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Mary/PA - Welcome to this evening's Reading Recovery Meeting here at Teachers.Net.
Mary/PA - We have no set topic for tonight. We can chat about any Reading Recovery concern/s that you have.
Mary/PA - Hi Sharon
Sharon - Hi, Mary
Mary/PA - How are your lessons coming along?
Sharon - Fairly well. this is my first year. I was trained two years ago. It has been a relearning process.
Mary/PA - Sharon, do you have to go through training again?
Mary/PA - or did you go to continuing contact while you weren't teaching RR?
Sharon - No, I am going to Continuing Contact. I will be certified as soon as I teach 4 students. I was teaching first grade when I was trained and I only had one student at a time. 2 for the year.
Sharon - I did go to continuing contact when I wasn't doing RR.
Mary/PA - That's interesting, your site must have gotten a waiver of some sort to do it that way. It's nice that it could be worked out for you.
Mary/PA - Hi tyylee
Sharon - I don't know about the waiver. I'm from Indiana. Our training site wasn't full so training was offered to our first grade teachers.
tyylee - Hi, I was wondering if you would mind refreshing my memory with some ideas of activities for one of my little ones who just can't remember letters or sounds.
Sharon - Hi, Tylee
Sharon - I could use help with that, too.
Mary/PA - tyylee, I have 2 with that problem. I could use the refresher as well
Mary/PA - Hi Gigi
Gigi/MO - Hello, everyone!!
Mary/PA - I'm in week 5 with these two and they still have a difficult time remembering the letters of their names
tyylee - After you are into lessons how much time can you / do you spend on letter work. If we stick with the M&B time only that is only suppose to be about three minutes and that is not nearly enough! Where do you find the extra time?
Sharon - I add a letter to write when they write their fluency word. It is the one we practiced the day before.
tyylee - My child is in week five also. She spells her name quietly to remember how to make the letters that are in her name. Last year in Kindergarten we taught her name to her by making up a song spelling it.
Gigi/MO - That's a good idea, Sharon!!
Mary/PA - I do more letter work during the writing portion of the lesson. The "stories" are kept very simple. I have the child fill the practice page with a letter that I want the child to learn better
tyylee - This child has trouble with the fluency words since she doesn't know the letters yet. She has yet to get a word right the next day.
Mary/PA - Before the lesson, instead of a HF word, I have them write a letter that he/she has been working on
tyylee - How much time are you spending on letter work?
Gigi/MO - Guess that would work too, Mary!!
Mary/PA - In text reading, I have them locate the letter we've been working on as well
tyylee - I guess I should say letter work in isolation since letter work in imbedded within the whole lesson.
Sharon - I retested my kids on letter ID after roaming. Any letter unknown at that time was what I planned to work on one letter at a time during making and breaking. As I do a letter I put it in a ziploc bag for that child. At the beginning of making and breaking we go back over those letters quickly.
Mary/PA - tyylee, I haven't actually timed it, but I would guess that it's about 5 mins.
Mary/PA - One of the kids that I have with the letter problem only knew the O's and X's on the OS
tyylee - I know that we should involve the 'eye, ear, hand', what activities do you find useful that engage all these modalities?
Mary/PA - He really has a major blockage of some sort
tyylee - Oops, I think I misspelled that. You know what I meant.
tyylee - I have found that my child can't remember how to make a letter but when presented with a choice of three magnitic letters she can pick out the correct one.
Mary/PA - We write on on the Chalk Board, White Board, practice page, other paper, and jello
tyylee - How do you use jello?
Sharon - Are you familiar with Four Blocks. During the word block you chant, clap and stomp letters to words. You can also do other movements. I've been doing that with my fluency words.
Mary/PA - dry jello in a box
tyylee - Sharon, tell us more, I am not familiar with that but it sounds interesting.
tyylee - Oh, I see about the jello, I use salt. I wondered if you used it in a plastic bag to write on.
Mary/PA - Sharon, we've done that with their names, but it's not getting the job done completely. I do think it has helped though.
Sharon - After you write the word you have the child stand up and chant or cheer it and you add movements like clapping, stomping, rolling your arms, swinging you hips or any other movement.
Gigi/MO - Magnadoodles are also good for them to write letters/words on.
Sharon - I like the jello idea. Right now I use sand.
tyylee - My child would have a mess with the jello. She always has her fingers in her mouth and wet fingers and dry jello.........
Sharon - I don't have any but there is black paper that uses a stylus to write with. Rainbow writing appears. My teacher leader had a pad. I think Staples had them.
Gigi/MO - Letter sorting can also be a good activity for letters and "Your pile, My pile".
Gigi/MO - At my last continuing contact class, a lady used colored paper and gel pens in roaming. I've never done that but I guess it could be used for letters also!!
Mary/PA - One of the children with this problem has a strong confusion with n and u. They are both in her name, Coutrney. It's hard to stay away from one while learning the other when both are something she needs everyday
Mary/PA - oops, Courtney, that is
tyylee - For a child who isn't attending to print have you ever used the highlighter tape to highlight certain words or letters and was it successful?
Sharon - Are there any other ways to learn sounds beside the usuual oness in reading text, writing, and using the ABC book. I have one that isn't getting any sounds.
Mary/PA - I haven't, I do use the word framing with fingers or pieces of sentence strips
Sharon - I've used haighlighter tape with my class of first graders but I have'nt tried it in RR. Good idea!
Gigi/MO - tyylee--I haven't really used the highlighting tape for that but I've changed the text using the same words--just put them in different order.
Sharon - Sorry I can't type this fast without making mistakes.
tyylee - When you read the abc book do you have them say the letters, name the picture and then make the sound? I have found that some can name the picture but aren't making the connection between the picture and the initial sound.
Mary/PA - The not attending problems that these children have now is really not attending, they just can't use what they see...the lack of letter knowledge is hurting and standing in the way
Sharon - I haven't had them make the isolated sound. Is that OK to do. I wasn't told that but it makes sense.
Mary/PA - tyylee, I do, although I know we are not supposed to do that, I don't understand why we shouldn't, it seems like the perfect place for making the connection
Gigi/MO - tyylee--I'm glad to hear you say that!! I do that with the ABC chart in EL groups for that very reason but I actually didn't think we were supposed to do it that way but I think it is the best so that's how I do it!!
Mary/PA - Do you use letter books as well?
tyylee - I asked my TL if we could just not do a part of the lesson to have more time for letter work and she thought that was not a good idea. She said that they learn by being remimded of the same things in all parts of the lesson and make better connections.
Gigi/MO - Guess we are all thinking along the same lines!! I had a RR student several years ago that could whip through the ABC chart but wasn't making the letter/sound connection!! That's when I started naming the letter, picture, and sound in EL!! I don't really do it in RR!?!? I don't really know why, though!?!
Mary/PA - tyylee, I think that's true for most kids, but there are a few who just don't make those connections and it seems that some intensive work needs to be done to get the connection making process in motion
Sharon - Can you make the letters in the ABC book tactile by adding drops of glue and have the child trace them as they say them.
tyylee - I find that the letter books seem to confuse the child who is having trouble rmemebering, It offers them too many choices of pictures to remember. They just really need to put one picture firmly in their minds.
tyylee - Sharon, I have some colored glue I could use for that. I have made individual letter cards with it but had not thought of putting it in the ABC book.
Mary/PA - Sharon, I've thought about that, but glue takes so long to dry. I wish I knew of a faster method so that the book can be used soon and not be set aside to dry
Mary/PA - Is there such a thing as textured crayons?
Mary/PA - Crayons with some sort of grit in them that leave a texture on the page?
Sharon - They have glitter crayons. I don't know if that would work or not.
Gigi/MO - There are glitter crayons!! And sand paper but that would take a long time to cut out the letters!!
tyylee - A new invention. It would make you big bucks from RR teachers!
tyylee - The glitter crayons don't have enough texture, I tried them.
Mary/PA - We should write a letter to the Crayola people
Gigi/MO - I think LARGE stickers would make money also!! Has anyone found large stickers for book making??
Sharon - I have another question. How do you choose your child's next book?
tyylee - Your idea, your millions.
Mary/PA - glitter crayons are also very soft and make the pages stick together
Gigi/MO - Mary--Would Wikki sticks work on books or would they be too sticky??
Mary/PA - Sharon, it depends upon what we are working on at the time. I might look for a word, or a pattern, or a letter, or dialog, etc.
Mary/PA - Gigi, they are far too sticky to leave in the book
Sharon - There is texturized paper and paper crimpers but you would have to diecut letters. Myabe for those hard to accelerate kids you could add those after you print the letters with a marker. Not everybody needs the extra help to learn the letters.
Mary/PA - Gigi, how large?
Gigi/MO - Mary--I've never used them!! Just trying to brainstorm!!
tyylee - I look for a large number of words the child already knows and only a couple of unknown high fluency words plus some to predict and check. I try to repeat the same word I am teaching for a couple of days at least so I will choose a book based on that word, also.
Mary/PA - The Resources for Reading folks have a book of stickers that are about 2x3 in
tyylee - You can print stickers on labels from the California RR site - amihome.com
Sharon - I was told that you need to look for a book that uses the fluency word taught taught the day before. That can be very limiting.
Gigi/MO - Mary--OK!! Thanks!! But I think even bigger would be better!! In roaming, I use 1/2 sheets of paper and if you put a sticker on there, it just looks little, I think!! Many times I use pictures from the computer!!
Sharon - There is a machine tha the craft stores sell that make any picture into a sticker but it would take some time to get ready.
tyylee - Gigi, we have a set of black line master pictures that the child can color of desired. There are three or four to chose from for each letter. I bought old abc books at garage sales and a dollar stores and cut them up for colored pictures.
Mary/PA - tyylee, how do you keep those pictures organized?
Sharon - Good idea on the ABC books to cut up.
Gigi/MO - Thanks, tyylee!! I haven't really used that sight much!! I'm also glad to hear how you select a new book!! I do that also but at Cont. contact class last time, I thought they said NOT to teach a word that is going to be in the new book!! I do but maybe I shouldn't!!
Mary/PA - Do any of you have children with speech problems, articulation and language?
Sharon - Yes, 50% of mine go to speech.
Mary/PA - Tyylee, are you still researching hand usage?
tyylee - We were told we could preteach a high fluency word form the book if the child needs to learn it to be successful in the book, particularly in the early stages of lessons when they don't know many words. We are not suppose to plan M&B just for new words in the new book though.
Gigi/MO - Mary--YES!!YES!! I have the worst one that I have ever had!! I probably shouldn't have taken him BUT the speech teacher theought it would help him!! He is only on a level 2 and we are watching him to see about testing him although they don't like to in first grade!!
Mary/PA - I have one going to speech, but at least one more should be, but for some reason hasn't been picked up. I have to find out about why
Mary/PA - One of my kids is so difficult to understand. He leaves off all beginning letters and many other sounds in the words he says are not made or made incorrectly. The poor kid doesn't know how words sound
Gigi/MO - tyylee--Do you teach the new word during M&B? I do!! I think it is important in these beg. lessons to build their "meger knowlegde of words" during this time!!
Mary/PA - Is tyylee still with us?
tyylee - Must have been someone else researching hand usage. But I am going to a workshop called Tucker Signing Strategies in November. You are suppose to learn signing strategies to use with hearing children who have diffuculites remembering letters. It is suppose to add another demension, the hand and eye, to thier learning and memory. I am anxious to try it out.
Gigi/MO - Sorry--Is it meger or meager? I guess you all know what I mean!!
Mary/PA - Gigi, I know what you mean
Sharon - I had a student lke that in my first grade class last year. He went to speech. He was repeating first grade. He was labeled REI language so he never went to RR. He is making gains but it takes a lot repeating and a lot of patience.
Mary/PA - tyylee, thanks, I'll have to look back and figure out who is doing the research
Gigi/MO - Sounds neat, tyylee!!
Mary/PA - Sharon, what is REI?
Sharon - The signing sounds interesting. I had a severely hearing impaired child last year too. I had to wear an audio trainer.
Gigi/MO - Mary--My little guy leaves off endings and says t for c so cat is tat plus other things!!
Sharon - REI is regular education initiatve. It is putting the special ed students back in the regular ed class.
tyylee - Gigi, we have been told that M&B is a time to teach the process of how words work and not to use the time to preteach certain words. I was once observed doing M&B that way my first year and was told that I was doing it incorrectly. Heard the same thing at the National conference last year.
Mary/PA - Sharon, do these kids have IEP's?
Sharon - yes
Mary/PA - Thanks, Sharon
Gigi/MO - tyylee--So when is the right time to teach new words?
Sharon - I was told to teach new words during the book intro.
Mary/PA - Well, I have to go now. My dog is barking and needs to go out
Gigi/MO - Sharon--OK!! Sounds good!!
tyylee - We teach new words during the time allotted for the book introduction or sometimes stop when the word comes up on the page and the child does not know it.
Gigi/MO - Thanks, Mary!! I'm going soon also!!
Mary/PA - Thanks for coming this evening, I hope to see you all next time
Sharon - Thanks, Mary I've enjoyed this. I'll try to be here next time.
Mary/PA - Your are welcome to stay as long as you like
Mary/PA - Good night
tyylee - Thanks Mary
Sharon - Good night to all. This is really helpful!
tyylee - Time for me to go, too. See you next time.
Gigi/MO - I think I'm going also!! See you next time!!
