WILF: What I’m Looking For

What I’m Looking For…

Look at your ________ standard or expectation or benchmark to decide what to teach

(Everyone) Must
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(Some student) Should
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(Some students) Could
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What I am Looking For
Michigan Grade Level Expectations are written like this:
R.NT.02.03 identify and describe characters’ actions and motivations, setting (time and place),
problem/solution, and sequence of events. [Core]

The teacher who is writing a lesson or thinking about an objective in a differentiated way might write it like this (possibly)…

Everyone must…
…identify the setting including time and place.
…identify problem.
…identify solution.
…sequence events with teacher assistance (teacher provides the events and student sequences the events independently OR teacher assists student in ordering the events)

Some students should…
…sequence events independently.
…identify and describe character actions.

Some students could…
…identify and describe character motivations.

Word Work: Teaching Letter Patterns with Picture Support

The children generate words in the -et word family with the teacher’s support.

Picture Support
The teacher has prepared the picture support to build vocabulary support. The teacher is using the words with pictures to help build meaning vocabulary with her students. Real items work too whenever possible.
“I took my dog to the vet.”
“We will catch a fish with a net?”
“Is it time to go yet?”
“I wonder who will get the present.”
“I went on a trip in a jet way up in the air.”
“I met you so I shake your hand.”
“The table is fancy because I set it with a tea set.”
“The dog is shaking and shivering the wet fur.”
“I have a pet horse.”

Why teach letter patterns?
Teaching letter patterns, particularly high-frequency short-vowel pattterns, is a useful strategy for beginning readers reader who know their letter sounds and can sound and blend but have not yet attained automaticity. Teaching children to blend onsets to vowel patterns demand that they hold fewer items in short-term memory as they decode unknown words.

The focus of this strategy is development of automatic recognition of high-frequency vowel patterns so that children can recognize them when combined with any onset at the word level. This strategy teaches children to sound and blend, but not at the individual sound level.

The 37 most common high-frequency vowel patterns based on Wylie and Durrell (1970): -ack -at -ail -ate -aw -ain -ake -ay -ale -ame
-an -ank -ap -ash -eat -ell -est -ice -ide -ick -ight -ill -in -ine -ing
-ink -ip -it -ock -oke -op -ore -ot -uck -ug -ump -unk

To build spelling and word family understanding the instruction sounds like this:

Today we will learn the /et/ pattern.
The /et/ pattern is the sound at the end of vet.
It is spelled e-t.
The /et/ pattern is the is the sound at the end of net.
It is spelled e-t.
The /et/ pattern is the sound at the end of yet.
It is spelled e-t.

I want you to listen to the words and make the words with your letters in front of you.
If the students are sitting in a circle on the rug around you, the teacher notices whether children are actually able to read and spell the specific words chosen to represent the day’s patterns.

Eventually and quickly, the teacher moves the children from one word family to three families for compare and contrast learning.

If this lesson included three word families then the explicit word family directions would sound like this:
Yesterday we learned the /et/ pattern.
It is spelled e-t. The /et/ pattern is the sound at the end of pet.
It is spelled e-t.
(Repeat yesterday’s instruction quickly with new words or same words using teacher’s best instructional decision of the children need.)

Now introduce another word family pattern.
The /it/ pattern is the sound at the end of the sit.
It is spelled i-t.
Repeat for two more words.
The other word family pattern today is the /at/ pattern.
The /at/ pattern is the sound at the end of cat.
It is spelled a-t.
Repeat for two more words.

I want you to listen to words and tell me whether they sound like ____, _____, or _____. The teacher says approximately six words and shows approximately six words.

If you know how to spell _____ (sit), then you can spell _____(lit).

What sounds right?
Do you see that this is more explicit directions:
-Notice that the words with the /at/ sound have the a-t pattern.
-Notice that the words with the /it/ sound have the i-t pattern.
-Notice that the words with the /et/ sound have the e-t pattern.

Students have the /at/; /et/; /it/ words to read, sort, and even spell their own sets of words. Are the students actually able to read and spell specific words chosen to represent the word families today? Are the students transferring this knowledge to their writing in context? Are the students writing the words in isolation?

Word Work: Developing Root Word Understanding

Pat writes about root words in numerous books. She writes the activity up on pages 166-169 in Phonics They Use, version 5.

Procedure by Pat:
1. Write the word play on the board. 2. Tell students that a little word like play can become a big word when parts are added to the beginning and to the ending of the word. 3. Write words that have play in them. 4. Have the words pronounced and talk about how the meaning of the word changes. 5. Have students suggest other words with play: play, playing, misplay, playfully, ballplayer, playhouse, playful, playoff, playing, playable, outplay, playpen, player, overplay, playwright, players, playfulness, playground, screenplay

Getting To Know Who?: Names

Many teachers use lots of name activities in their classrooms effectively. This is one activity called, “Getting To Know Who?” Many children learn their name in print quickly. Some children even come to school already knowing their name. It makes sense to build on the knowledge that children come to school with. The next step for many children is linking letter knowledge and sound knowledge to their own name. The next step is linking letter letter knowledge and sound knowledge to their classmates’ names. What are the sounds of your name? What are the letters in your name? How are your sounds alike? How are your sounds different? How are your letters alike and different from your friend’s name?

To prepare, write every student’s name on a sentence strip. Cut the strips so that the long names are long and the short names are short. Write the first initial of the last name on the sentence strip also if there are two children with the same name. The children’s names should be displayed on a pocket chart for every student to be seen.

The teacher should do lots of compare and contrast discussions with the children. Look Greg and Grant’s name both start with G. Look Deb and David both start with D. David has five letters and Deb only has three letters. We have two Ashleigh’s so we will put the first letter of her last name – S – so we will know which Ashleigh this is.

Show ONE letter. Every child thinks of their own name. Does your name start with this letter? If your name starts with this letter, stand up. Most teachers have to assist some kids in the beginning of the year. Make sure that all the students who have a name that starts with the letter showing are standing up.
All eyes are facing you. Now show second letter. Any child who meets the criteria still is standing. Any child who does not meet the criteria, sits down.
The teacher ONLY SHOW ONE LETTER AT A TIME. This allows the children to keep standing or sitting. The students are guessing who is this? Does your name look this name? Does your name sound like this?

Show all the letters.
Read the name. Who is this?

Tuesday 2: Slice of Life Story Challenge

Traditions!

This week I am struck by Tradition! It is not just who we are closely related to, it is who we are as a Dutch heritage. My son recently decided to attend my tradition, Hope College. This is the college where his dad and I, and all my siblings attended. His grandparents are also graduates. So did his Aunts and Uncles. Eventually the cousins will follow the orange and blue long standing family tradition. When you raise them up from bottles and diapers breathing orange and blue, they choose Hope College which is located in Holland, Michigan. It is also where the Tulip Festival is held each May. So the cousins are ready to wear their costumes and their wooden shoes. Even Grandpa has an awesome outfit since one year he lead the festival one year (pictured here). The non-Dutch will never understand, and that is okay with me. His senior year, he is enrolled in both High-School and College for most of his credits. I am bursting with pride. Gushing! Bursting! My oldest baby decided to follow tradition by attending Hope College and I can hardly stand it, I am so excited. I can hear my children telling me, “chill mom!” The picture of my husband and myself are when we were Hope College Sweethearts!

For more slices of life go to two writing teachers and click on ‘Mr. Linky’

slice of life story challenge

Building Blocks, Job Chart

To build an understanding of a few sight words, this teacher has a job chart. The child reads the one sentence strip of their one job for the day. Each child rotates daily. The student who is line leader (red sentence strip) reads this job, “My job is the line leader.” The child touches the word “My” and reads my. The child touches “job’ and reads job. Etc. The concepts of print are learned through the job chart. In the beginning of the year, there are little dots under each word assisting some children where to put their finger. This is a word. This fingerpoint reading helps to build the idea of tracking. Eventually as students build a firm understanding of word, they smoothly track across the words as they read the sentence. The teacher’s demonstration will help the students to become more precise. The teacher removes the dots when they are not necessary. The students realize that the sounds that are coming out of their mouth are matching the words they are pointing to. By changing jobs daily, the children have a turn every 2-3 days. This way the students have repeated reading every few days. It is not okay to have 5 turns for a week, then no turn for 2-3 weeks. Do you notice the predictable words of the chart? The children learn the sight words: my, job, is, the very quickly. There is clip art to support the words that are not predictable. The names are on velcro so they can be changed daily. Most teachers let the children pick the job they want for the day. It takes 10 minutes a day.

Helping Hands (ideas)

My job is the line leader.

My job is the paper passer.

My job is the snack passer.

My job is the flag helper.

My job is the trash helper.

My job is to water the plants.

My job is the light operator.

My job is the calendar helper.

My job is the office runner.
My job is the door closer.

My job is the door opener.

My job is the caboose.

My job is the librarian.
My job is the coat monitor.

My job is the attendance helper.

Writing: Think of a Person that Matters to You

When you are stuck for an idea of what to write about, “Think of a person who matters to you, then list clear, small moments you remember with him or her. Choose one to sketch and then write the accompanying story.

This is an idea that I originally gleaned from Lucy Calkins kit 3-5. She suggests thinking of moments with the person who is important to you that you had with that person. I adjusted it to meet the needs of the students in the classroom I was in.

These are the big moments I especially remember about my dad:
–When dad took me on errands on Saturdays
–My dad makes breakfast on Christmas morning
–When dad took me to Hope College Sport events
–When dad said he was proud of me when I wrote my book
–When dad sat by me holding my son when he was 3 hours old
–When dad walked me down the aisle
–When dad went to Disney with me and my kids

Next, it is the students turn. I give the students a minute or two to turn and talk about moments they had with their special person.

Do you know which one you want to write about today?

Show me a thumbs up when you know the one moment you have chosen to write about today.

So, I am thinking about being at Disney World. Disney World with my dad is TOO BIG. Riding the Ride, …It’s a Small World” is a smaller topic… I will demonstrate how to write about what I did with my dad, telling it with little details, the most important part was…

….that I was snuggled up against my dad and he sang the whole song and it seemed like we were alone in the boat.

When you write, what is the most important part to you? Are you telling lots of details, are you telling lots of parts, but not the important parts? Why does your reader care about your writing?

–Ralph Fletcher provides more support for writing about a favorite person or a special person. Who else is special? A Brother, a sister, or special relative. Fletcher encourages us to remember to think small, to focus on one aspect of that person, or one experience you had with him or her.

Writing: Think of an Object that matters to you

Read the book, Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems to develop the concept of a favorite object.

My son, Andrew, is laying on his “Knuffle Bunny” or his favorite blanket to the left of the elephant I cross stitched on a blanket while pregnant with my first born. My second born, my daughter, Ashleigh, is under the pink blanket she treasures as her “Knuffle Bunny.” Both of my children did not have special stuffed animals, instead their blankets were their “Knuffle Bunnies”.

When I read this book to the students, it strikes a cord with their memories. I encourage them to bring their “Knuffle Bunnies” to school, AND THEY DO! I share my own “Knuffle Bunny” with the students (my pillow). I model a small moment story about an object through demonstration. Then the students write.

Lucy Calkins suggests if you get stuck for a topic you can:

-Think of an object that matters to you, then list clear, small moments you remember with it. Choose one to sketch and then write the accompanying story.

My experience has been the first time I try this type of writing with students is to have the students all write about a favorite object. This is not exactly what I know is what Lucy has writer’s do in her trainings, it is what I have experienced works for a first lesson. I try to move to choice quickly. I model and practice how to write about an object, then now that the kids know how to write about an object, this is in their “bag of tricks.”

- I think about what I like to do with my special object. I think about where is my special object. I think about who gave me my object. What do I do first with my object? What do I do next? Do I say anything about my object? Why is my object important to me? Have I had my object for a long time?

More object ideas:

blueberries, strawberries (fruit)

sleeping bags (camping)

toys (dolls, game with grandparent, truck with cousin)

More book ideas:

I Love You Blue Kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark

Lilly’s Purple Purse by Kevin Henkes

Bad Dog Marley by John Grogan

Winfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox

Miraculous Journey Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Memory String by Eve Bunting

Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats

Writing: Think of a Place That Matters (Playground)

Writing about a place that matters: The Playground

-Today I want to teach you that writers sometimes think of a place that matters; then we list small moments that occurred in that place, moments we remember with crystal-clear clarity.

-It helps to provide the students with an anchor lesson, so the first time that students think about a place that matters, I have the students think about recess. Then we go outside and play.

After playing, we discuss why is the playground a place that matters.

The students turn and talk. Some students talk about playing soccer. Some talk to their neighbor about playing on the slide. Other students are discussing the giggles they are sharing with a friend on the monkey bars. Another student talked to her writing partner about sitting and swinging all alone.

They told about what they remembered playing and doing on the playground.

They told their talking partners their thinking on the playground.

They told the actual words they said to someone.

-do (action)

-say (dialogue)

-think

As you write think about what really happened on the playground and write that down.

Writing: Think about a Place that matters to you

•Lucy Calkins in her 3-5 kit writes, “Today I want to teach you that writers sometimes think of a place that matters; then we list small moments that occurred in that place, moments we remember with crystal-clear clarity.”

Two Writing Teachers encourages us to think about the special place using this criteria:

-A special place in your heart for this location

-How you feel about the special place (years later)

-How special place shaped or changed you as a person

-Fits into the pattern of your life (who you are, how things normally happen)

I demonstrated being on the ride, “It’s a Small World” at Disney World with my dad and son. I demonstrated for students by writing on chart paper how to quickly jot some ideas about my special place.

Draft 2:

After a fun-filled hot summer day of long lines, we arrived at the It’s a Small World ride. My dad and I squeezed into the front seat. My dad squished his long legs into the front seat. I didn’t mind since it reminded me of all the hugs from daddy I had gotten over the years.

As we rode along in the boat, we looked for the hidden Mickeys. Andrew pointed each hidden Mickey out to us patiently explaining that they had to be purposefully placed there by an employee, not an accidental decoration. I often pointed out false ones. He does not even need the Hidden Mickey book.

My dad sang the song over and over never missing a verse or a repetition of the song. Even when the ride paused to let off passengers, we kept on singing just like when I was a little girl. It reminded me of sitting in church next to my daddy every Sunday growing up.

My too-cool-to-sing high school son just shook his head. He was trying so hard to pretend he was not sharing his bench seat with his mom and grandpa. But he actually likes to hang out with us, after all it is Disney.

After the ride ended, Andrew rolled his eyes and actually suggested that we all get in line again. He understands that everyone acts weird at Disney including riding It’s a Small World more than once. This reminds me of the reason we go to Disney year after year as a family. We want all the ages to believe in “Disney Magic” where dreams really do come true. A trip to Magic Kingdom would not be complete at any age without a ride on It’s A Small World with my dad. It is even more magically now that my son rides along.

The students turn and talk to each other about a place that matters to them. The students write about a place that matters that is not the playground, not Disney World, not It’s a Small World. They write about lots of different places:

-the backyard

-the bedroom

-grandma’s porch

-school bus

-grandma’s apartment

-big comfy chair in my livingroom

Books That Support A Place That Matters To You:

-Shortcut by Donald Crews

-Bigmama by Donald Crews

-The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (neighborhood)

-Because of Winn Dixie (home and church, one day)

-Make Way for Ducklings (road)

Ralph Fletcher writes on his website that we should not give story starters (I absolutely agree!). Instead we support our students sometimes by thinking about topics (not all the time). He supports the idea of a special place or a place that matters by generating these places with students: special room, attic nook, inside of a tree, scary closet. He encourages the writer to start by quickly sketching a map of a house full of memories. He further supports the writer by marking those rooms where something important happened to you. Where are your places that matter to you?