rate their best piece in their collection. They gave it a blue ribbon. It was neat to see what their collection consisted of, but it was also neat to listen to their reasons. At times, they were very convincing and wanted others to like their piece too!

 

 

Pocket Charts

One of the things I love most about teaching first grade is letting students explore, learn, and practice through centers or stations. Having enough space is always an issue to overcome. I LOVE pocket charts! They can be used so many ways. I have mine throughout my classroom, tucked away until I need them. This makes them VERY handy! I also like them because I can see how a student is completing the activity from anywhere in my room, especially during guided reading time. I don't have to stop my group to see how a child is doing. If I see a child is struggling or completed something incorrectly, I jot a note and touch base with the child later and help them.

 

When station time is over for the day, we roll them back up and tuck them away until we need them the next day! Very convenient!