Donors Choose gave this classroom 20 copies of Saturdays and Teacakes by Lester Laminack. I wrote a grant for this classroom. 2 generous people filled the grant! This book combined with the Cracking Open the Author’s Craft Teaching the Art of Writing published by Scholastic is a wonderful combination for teaching writing [...]
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“We shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.” ~ B. F. Skinner
How long does it take to self-select a book and read it independently at home? If it only takes 2 hours approximately for many children to Hatchet (4 hours at most), then why do some classrooms take 6 weeks? Or [...]
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Songs that help teach words
Here are a few songs/chants I have added to my collection:
1. (tune-”If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you think you know this word raise your hand(2x)
If you think you know this word that you just heard,
If you think you know this word raise your hand.
(supply a word stretching it out [...]
Filed under: Patricia Cunningham, Word Wall, high-frequency words | Tagged: high-frequency words, singing, Patricia Cunningham, word wall words, sight words, Month by Month Phonics, Classrooms That Work | 1 Comment »
Have you ever read a story on the rug and stopped to correct behaviors on the reading rug? You are sitting in your rocking chair, teaching and reading. You stop reading to say, “Please stop playing with so and so’s hair.” or “Sit up.” or “Criss cross applesauce.” or “Spoons in our bowls.” All of [...]
Filed under: explicit teaching, procedures, you get what you teach | Tagged: cooperative groups, procedures | 1 Comment »
Beautiful Windy Day Lake Michigan
The wind gusts blew up to 50 miles an hour in South Haven, Michigan today. It was cold! The waves were so powerful that were crashing over the lighthouse. As I took these pictures, I almost could not hold my camera still due to the powerful wind over Lake [...]
Filed under: Fall, Lake Michigan, South Haven, windy | Tagged: Debra Renner Smith, Lake Michigan, South Haven | Leave a Comment »
I hope I like it! I watched Oprah go on and on about her Kindle. I have been debating and thinking about buying one for several weeks. Since I am on airplanes and due to the luggage restrictions, I am struggling with the book issues for awhile now. Does anyone have a [...]
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A reader requested some specific ideas for Shared Reading. I thought I would link the ideas I have posted all over the blog here. I will post more ideas later in the week too.
link to my shared reading ideas for Little Old Lady lesson
link to my shared reading ideas for I Went Walking lesson
Here is [...]
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Phonic Links
Fun with Letters link here
http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooeyhome.html
words and pictures link
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The teacher has this chart by their rug for whole group choral reading work. The popcorn word, see, was placed by the chart, Jack. The children said, “See our chart!” The popcorn word will be moved to the window soon as in ’see out the window.’ This is the interactive chart in the same [...]
Filed under: choral reading, interactive charts, poems | Tagged: choral reading, interactive reading, Poetry | 2 Comments »
Petunia does not realize that you must open the book to become wise until the very end of the book. I think this is one of the very best books for teaching children to open books, [...]
Filed under: SSR, conference, independent reading | Tagged: DEAR, independent reading, just right books, Petunia, Read Wisely, Self Selected Reading, SSR | Leave a Comment »
