
Tag Archives: Reading

I Needed a KICK IN THE PANTS!
I can tell it’s SPRING…
I’m getting
LAZY!
But I have FINALLY, updated one of my MOST Valued PRODUCTS!
BOOK CLUBS!
HURRAY!
Now…I work 3 jobs…
I get up at 5:00 AM and go to bed at 9:00 PM.
I think I deserve some DOWN time!
BUT…
Then…I..get…really….complacent…
procrastinate…LAZY!
So every once in a while,
I need someone to give me a little
PUSH SHOVE
KICK IN THE PANTS!
Time to git ‘er DONE!
This has been one of those weeks!
So…
I have a packet I made that I use in my classroom
A LOT!
If any of you already have this…
DO NOT FEAR!
Help is on its way!
Now,
MY KIDS LOVE THIS!
The packet is full of independent activities, comprehension questions, word work, etc
ALL related to the BOOK OF THEIR CHOICE!
I can use it with ANY book.
My independent readers can read a book
and as a GROUP
( can we say COLLABORATE )
they can DISCUSS & complete the pack TOGETHER!
Now I don’t use it daily…maybe once every two weeks or so.
It takes them awhile &
I really want them to “get into it”.
Lots of rewards, positive notes, specials when completed.
It’s a GOOD THING!
BUT…
It’s OLD. Really OLD.
It was in need of “A LIFT” ( in all the right places ).
Sounds like me! 🙂
I DID IT!
I GOT ‘ER DONE!
And here she is.
ALL gussied up and purdy!
She has grown from 14 pages to 44!
She is ALL GROWED UP NOW!
I added a booklet style because
PAPER & INK ARE AT A PREMIUM!
So now…less paper… less ink… more productive teacher & students!
My Little LOVE…
Book Club
is available
at my TPT store
1stgradefireworks
You will LOVE this!
How to Survive the 4th Quarter DASH!
AKA… What to use to keep some working, while reteaching to others! 🙂
SPRING BREAK is Finally HERE!
Assessments, report cards, cleaning, paperwork,etc…
Third quarter done! YIPPEE!!
Though I really DO love this time of the year.
Kiddos are making TREMENDOUS progress!
Sniff…sniff…PROUD TEACHER!
When we go back we have the
4th Quarter DASH!
Catch everyone up to grade level standards
before they go to second grade!
And to HELP…I need it!
Some of my kiddos will work on YOU QUACK ME UP!
While I am WORKING with small groups, reteaching concepts they DIDN’T quite get.
Right?
Say this with a SMILE..
“YOU QUACK ME UP!”
to be taken to my TPT store!
ELA: rhymes, Read the Room, Sight Word Games,Grammar
MATH: 3 digit addition, Place Value, Guess My Number
My kiddos LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
So much fun going on in Room 3!
And NOW for the FREEBIE!
Click HERE
This GMA wants some
GIGGLE TIME!
And so…
HERE WE GO! 🙂
Check out my TPT Store for MORE goodies!
Do You teach NONSENSE words?
I’ll admit it! ( Head hanging down).
I DID NOT TEACH NONSENSE WORDS!
UGH! BAD TEACHER!
WAIT! Let me tell you why!
I teach first grade. My students speak 6 different languages this year. They are JUST learning to read!
I thought NONSENSE Words were…NONSENSE!
I THOUGHT I was helping them by NOT CONFUSING THEM!
I admit it.
I WAS WRONG!
They need to experience PHONICS all around them!
They need to understand the phonemic sounds of ENGLISH!
It’s NOT CRAZY! It’s good. It’s HELPFUL!
As I am re-thinking my BALANCED LITERACY instruction,
I will NOW be adding phonics fluency using real and nonsense words to my lessons.
A short “BURST” of phonics, multiple times during my day, will help my students become
PHONICS MASTERS!
My newest change of “TEACHER MINDSET” is …NONSENSE WORDS!
OK… I’m IN!
Here is my newest product to HELP my kiddos with NONSENSE WORDS!
EARLY PREVIEW for YOU! 🙂
Finally…helping Readers is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO!
So, I will add READING REAL & NONSENSE WORDS to my literacy repertoire!
How about YOU?
Let me know how it goes!
Wendy
We get a “Literacy” DO-OVER : Guided Reading
And a FREE Balanced Literacy Resource to get you STARTED!
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Because 2021 was so BAD….we get DO-OVER!
We get a “LITERACY ” do-Over”!
Ready to UPDATE your literacy block?
Balanced Literacy: Here is your NEW YEAR’s PLAN!
*DISCLAIMER… I know the Science of Reading is the NEW “go-to” for teaching Reading.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I am learning. I have been teaching reading to FIRST GRADERS for 30+ Years. AND I AM ALWAYS LEARNING. SO… I hope YOU are open to new ideas & “reusing” OLD ideas to help our “littles” learn. If this helps YOU – Yeah! ( Jan. 2022).
This series will focus on the components of a complete BALANCED LITERACY program. We will focus on clear and concise definitions. Definitions that educators can discuss in collaborations. A “common language” where we can learn from each other and with each other.
The 8 components we will focus on are:
- Read Alouds
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Independent Reading
- Modeled / Interactive Writing
- Shared Writing
- Guided Writing / Writer’s Workshop
- Word Work
Each week we will focus on one area of Balanced Literacy and share experiences, teacher tips, and resources to support and expand our Balanced Literacy repertoire.
BALANCED LITERACY
This week: Guided Reading.
Week 1: We discussed Read Alouds.
Week 2: We discussed Shared Reading.
This week we jump into GUIDED READING.
Let’s talk to the EXPERTS about Guided Reading.
Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas Video by: Kemberly Meriwether
Guided reading is subject to many interpretations, but Burkins & Croft (2010) identify these common elements:
- Working with small groups
- Matching student reading ability to text levels
- Giving everyone in the group the same text
- Introducing the text
- Listening to individuals read
- Prompting students to integrate their reading processes
- Engaging students in conversations about the text
The goal is to help students develop strategies to apply independently. Work focuses on processes integral to reading proficiently, such as cross-checking print and meaning information, rather than on learning a particular book’s word meanings. (For example, a student might see an illustration and say “dog” when the text says puppy, but after noticing the beginning /p/ in puppy, correct the mistake.) During guided reading, teachers monitor student reading processes and check that texts are within students’ grasps, allowing students to assemble their newly acquired skills into a smooth, integrated reading system (Clay, p.17)
What does a guided reading lesson look like?
It varies based on reading level, but here’s a general structure for a 15-20 minute lesson.
- Students re-read familiar texts for several minutes. This is a great way to promote fluency!
- For just a minute or so, the students practice previously learned sight words.
- The teacher introduces the text.
- The students read the text out loud or silently while the teacher coaches. They do not take turns reading; instead, each child reads the text in its entirety.
- The teacher leads a discussion of the text.
- The teacher makes 1-2 teaching points.
- If time allows, students do a few minutes of word work or guided writing.
Scholastic has 4 Tips for Guided Reading Success:
- Establish Routines. Routines for The Lesson format ( this helps with TIME constraints ), routines for when Guided reading happens, AND routines for what the OTHER students are doing while the teacher is teaching at the table.
2. Make SMART text choices. The text should provide multiple opportunities for students to apply strategies and skills you have identified for the group.
3. Dive into INSTRUCTION. Before, during & after reading.
3. Assess and Be Flexible. Your groups should be fluid and should change as your students’ instructional needs change. That’s where informal and formal assessments come in handy.
Scholastic.com
Guided Reading STRESS?
Learning Lessons With Amy Labrasciano
These literacy posts may help in YOUR Balanced Literacy journey.
These Guided Reading resource books for TEACHERS may be helpful for YOUR reading.
So…Leave me a comment… What does GUIDED READING look like in YOUR classroom?
FREEBIE…Sight Word Game! Who doesn’t LOVE a GAME???
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Here you go!
We get a “Literacy” DO-OVER : Shared Reading
And a FREE Balanced Literacy resource to help you get STARTED
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Because 2021 was so BAD….we get DO-OVER!
We get a “LITERACY ” do-Over”!
Ready to UPDATE your literacy block?
Balanced Literacy: Here is your NEW YEAR’s PLAN!
*DISCLAIMER… I know the Science of Reading is the NEW “go-to” for teaching Reading.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I am learning. I have been teaching reading to FIRST GRADERS for 30+ Years. AND I AM ALWAYS LEARNING. SO… I hope YOU are open to new ideas & “reusing” OLD ideas to help our “littles” learn. If this helps YOU – Yeah! ( Jan. 2022).
The Why? The What? and The How?
Balanced literacy has been defined as “an approach designed to help individual students learn how to process a variety of increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)
Fountas & Pinnell have been the guiding resource for Balanced Literacy. Today we listen.
It is an approach to teaching. NOT a curriculum. It is HOW we teach our students to be independent readers and writers. It is NOT what books we use to teach them.
Balanced Literacy has been defined in “components” or “pieces” of literacy instruction.
This series will focus on the components of a complete BALANCED LITERACY program. We will focus on clear and concise definitions. Definitions that educators can discuss in collaboration.
A “common language” where we can learn from each other and with each other.
The 8 components we will focus on are:
- Read Alouds
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Independent Reading
- Modeled / Interactive Writing
- Shared Writing
- Guided Writing / Writer’s Workshop
- Word Work
Each week we will focus on one area of Balanced Literacy and share experiences, teacher tips, and resources to support and expand our Balanced Literacy repertoire. Start 2022 with the plans to implement BALANCED LITERACY!
This week: Shared Reading.
Last week we discussed Read Alouds. This week is about Shared Reading.
How is shared reading different from a read-aloud?
Shared reading, involves quite a bit of pausing to teach or engage kids in practicing a skill. When doing a read-aloud, go through the book a bit more quickly, stopping less frequently.
The other most important difference between shared reading and a read-aloud is that during shared reading, kids have their eyes on the print. During a read-aloud, you may show the pictures to students, but they are not usually able to see the words clearly. Since students can see the text during shared reading, you are able to teach things like decoding more easily.
Shared reading is a part of the balanced reading model (read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading).
It is a 15ish minute block of time within that model that should be practiced daily. Simply stated it’s the “We do.” part of the gradual release model. This element is crucial. It’s time for the teacher and students to practice together.
The READ ALOUD is done BY the teacher FOR the students.
Shared Reading is done WITH the students.
A Poem, a Big Book, A chart. Any text where the teacher and the students can see the text, and read it together.
Shared Reading vs Read Aloud
It is important to teach what “really matters” connected to a shared text. “We always want students to leave each reading experience enriched by the language and the text because of the shared approach, so we shouldn’t find hundreds of vocabulary words and instructional opportunities in a single text.
Some of the many benefits of shared reading
- building vocabulary
- developing understandings of story structure
- demonstrating reading strategies
- entire-class reads a common text
- all read the large text
- high engagement
There are many types of print for Shared Reading. Big books, charts, and poetry are some resources for teachers to read WITH students.
Here some great educators share their resources.
What is Shared Reading?
Shared Reading
The main goal of shared reading is to engage students with the text. It is to share a reading experience. Everyone can read together and then participate in a rich discussion, writing, or response to the text.
In summary, Shared Reading is a reading experience where both teacher and students read a large text, together. A chart, a poem on a smartboard, or any other BIG text, where the teacher reads WITH the students using self-question and think aloud reading strategies. The goal is to model fluent and expressive reading. The students INTERACT with the text while reading WITH the teacher and then through discussions, writing, and/or thinking for themselves.
These literacy posts may help in YOUR Balanced Literacy journey.
These resource books for TEACHERS may be helpful for YOUR reading.
Shared Reading with Big Books
Kids with Capes
I hope YOU are prepared to practice DAILY Shared Reading in YOUR classroom!
Stay tuned for next week… Week 2 Guided Reading.
Please share with friends.
Leave me a comment…How do YOU use Shared Reading in YOUR classroom?
FREEBIE ALERT!
Close Reading for LITTLE ONES!
FREE
FREEBIE ALERT! CLICK HERE!
We get a “Literacy” DO-OVER: Read Alouds
And a FREE Balanced Literacy resource to help you get STARTED!
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Because 2021 was so BAD….we get DO-OVER!
We get a “LITERACY ” do-Over”!
Ready to UPDATE your literacy block?
Balanced Literacy: Here is your NEW YEAR’s PLAN!
*DISCLAIMER… I know the Science of Reading is the NEW “go-to” for teaching Reading.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I am learning. I have been teaching reading to FIRST GRADERS for 30+ Years. AND I AM ALWAYS LEARNING. SO… I hope YOU are open to new ideas & “reusing” OLD ideas to help our “littles” learn. If this helps YOU – Yeah! ( Jan. 2022).
The Why? The What? and The How?
Balanced literacy has been defined as “an approach designed to help individual students learn how to process a variety of increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)
Fountas & Pinnell have been the guiding resource for Balanced Literacy. Today we listen.
It is an approach to teaching. NOT a curriculum. It is HOW we teach our students to be independent readers and writers. It is NOT what books we use to teach them.
Balanced Literacy has been defined in “components” or “pieces” of literacy instruction.
This series will focus on the components of a complete BALANCED LITERACY program. We will focus on clear and concise definitions. Definitions that educators can discuss in collaborations. A “common language” where we can learn from each other and with each other.
The 8 components we will focus on are:
- Read Alouds
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Independent Reading
- Modeled / Interactive Writing
- Shared Writing
- Guided Writing / Writer’s Workshop
- Word Work
We will focus on one area of Balanced Literacy and share experiences, teacher tips, and resources to support and expand our Balanced Literacy repertoire.
This week: READ ALOUDS.
As defined by education.com, the teacher reads aloud various types of text. She often models her thinking aloud as she reads. The students participate by listening to the text and the teacher’s thinking strategies and then trying some of them out by talking with partners. The teacher reads the text, therefore taking away the visual sources of information, so that students can focus on meaning and structure.
The READ ALOUD is done BY the teacher FOR the students.
Marie Clay (1991) writes that when teachers read aloud to students “meanings can be negotiated in discussion before, during, and after the story reading” (p.171). Reading aloud to students should include think-aloud or interactive elements and focus intentionally on the meaning “within the text,” “about the text,” and “beyond the text” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2006, p.33). Read aloud, as part of the gradual release of responsibility, feeds naturally into shared, guided, and independent reading as teachers demonstrate for students the ways the reading process works (Burkins & Croft, 2010).
Among the many benefits of a read aloud, Rog (2001) lists the following:
- building vocabulary
- developing understandings of story structures
- supporting developing connections between print elements
- encouraging high levels of understanding
- teaching the reading process in a meaningful context
- modeling fluency
- motivating students to read
There are many types of print for Read Alouds. Classroom library books, Big Books, chapter books, charts, and poetry are resources for teachers to read TO students.
Here some great educators share their resources.
15 Read Aloud Books for First Grade
Erica at what do we do all day
has a list of First Grade Read Alouds.
19 Perfect Read Alouds
Mia at the Pragmatic Mom also has a list.
Pinterest has many fun and exciting ideas!
The main goal of a read-aloud is to engage students with the text.
To create their own thinking based on their life connections, and discuss the text with peers. Each will bring their own comprehension based on their life experiences. As they learn to communicate their thoughts and understanding to others, their own comprehension will expand. The teacher has an opportunity to draw the students INTO the book. Use your posters, visuals, artifacts, and storytelling techniques to be the characters, create the world using your voice, and open the doors to new adventures.
How to PLAN Read Aloud Lessons
Paige from Our Elementary Lives shows a storytelling Read Aloud Lesson.
And there are MORE. Click the links below for more information on READ ALOUDS.
In summary, a READ ALOUD is a book, a chart, a poem on a smartboard, or any other text in your classroom supplies, where the teacher reads TO the students using self-questions and think aloud reading strategies. The goal is to model fluent and expressive reading. The students then INTERACT with the text through discussions, writing, and/or thinking for themselves.
These literacy posts may help in YOUR Balanced Literacy journey.
These resource books for TEACHERS may be helpful for YOUR reading.
The Ultimate Read-Aloud Resource
The Ultimate Read-Aloud Resource
The Read-Aloud Handbook
I hope YOU are prepared to practice DAILY Read Alouds in YOUR classroom!
Stay tuned for our next literacy experience…Shared Reading.
Please share with friends.
Leave me a comment…How do YOU use Read Alouds in YOUR classroom?
Read Aloud for 15 Minutes
For MORE Balanced Literacy Resources…
CHECK out my TpT Store 1stgradefireworks
HAPPY New Year!
Wendy
Close Reading 101
CLOSE READING
What exactly is CLOSE READING??
You mean I need to “scoot forward” and put my glasses ON?
You mean I should put my glasses ON?
NO, silly! It’s a reading strategy for gaining information from a reading source.
Here are some helpful resources:
Some blogger friends have great information, also.
We Are Teachers has a great blog post
“What Exactly Do We Mean By CLOSE READING Anyway?
My friend, Susan Jones, explains how to do
And, 1stgradefireworks can help with
Reading is the 1 Predictor of Academic Success
When doing research…
when I need more reading information,
just ask PINTEREST!
From HANNAH @ The Classroom Key
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/430164201886627298/
https://www.theclassroomkey.com/2014/12/taking-the-rocket-science-out-of-close-reading.html
From Jen @ Teacher Karma
http://www.teacherkarma.com/2015/01/close-reading-free-resources.html
and from
She has a GREAT blog post about
CLOSE READING!
Gotta know YOUR standards!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/275212227205716679/
What is Close Reading? by Susan Jones
It’s a chance for students to ask/answer questions by returning to the text for answers.
We want them to INTERACT with the text.
Reread, highlight, use sticky notes, etc.
and then use the text for answers.
Close Reading is not about the PHYSICAL PROXIMITY to the text!
It’s about diving INTO the text for answers to prominent questions ABOUT the text!
WOW! Finding out their own answers to questions AND being able to “PROVE IT?”
NOVEL IDEA!
Just imagine the writing that can be created from a CLOSE READING lesson?
What a prominent strategy to use in a BALANCED LITERACY CLASSROOM!
Balanced Literacy in First Grade! Let’s start with READ ALOUDS!
Here is a little FREEBIE
from ME to YOU!
Enjoy!
I SEE PUMPKINS! Meet the “little ones”…
I SEE PUMPKINS! Meet the “little ones”…
WE HAVE PUMPKINS!
To help my FIRSTIES get into the FALL SPIRIT…
Fall BUNDLE
FALL THEMATIC UNIT
Reading-
Reading Passage
Comprehension Printable
Reading Response Printables
Vocabulary Pocket Chart Cards
Poem ( And Cut a part printable )
Writing-
Spelling List Forms
Word Family Charts
HFW Lists
Journal Pages & Covers
Interactive Journal Pages
Flap Book Graphic Organizer
Assessments-
BPST printable
Fluency Assessment
HFW List
Grade 1 / 2
BRING ON ANYTHING HALLOWEEN “ish”…
Those CRAZY Word Walls!
WORD WALLS
I can honestly say, in my 27 years in first grade,
I have “redone” my word wall…
probably 26 times!
My dilemma is always the same…
How to put them on the wall so kids can
access them ( at ANY reading level!)?
At first, I thought “A..B..C” order.
Then, I thought “by curriculum unit..week 1..week 2, etc”.
Next, I thought ” phonics sounds ..short a..short e…etc”.
Last, I thought “they don’t even LOOK at IT!”
and so…
I WAS FRUSTRATED!
What to do? What to do?
ASK THE KIDS!!!
So what do THEY want?
What will THEY use?
What do THEY want it to look like?
And they TOLD ME!!
They helped me “SOLVE” our Word Wall “PROBLEM”!
Now our word wall has sight words we use for 6 weeks
( 1 unit of our curriculum).
These words will be in our stories
AND
on our TESTS!
We study them EVERY day ( at Morning Meeting )
AND
we play I SPY with the words wall DAILY!
The kids practice with each other, too!
Partner Practice…yippee!
We use our chromebooks, write on our desks with whiteboard markers, flash cards to take home, and we play LOTS of word games!
My WORD WALL focus’ on sight words.
I teach vocabulary words, but those go on our focus wall for weekly connections.
This year…I am adding personal word walls to their writer’s workshop folders.
They will add words THEY need to use in THEIR writing.
This was last year when we did WAY TOO many
words at one time!
Now…LESS IS MORE
Lots of games to practice our “words”.
I have some games and products
to help with WORD WALLS.
Check them out!
So to Conclude…
When putting up word walls, fewer WORDS at one time is BEST!
Teach to MASTERY! Review! Practice! Be consistent!
PINTEREST HAS A MULTITUDE of resources to help.
I found these:
222 SIGHT WORDS from 1stgradefireworks
Here are MORE ways to help your students learn to READ
- Balanced Literacy
- Reading Workshop
- Prepare Those Kindergartners
- Routines
- Primary Teachers are QUIRKY?
I hope this helps your students become BETTER readers and writers!
Leave me a comment. How are things going? Anything I can do to help? 🙂
Wendy 1stgradefireworks