Month by Month Reading and Writing for Kindergarten |
The Teacher's Guide to the Building Blocks |
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wittt - I really like what I've figured out on my own from reading the building blocks books, but I'm having a lot of trouble fitting everything from all of our different programs
pez - My students did so well with the Getting to know you activities.
pez - I think I like the predictable charts the most.
wittt - since we just got McGraw Hill, I figure we're stuck with it for a while.
coast - It's really hard when you have to pull from so many different sources to give students what you know they need in learning to read.
wittt - I like the predictable charts, but I'm finding it difficult to keep the kids attention to do the whole class
pez - I was curious to see how their alphabet recognition was after a month and expecially without doing Letter of the Week.
wittt - how was it?
pez - I've started calling kids during centers. We start the activity as a whole group, I'll call on 2 or 3 then tell them we will finish during centers. It's working
coast - Do your students have computer time each day that you have to work around?
pez - witt, most kids improved their recognition by 10 letters.
wittt - we no longer have a computer lab, so no. We do have a new LeapFrog program that we're supposed to get the kids on daily
wittt - That's great Pez! I also like the idea about starting during whole group and continueing during centers
Pifenbrock - I prewrote some of my chart this week and it went better... just did the first 3 all of it.. rest I had prewritten most of and left blanks
pez - I also started calling the kids a few at a time the day they build their sentences. I was going crazy trying to do it as a total group activity by myself.
hm - today I did only half of my kids with the predictable chart and sent the rest back to work on books worked great
Pifenbrock - How many kiddos do you all have??
pez - I'm all day also..
pez - I have 20
wittt - I'm all day K w/19 kids 3 inclusion and 1 no English
Hill - 22 ea. in two all day/alt. day sessions
coast - I have 27 students and a full time teacher assistant
Carol - Im all day with 17 kiddos and a full time aide
Pifenbrock - I have 18... 1 inclusion
pez - I have 1 non english speaking child. He went from recognizing 1 letter to 17 in a month.
coast - wow Carol must be heaven on earth.
Toria - K 1/2 day only 2 1/2 hr day
Sumr2 - all day...27
Hill - Awesome pez!
wittt - wow, I'm so impressed pez!
Carol - best class I have ever had but having difficulty with BB
Sarah - 1/2
Sumr2 - how many of u r using BB and KidWriting?
Pifenbrock - What are some of your predictable charts?
Toria - 17 in am and 14 in pm 1/2 hr aide time am and 1/2 hr pm
Carol - first year and not sure if I'm doing it correctly
pez - I'm waiting for my copy of Kid Writing to come. School ordered it for us. I'm using BB
Robk - I have 23 kinders and we are using BB and Kid Writing
Sumr2 - This week, mine is Hat on the _____. My school still does LOW too
Pifenbrock - sumr2 I am using both
Hill - Using 4B/BB and a form of Kid Writing, but not actual Kid Writing here!
pez - This week's chart is: The fire truck has ______. We had the fire truck visit us yesterday so it worked well.
Carol - we also have to use LOW
Robk - We are trying to move away from LOW. I am the only one out of 5 that is really trying not to.
Hill - This week's chart and class book: I saw a _______ at the fire station. (We went yesterday and today!) :)
pez - I've done: My family likes to ______., I like the color ______., LOL, I can't think of the other ones. I try to incorporate my theme into the chart.
Robk - Mine was I saw the_______. We had the fire truck visit the school today.
amy - are your kids having trouble wlding a sentance
Hill - LOW is prominent in my district too! Last year I was in a district that didn't use it. Felt more comfortable that way, but I'm expected to use it here.
pez - We have 5 on our team. I hooked 2 others on BB, the other 2 still won't move away from LOW
Linda - We just finished At the Apple Orchard I saw...The children also painted a picture to go with their sentence. I use these for my bulletin boards and then I will make a class book of the paintings.
Carol - we are trying to do I see a _____ connected with fall unit
Sumr2 - mine is usually coneected to LOW
pez - I've been sending their pages home. I need to start keeping them to turn them into books, but since very little go home I want the parents to see what we've been working on.
Linda - I don't do letter of the week but I do review a letter a day. I will be doing that at the end of the month.
amy - building the sentances
Mel - We are doing an ABC book - A is for Ashley, B is for Brittany. We are using photographs to illustrate.
Pifenbrock - I have done ___went the___. (animals sounds and animals names), ____ is a boy/ girl., brain dead on the rest
peachy - I use B B and KW. We don't do LOW.
Sumr2 - Amy, I still have some with weak phonemic awareness,,,turn words upside down etc
Mel - pez, I am creating the books and sending them home in two gallon ziplocks with a brief letter describing the activity. This way, you get a book and the parents see their child's work.
Pifenbrock - I have found a number of mine to be weak this year not only in phonemic awareness but in general
Robk - My biggest challenge is journals. Trying to get to all the children.
pez - Mel, that's a good idea. I finally found the 2 gallon bags.
Sumr2 - me too Pif
pez - I haven't started individual journals. We've been doing a class journal. I think I will start next month.
wittt - pez, how are you going to do journals.
wittt - I don't have kid writing, so I'm looking for any suggestions. I've not really liked what I've done with journals in the past
Carol - Journals during my writing center - we are trying to do I see a _____. connected with fall unit
Robk - The students seem to be doing ok for this time of the year, but it's difficult to work with each child. Any suggestions?
peachy - I started journals using Kid Writing about three weeks ago. The children love it! We do them every morning first thing.
Doug - Does anyone use level 1 and 2 books that have sentence structures that lend themselves to good predictable charts?
Sumr2 - I want to start it Peachy
Pifenbrock - This year I began using kid writing and have been impressed (until today) at what I have gotten so far I think tomorrow we will have a group writing time and I will lead them more.
pez - witt, I usually link my journals to my theme also. I'll also give them half the days to write about anything they want.
Sumr2 - Doug..have u seen Ray's Readers?
pez - Pif, tell me something about Kid Writing.
keltex21 - i need to practice my patience
Doug - Sumr2- no
Mel - I have been using level 1 and 2 books for shared reading and then creating predictable charts as an extension. We have done Huggle's Breakfast and The Birthday Cake.
Denise - Hello all, I'm a converted 1st grade teacher into Kindergarten. I feel like I'm reliving my first year of teaching again.
wittt - what suggestions can those of you who have Kid Writing give us
Doug - pez- you can buy the book and read about it at http://www.wrightgroup.com. There are also archives here at this site: early childhood that have transcripts from the authors.....
peachy - I would love to have more Wright group books!
pez - Mel, great idea. I'm going to do in a Dark, Dark Wood next week
Hill2 - I let the children decide what to write about in journals...over half of the usually write about an experience that relates to our theme!
Pifenbrock - Kid Writing basically just tells you to model model model (and I did at the beginning for about 2-3 weeks before starting
Sumr2 - Doug, now they r in the Zaner_Blosser catalog
amy - would you consider the huggles books for guided reading
Sumr2 - Doug this week I'm usung Hats! the structure is Hat on the ____.
Pifenbrock - Then it gives suggestions on developmental levels of writing and tells you to model all the kinds of wrting. and accept all kinds (including scribbles) then
Doug - Can ask a question about the cut up sentence? If the child can't put it together and read it back. Do any of you do a matching thing and have the child match the words to the words that you have written? Does this defeat the purpose of indepence , 1:1, spataial orientations etc.??
Toria - Actually, you should start out by letting the child match the sentence
Mel - Doug, the predictable chart is always available as a model. Some children can rebuild the sentence without it, but some still need it. That's what makes it multilevel.
pez - Doug, I do it as a matching activity now. I'm going to progress to the independant method later on.
Pifenbrock - some of mine have a hard time rebuilding even with the chart
mj - I am using BB for the first time, also Kid Writing. I am so impressed with how the kids are coming along, but having trouble fitting everything in.
Mel - mj, same problem here. Kid Writing and BB take up much of the day!
pez - I make 2 copies of their sentence. They use the 1 sentence to build their sentence.
aggie/1/ca - Can a first grade teacher join you?
peachy - I'm finding it very difficult to do as much as I would like to do. We are 1/2 day.
Pifenbrock - pez great idea!!
Toria - Then try working with the child one-on-one. Have him come up with a sentence and you both work thru it writing it together Then you rewrite it , cut it up, and have him match it on top of his written sentence.
Pifenbrock - 1st grade teachers are welcome
Tina/OK - Aggie-I'm a grade 1 teacher/
pez - Pif, that way the parent can see the sentence as it should be and how their child built his
mj - I am doing journals a la Kid Writing. Any suggestions on how to manage this effectively? I am on my own--small class of 21, but very demanding. I have no volunteer support in this community. I introduced journals to all, but now do it as a small group while other kids are doing literacy centres as described in Fountas and Pinnell. How do you handle the necessary one-on-one?
Robk - That's where I have a problem. The one-on-one help with journals.
Toria - I put a picture of me up as one of the centers and either work with that small group or just call them over one at a time during literacy centers. I agree though, it's tough with a half day schedule
peachy - I find it hard to always get the mini-lessons done.
pez - My kids are too funny. During morning message they think every opening sentence begins with 'We' because we've used it so often.
Pifenbrock - Anyone have any other ideas for a predictable chart
peachy - Mine are a little bit stuck on "I like."
aggie/1/ca - Pifenbrock--- I've done alphabet books, color books, "My Friend and I like to___"......
Pifenbrock - Mine all think that sentences have to begin with Today...
pez - Pif, I liked the idea of using the Level 1 and 2 books as a starting point
aggie/1/ca - I can see________. I can touch_______. -- obviously, a 5 senses theme there....
pez - I told mine we weren't going to start with We today and when i used the word in the middle of the sentence they wanted to know why since I said we weren't going to use it.
pez - Thanks aggie, that's what my chart was last week. Couldn't remember it.
Mel - We recently tasted apples and wrote I like (green, red, or yellow) apples. We illustrated with apple prints.
Hill2 - Mine love to start morning message with Good Morning! (It is the morning message, you know!)
Pifenbrock - thanks for the ideas...
Doug* - I asked this question last year and no one really knew. I even e-mailed P. Cunningham.....should we follow words or ideas? In other words, should we teach kernel sentences that start with "I" or teach concepts such as "my family"?????
Tina/OK - Peachy-I finally made like a word wall word so I'd quit getting "I like"!
aggie/1/ca - I do a lot of Building Blocks stuff at the beginning of the year in my first grade--- my kids are mostly second lang. learners.
pez - We start ours with Dear Class. They think everytime you spell dear it should start with a Capital D. LOL
annbj - Is there anyone here who does building blocks with and ESL population and does it seem to work as well for them?
Pifenbrock - it is funny how they pick up so many things with the charts we do
aggie/1/ca - Doug---- I do try to give them a kernel sentence--- but the other idea is interesting! Try it and see.
aggie/1/ca - annbj! I am! And, yes, it works GREAT!!!!!!
pez - ann, I have several students that are ESL and one that doesn't speak any English. He is flourishing.
Pifenbrock - okay what is a kernel sentence??
peachy - Yes, the charts really help them move along.
annbj - Do you do anything special for them or can they just follow along? (ESL)
peachy - Glad you asked Pif!
Doug* - aggie- it is just the age old question...to skill or to ideas...the more i teach K the more i move away from themes and more into isolated skills instruction such as reading and writing vocabularies
Pifenbrock - i had an esl student last year and she really got a lot from bb
aggie/1/ca - Pifenbrock--- I think of it as a sentence starter--- "I like _____"
Pifenbrock - okay thanks
aggie/1/ca - annbj---- I give them a lot of understandable input (simple language), lots of experience w/real objects, teach some skills w/songs, poetry, etc (cos they remember it better) and it all works out great!
Tina/OK - Did you all know that there are "flip chart markers" that won't bleed through so you can do a morning message on both sides of the chart paper!
Doug* - annbj- I have to throw in my 2 cents...2nd language learners need involvement (as does everyone else)...they need physical movement, pictures, songs, and lots of cut sentence experiences
pez - Nowadays when the buzz word is accountability it feels good to have an administrator walk through your class the first week and see your kids building sentences then to have them track the sentence and read it.
peachy - Tina, where can you get them?
Sarah - where do you get the marker?
annbj - Thanks, that's encouraging. Nobody at my school has ever heard of building block although neighboring districts use it. So I'm looked at funny by the long term teacher's. As long as it works, I'll keep it up. The children are loving the names activities.
Mel - annbj, are you doing "name of the day"?
Doug* - pez- no worry...most administrators have had 1 class in supervision and they usually look at time on task and the feeling tone....in all my years of experience I have had only one actually do what the kids are doing
Tina/OK - I ordered some from our local office supply but another teacher got them at the teacher's store. I guess they're out there but I didn't know it 'til this week.
annbj - No, the children's names
Sarah - what are the called (brand name?
peachy - I'm looking for those markers! I use so much chart paper....
Lynn - I was being observed today and I was actually the last person in the "Special Person" bag to be picked. The kids thought it was great!
Pifenbrock - I am going through chart paper like water this year.
Tina/OK - Sorry, Sarah. I just asked for "flip chart markers" and they knew what I meant. Don't know the brand name.
peachy - Neat, Lynn
Doug* - Lynn- you set that up...LOL
aggie/1/ca - LOL! Same here--- I noticed today I need a new chart pad.
Lynn - This was, there wasn't a child that was "last" and they had the opportunity to try to "trick" me
Lynn - who me? cheating?
Toria - I bought a white board at Walmart and mounted it to the wall It sure saves the chart paper
aggie/1/ca - But sometimes I want to save those charts, Toria.
peachy - If I could mount things on the wall I would prefer the white board.
Pifenbrock - I have tried the white board and I like the children being able to reread it so that doesnt work
Lynn - I just ordered a dry erase board (a large one) and I'm planning on drawing permanent lines on them to save the paper
Toria - I just use it for the morning message and for teaching mini lessons
Pifenbrock - the markers sound interesting though
pez - The questions I'm getting during our interview are awesome. They aren't asking yes no questions anymore. They ask probing questions. I've found out so many interesting things about my kids. One was asked if she had any pets. She said yes, 2 alligators live in her pond.
aggie/1/ca - Wow, pez!
Lynn - I had a girl with a buffalo in her back yard!
Toria - I use chart paper for the predictable charts and keep them up for "Read the Room" center
peachy - Yikes, pez!
pez - LOL, she told us that her Daddy has a sign that says no swimming.
aggie/1/ca - Lordy, yes, pez! LOLOL!
Pifenbrock - Where are you from Pez?
pez - Pif, Tampa Bay.
Tina/OK - I laminate all my poems and keep them in a big cardboard folder so they can drag out there favorites and read them over and over. They lay them on the floor so it's sorta kinesthetic, right?
peachy - Good idea, Tina
Pifenbrock - in Illinois we do not have any alligators unless they live in the sewers... and are seen by people that have had too much to drink!
peachy - Good idea, Tina
Pifenbrock - thanks all
aggie/1/ca - Good night, Tina!
