Personal Narratives
A personal narrative is an expressive literary piece written in first person that centers on a particular event in the author’s life and may contain vivid description as well as personal commentary and observations.
How does your web presence showcase your class’ talents and accomplishments?
In Six Words...Public Relations...Information...Web 2.0 Interactive.
TumbleBook Library is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach young children the joys of reading in a format they'll love. www.tumblebooks.com/library
Many public libraries have made the resource available on their website for library members. Schools may purchase a site license for a minimal fee.
Phonemic Awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the smallest units of sound in spoken words. It involves training students to recognize, isolate, and manipulate these units of sound and apply to letter knowledge. There is a developmental continuum for phonemic awareness.
The morning message is a great instructional activity for students of all ages. During this activity, the teacher writes a meaningful message in front of the students. This provides an opportunity to model print concepts, phonemic isolation, connecting sounds to letter knowledge, and much more! Set a time limit of 10 minutes to write for your students as they decode the message.
As we conclude (already!) another year of learning, all learners need to stop and reflect on this year’s accomplishments and goals for the future. Be sure to schedule time for success celebrations so that your students can receive praise and acknowledgement for their efforts. A good friend of mine always says “Anything worth learning is worth celebrating!”
Do your students love read aloud time? Can you see the wonder in their faces when you turn a good page or reveal an incredible illustration? Imagine extending such magic into the tasks you face in math... there is nothing like quality literature to unlock the secret behind a given concept, to extend the meaning of a term, or approach a topic from a new point of view. Authors have joined this effort and penned incredible covers spanning topics as simple as shapes and patterns to the more complex concept of circumference or probability.
If I had to pick one multi-level strategy that builds my students’ decoding and spelling fluency activity to do weekly, I’d pick “Making Words” the Pat Cunningham strategy. I first started using this strategy with my 1st and 2nd graders in 1994. I have adapted Cunningham’s versions just a tad to include explicit practice in phonemic awareness. This strategy is a great cumulative review of the systematic sequence of learning letter sounds and patterns. It really helps struggling students, especially those who may be at risk for dyslexia, to see the impact of the vowel placement within a syllable or a word. The tactile nature and higher order thinking that is required helps the decoding and spelling knowledge to stick.
On the inside of a file folder, divide the area into 6 sections. Using a composition written as a “pre-test” group the students based on a specific area for improvement. Place sticky notes with the names of the students who need a specific skill or strategy on the folder under the appropriate category.
During a 2-3 week period, meet with the small groups to provide direct instruction on the targeted skill. Document progress for each student by using a composition written as a pre-test and a composition written after 2-3 weeks of strategic, small group instruction.
Be sure to conference with each student and discuss his/her strengths and area for growth. The student should set a goal and make an action plan for achieving the goal.
