Emergent Readers

I have been reading The Next Step Forward in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson.  It has been such a fantastic book!  I highly recommend this one!  There are so many books out there for guided reading, but what I love about this one is that she gives you step by step exactly what to do during each part of guided reading.  She even includes a site to watch videos of her doing all of the parts of the lesson.  It is soooooo helpful reading it and then seeing it in action. 





Most of our time in Kindergarten is spent with the emergent level readers.  Of course, there are some that are considered Pre-A and others that are Early readers and beyond. 
Jan says that emergent readers at level A can...

-write their first name on their own
-identify at least 40 uppercase and lowercase letters by name
-demonstrate left to right directionality
-follow simple directions
-know at least 8 sounds

Once they get to C level, they can

-knows all the letters and sounds
-match one to one and point to each word as they read
-control left to right directionality with several lines of print
-use meaning, structure, and initial letters to figure out unknown words
-form letters correctly
-hear and record CVC sounds in sequence
-monitor for meaning
-reread a sentence or confim predictions
-read and write about 30 sight words
-discuss a story with teacher prompting
-write a simple message about the book with teacher scaffolding

So, as you can see, there's a great deal learned between level A and level C readers. 

One of the parts of  a lesson is on teaching a new sight word.  She shares several activities to teach the new words.  One is called "What's Missing?"-  I like this one because after having introduced the word, you erase a letter near the end of the word, and ask the students what is missing.  They try to figure out what letter is missing from that word.  You can repeat this several times using a dry erase board. 

She also has a time for Word Study activities.  This can be working on initial consonants, final consanants, and short medial vowels.  Level C can work on all 3. 

An activity for this is using sound boxes which she provides and suggests putting it in a sheet protector so it can be reused.  I tried this working on a tray that I found at the Dollar Tree (who doesn't love anything that is $1??). 

For my students needing to work on initial consonants, I placed 2 letters in the medial and final spot, told them the word, and they had to select the letter that was needed to make a word.  I found it easier with my level A students to use fewer letters to choose from.  The trays are awesome to make CVC words! 


There is SOOOO much in this book!!  Definitely worth buying!!  I can't wait to try it all out and follow her lesson guides! 
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Adventures in Reading


You know, I was not a reader when I was younger.  I loved all things math.  Now~ I LOVE to read (and write)!  There’s nothing like diving into a good book and letting it take you on an adventure.  OR- reading to discover more of who you really are and were meant to be and how can I be a better version of myself.  

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I have not always felt like this.  I did not like reading growing up because of either never having a choice of what to read or feeling uncomfortable reading in front of the WHOLE class.  I would get sooooo nervous and not even be listening to the book being read by everyone else.  All I could think was ~ please, don’t call on ME!  

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Anyone else?  I saw my son go through the same.  He didn’t feel confident, and then the love for books dwindled more and more with each passing year.  

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One of my goals with my students is for them to develop a love of reading.  Get them excited by showing your passion in exploring through books.  Allow them to choose their books.  They may not be able to read all the words, but they are interested.  


I love reading different books from the same author.  They love this!  It’s so fun to see them selecting the books you’ve read aloud to check out from the library.  Their eyes open wide with a smile from ear to ear because they can’t wait to show you what book they chose.  

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It breaks my heart to see kids miss out on reading because they don’t feel competent or frustrated and quit and say they don’t like reading.  

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The best part of Kindergarten is seeing them so immersed in the story and can’t wait to turn the page to see what happens next.  They may not like reading...YET, but they sure can enjoy listening to others read to them.  

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I know we need to teach them all the how to steps and strategies of reading.  BUT~ we are also there to teach them how much fun and exciting reading can be and how amazing diving in a book can be.  Onward to more adventures!!  They can’t wait to see where you will take them next.  
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Timed Math- Building Fact Fluency


Math fact fluency is so important- agree?  It is so important first that they learn the concept of addition and subtraction.  I see so many that don't really have a full understanding of what they are actually doing.  In my class we have a word problem each day for their journal and LOTS of manipulatives to practice and solve and have a visual of this concept. 

In 1st and 2nd grades, we begin to move away from the manipulatives and start memorizing those facts.  It is so important that they know these facts as the foundation to build on in each grade level.  I know we have limited time and there are so many other concepts to cover over the year, so 1 minute math became my every day routine when I taught 1st and 2nd grades. 

The kids LOVED it!  Everyone started at level 1, and they moved up to the next level when they answered them all correctly and within the time frame.  In the beginning I set the timer to 1 minute, but as they progressed through the levels, I added a little time to that.  They had so much fun with this, and I could see what a difference it made for them. 

There are 16 levels - the 1st level begins with addition to 5.  The last level is addition with regrouping.  Each level progresses with a mix of addition and subtraction. 


I added this to my TPT, so grab it to learn facts and have fun.  The packet includes the 16 levels, instructions, and a chart to track each student's level.  I made several copies at a time of each level, so they were easy to grab each day.  They were able to move at their own pace and helped me in assessing where they need more help.  The link to this product is below...



https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Timed-Math-Facts-Build-Fact-Fluency-3868581
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Tutoring in Summer

This summer I decided to tutor a few students.  It was kind of unplanned at first, but I had one sweet one who needed a little extra over the summer, so I offered to tutor him.  I have to say that it has been SO fun getting to know him more and work with him one on one.  He was my little cutie that liked to keep me on my toes each day- ha!  Well, I have loved our time together.  A couple of other parents found out I was doing it and asked if I could tutor their children, too.  I do it from my home (which is awesome) and 30 minutes each session.  The students are PK-1st, so 30 minutes is plenty of time for them!

I needed a form to communicate with the parents on what we worked on and what can be practiced at home.  It is summer, so I don't want them doing too much outside of our time.  Summer is about having time to play and enjoy our families!  I know some like to continue working with them, so I do write an activity or something simple they can work on. 

There is also a log and a lesson plan form.  It is super simple, but it's easy to jot down a few plans to for each visit.  I posted it on TPT, and it is FREE!!  If you are tutoring or would like to use it during the school year, go and grab it!  Here is the link...
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tutoring-Forms-3865776 

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My Classroom

There's nothing like getting your room set up for a new school year.  This was my room last year, and I loved it!  I will be keeping it the same for the most part, but I will make a few changes.  I LOVE summer break to find new fun things to add and tweak in my room.  I would like to add more to my library-  who doesn't love a cozy library to read in?  Last year I had more kids in my classroom, so I didn't have quite as much space.  I like finding spaces for the kids to enjoy and be in.  One thing about Kindergarten- I don't like desks and having to stay at their table for long periods of time, but there are some that like to work at the tables.  

There is some work that we do together at the tables, but most of our day they are spread out on the floor, in corners, and sometimes under tables.  I have taught grades PK3-2nd.  Kindergarten and 1st can't be beat!  Here's my room...



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