Saturday, November 25, 2023

5 Ways to Implement the Science of Reading!

 When I began teaching over 14 years ago, balanced literacy was in full swing.  Immersing children into literacy, guided reading, and "look at the picture" strategies were very popular.  About 5 years ago, my view of reading began to change.  My son, who is now 10, entered Kindergarten as a struggling student.  I knew that he was very creative and was able to imagine amazing things.  However, he was hyper-active(like me) and did not care for school.  After the first 9 weeks, his teacher, one of my teacher besties, stated that he was not learning/applying the alphabetic principle like he should.  He was then put into RTI for Literacy.  He made small gains, but always seemed to be "behind".  A long story short-a couple of years go by and I decide to have him tested for dyslexia.  Come to find out, he did qualify.  I began to do extensive research and began my MSE in Literacy with a Dyslexia Endorsement through a well-known university in my state.  My son has been receiving "Take Flight" for a year and a half now and has made tremendous gains.  He is now in 5th grade and is finally on grade level.  All that to be said, the Science of Reading has really come to reality, and has shown much insight to the field of education.  

I know that the Science of Reading can seem overwhelming, but just know that it really describes and proves how a child learns to read.  Learning to read is not natural like learning to speak.  The brain is an amazing organ.  I had no clue as to what the human brain was capable of until I began training on the SoR(Science of Reading).  I want to note, before I go any further, that I am not a doctor or have any certification as such.  I am just an elementary educator with a passion for teaching students to read. 

Now, let's get to the meat of this post.  Here are 5 ways to implement the Science of Reading into your classroom. 





Tip #1-Replace your guided reading books for decodable books. 

 If you are in the primary grades (K-2), your students need to be exposed to text that they can decode.  Readily practice reading decodable readers should be an every day occurrence. Here is a link for a free decodable text resource.  Have you heart of ReadWorks?  I have used them for years for comprehension, but recently, they have created decodable text for grades K-1.  Click on the text below to check them out! You will need to create a FREE account to access the content.  

 Readworks Decodable Text




Tip #2 Explicitly teach Heart Words

The Heart Word Curriculum has free videos for several heart words.  I use these in my classroom every week.  These videos teach students the different parts of the words and specifically hones in on the irregularity by marking them with a heart.  This gives students a multi-sensory experience and they love these videos!



Tip #3 Replace the 3-Part Cueing system(asking them to look at the picture...) with teaching students decoding skills Here is a great article from Reading Rockets that explains decoding and what parents/teachers can do to help with it. Click the image below to read more. 



For primary students, teaching them to:


Tip #4 Add to your Background Knowledge Repertoire
Students need to be able to connect with a text.  This requires them to be more knowledgeable about the world around them.  
*Graphic organizers, are a great way for students to organize their thoughts and new material.  

*Visuals-keep in mind that students need to multiple ways of being exposed to a new topic.  One way for them to connect, is using a visual cue of some sort.  

*Virtual field trips are also a great tool to use.  Virtual field trips have become more popular in the last few years.  There are so many now.  For example, if you are teaching a unit on polar animals, many zoos offer a free webcam service to let your students observe their animals, just like you were actually there.  The San Diego Zoo is one that I use a-lot. San Diego Zoo

Tip #5 Attend Professional Development
There are many free and paid webinars and in-person events to help you learn more about the Science of Reading.  There is much that I do not know still, I'm learning every day! Some valuable resources are



Some great books to pick up:


There is so much more to the SoR, but hopefully, you have some helpful tools to get you started!

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Dollar Tree Finds and a FREEBIE!



 Hello!  Thanksgiving is around the corner and Christmas is coming!  I stopped by my local Dollar Tree and found some amazing things!  Who doesn't love some cute, cheap, Christmas activities for your students?!?  First up, are these foam dice!  They are perfect for the classroom and can be used for so many things!

Heart of Kinder
Next, are these sight word cards.  I cut these apart, and use as flashcards in my  small group.  The handwriting lines are very helpful, especially for my kids that have executive function problems and dysgraphia.  My son, has dysgraphia, and I am sensitive reading/writing interventions.
These boards with the handwriting lines are perfect for students who are struggling to form print and cursive letters.  I love that the alphabet is on the board for a visual reference. 
Dry-Erase Paddles-I love these too!  I got 6 of these for my small group table.  



NOW.... On to the Christmas finds...

First up, I found this pack of erasers.  There are 18 in a pack.  My students love little erasers and will love these. I am going to add them to my goodie bags that I am making for them.  

Next, who doesn't like easy ornament crafts?!? There are 8 of these to a pack, so it is very cost effective.  
 
I squealed when I saw these gingerbread foam shapes.   There are 12 to a pack and can be used so many ways!
Last, but not least, are these ADORABLE felt ornaments!  There are 5 to a pack!  Aren't they cute???

And now.... the moment you have been waiting for.... the FREEBIE!  Click the link below for a writing activity to go with the penguin ornament!   Link

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Scarecrow Magic Read Aloud Activities

Hello!  Its one of my favorite times of year....FALL!  I love everything about it, the colder weather, flannel shirts, hot cocoa, pumpkins, corn maze, and on and on!!!  I love teaching my fall units.  This year, I have added a book to my read aloud collection.  Its called, Scarecrow Magic.  Its a cute story about a scarecrow that turns into a skeleton at night and has a lot of fun.  It has a lot of rhyme in it as well.  Its perfect for primary readers.  I created a mini pack to go along with it.  I want to start focusing a little more on comprehension with my first graders.  So, I have included retell and story element components in this pack.  There is a teacher and student set of retell cards.  As well as, color and black and white teacher versions to choose from.  My students have reading journals, so they will be gluing their cards into their journal.  If you do not have a journal, you can have your students glue on a piece of construction or colored paper.  You can grab this pack HERE. Happy Teaching!!







Sunday, January 30, 2022

Winter Counting Clip Cards FREEBIE!

 Hello again!  We have just celebrated the 100th day of school at our school.  Have you?  I know that I say this in almost every post, but it really is flying by!  We are expected weather this week again.  What does your district do for snow days?  We normally have a "digital" day at home.  


    Since we are expecting snow, I thought I would create a FREEBIE!  Don't you love a good FREEBIE?!? Pre-School and Kindergarten kiddos need as much counting practice as possible so , drumroll please.... Winter Counting Clip Cards are here for you!

It includes numbers 0-10.  Students just put the clip on the number that matches the number of penguins.  All you need are clothespins and you are good to go!  


Grab these clip cards for FREE from my tpt website: Counting Clip Cards

Friday, January 7, 2022

Brrr! Arctic Weather Lesson Plans and a FREEBIE Part 1

 Wowza! Its officially winter in Arkansas!  We have had frigid temps for our part of the country, this week. We had a dusting of snow yesterday, with temps only in the 20's.  🥶 With that being said, welcome to the NEW YEAR, and let's dive into all things winter!  There are so many things going on in the month of January. Snow, winter, MLKJR, 100th day, etc, are just some of the topics.  I have taught all grades from K-4, so I have a lot of different resources for most of those grade levels.  Have no fear, I have got you covered! So let's get started.  

First up is an Arctic Weather Pack for all grade levels.  This is an "oldie but a goodie.  I have used it in all grade levels.  I included both graphic organizer AND writing pages for all the animals listed below. 

Polar Bears
Penguins
Arctic Foxes
Walruses
Seals
Caribou






Click below for your FREEBIE! It is a digital version (Google Slides) of the graphic organizer above. 

Monday, November 1, 2021

Fright Club Read Aloud Activities

 Happy November!! I am a little late at posting this, but here is my latest read aloud pack.  It's called Fright Club.  It's an adorable read aloud about including everyone.  Vladimir the Vampire only wants "monsters" in his club.  What will he do when an adorable animal wants to join????  

 Click Here to purchase from Amazon.


I have made a TPT pack that I have used in my classroom this year.  I have included different levels for writing,  so that you can differentiate in your classroom.  I have 1st-4th graders in my classroom, and was able to use this book with all of them.  Your students will enjoy this book!  


                                                        Click HERE to view on TPT.  Enjoy!

Friday, October 8, 2021

Fall Read Aloud Activities for the Classroom

Hello again!!

    I just love a fall read aloud!  It gives me all the feels! Do you like to combine as many skills as possible into one read aloud, like I do? I have used this read aloud every year, that my students always love.  The first one is Scarecrow Magic.  No matter what age, they always like this book.  There are so many skills to cover with this book.  I have an activity pack that you will love!


I have use all of the activities in this pack.  

It covers Retell cards(color and black and white)

~Retell cards for students

~Comprehension questions:whole/small group

~Setting/Character posters with response sheet

~Short a word family sort(pocket chart)

~Scarecrow craft




Here is the link to grab it from my tpt store:    Scarecrow Magic Pack

Happy Teaching!