Educational resources for elementary students. Helping teachers, parents, and students become active thinkers and future leaders. We encourage giggles, grins, hugs, & high fives!
( I know..I cringe at that word.)
Kids want to SPELL perfectly…every time!
My fear is…students who STOP writing a wonderful story,
because they can’t remember HOW to spell a word.
Just one word.
And then..they stop writing! UGH!
They ask themselves,
“What does it start with?”
Oh..I dunno…so where do they look?
What do they do?
Ask a friend…look on your word list…check the word wall…ASK THE TEACHER!
NO!!! I want INDEPENDENT readers & writers!
Those DREADED words…
“HOW DO YOU SPELL…????”
Ugh! What to do FIRST?
We have gone over letter sounds, word families, vocabulary, picture prompts, word walls, word lists, dictionaries, pictionaries, and so on..and so on.
And still they ask. “How do you SPELL???”
So what is a teacher to do?? Then what?
PINTEREST!
( The place where ALL questions CAN be answered!)
And so I search…
Spelling Practice
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5911043239308984/
Spelling Practice from Samantha Almaguer FREE!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/515802963551850222/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/42784265188753752/
SO MANY SPELLING CHOICES!
So many Spelling WORD LISTS!
( And don’t EVEN get me started on WORD WORK!)
Balanced Literacy Word Work
And so…what’s a teacher to do?
Head to YOUTUBE! Here is a great video from Angie @ Center Station
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZhkKImvI4g
Still, no answers! AND SO? What to do? What to do?
Create MY OWN!
My district has adopted a curriculum.
I have 18 boxes waiting for me to unpack!
My PD for this new curriculum is 5 days before I have students!
I probably won’t have time to REALLY dig into the program.
Surface teaching for a few weeks!
BUT…
My kiddos are ready… BEFORE I AM!
And so..
I create!
Bookmarks for Sight Word PRACTICE
Here are a few of my newest
SPELLING creations!
The spelling word lists in this program can be used anywhere, anytime, with ANY program!
Homeschools, interventions, homework, practice pages!
Here is KINDERGARTEN
Here is FIRST GRADE
And Grade 2
All of the lists are printed in black and white.
SAVES ON COLORED INK!
( I print mine on colored paper!)
I print one copy of SPELLING word list for the student’s desk.
A little tape on top..and voila!
Instant word wall for writing!
(NO MORE …HOW DO YOU SPELL…)
The other word list I send home for homework each MONDAY!
They have to read & practice each night.
Spelling tests on FRIDAY!
I give “rewards” for 80% correct or higher!
I don’t expect perfection…just effort in their work.
I add these word lists to SPELLING CITY on our computers.
(If you don’t have SPELLING CITY….GET IT!) 🙂
They practice EVERY DAY!
They also must use the week’s spelling words in their journals.
They read their journals to a partner.
WOW!
Spelling, reading, writing, word lists, & homework!
I think we’ve got this!
I have also added BLENDING LINES for READING FLUENCY PRACTICE!
Blending Lines for Reading FluencyBLENDING LINES….View Preview VIDEO Here
I hope you can use my new SPELLING Packets!
This may help, too!
For more thoughts and talk for November, please visit these great posts. Like what you see, and want to join us? Before posting your link, please email RETTA at retta.london@gmail.com.
Leave me a comment !!!
Good Luck!
Balanced Literacy Resource Binder. ALL of YOUR Guided Reading resources in ONE BINDER
The components of Balanced Literacy.
I use it
to assess kids reading levels,
to group them with like skills,
and to teach them AT THEIR LEVEL.
Guided Reading 101
Now a couple of things I have learned “on the way”…
Teaching reading strategies is vital to a Balanced Literacy reading program.
1. Guided Reading is NOT independent reading time!
They read to themselves (READ TO SELF) at a different time of the day.. we do it after lunch.
2. Guided Reading is NOT a time for a LONG teacher LESSON!
I only have them for 15-20 min.
Always give them a skill or strategy they can use NOW!
Your goal is to create INDEPENDENT READERS… do not enable them to wait for YOU to do the reading.
3. You DO NOT have to read a BOOK every day!
This is not the time for HOW MANY BOOKS have you read?
My lowest reading group needs PHONEMIC AWARENESS. If you don’t know your letter sounds…it’s really HARD to read.
My “bubble” kids ( those that have some skills, but need support and practice to move over the “BUBBLE” into INDEPENDENT READERS) need phonics support to be able to solve reading problems, independently!
So Guided reading should be called
GUIDED LITERACY
Meet them at their level.
Give them a “take away” that they can use TODAY.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
I also use FRIDAYS for assessments ONLY.
NO GROUPS!
Assessment drives the guided reading groups.
Teacher “HOW TO” pages for guided reading assessment.
