Our school is trying to start using building blocks and I was wondering if anyone on this board teaches in New Jersey??? I would love to go visit a school that has Building Blocks up and running.
I need help fitting everything into a half day schedule. Please post your half day schedules or email me directly. I would really appreciate it. Marian
I want to use both strategies but am not clear about how to integrate the two. BB authors say don't do journaling in Kindergarten, yet so many teachers are using Kidwriting's journaling very successfully..are they using BB methods for writing too?
I see conflicts but want to see them as compatibly blended. I asked about this on the K board and got very flip, condescending answers which were not at all helpful. If anyone has any helpful, practical advice about this I would be most appreciative.
I am currently combining the two, and it seems to be working very well. I teach 1/2-day K, so time was a big factor, until I decided to use Morning Message as my writing mini- lesson. I still write to the children in letter format, emphasizing letters and words, but include a sentence of "Kidwriting." I do that sentence just like in the Kidwriting book, where I say the word and let the kids call out the sounds they hear. I write whatever they say. After the sentence is done, I underwrite right on my Morning Message page. The drawing is done on this page, too. My kids seem to be doing great with this approach, but this is my first year of Kidwriting - I'm still tweaking!
Kendra
On 9/12/04, Kuku wrote: > I want to use both strategies but am not clear about how > to integrate the two. BB authors say don't do journaling in > Kindergarten, yet so many teachers are using Kidwriting's > journaling very successfully..are they using BB methods for > writing too? > > I see conflicts but want to see them as compatibly blended. > I asked about this on the K board and got very flip, > condescending answers which were not at all helpful. If > anyone has any helpful, practical advice about this I would > be most appreciative.
I think that what you might want to try is having a "student of the day" or call on kids to be your kidwriter so that the kids are practicing writing the letters/sounds they hear rather than you writing the sound/letter they say. Then you could still do the adult writing as you described. Also, if time and energy allow..you might even want everyone with spirals or whiteboards during morning message and they could be writing the message while the "kid" is doing the kidwriting. Half day is hard to fit everything in. I actually was able to combine my AM and PM together this year as numbers are lower (15-11 so I have 26 all day) but I still have trouble finding time! Good luck!
I attended a wonderful staff development session presented by Cheryl Sigmon. She stated that 60% of readers learn to read through writing. I am preparing a parent presentation on writing and would like to read this research prior to presenting. Any suggestions?
On 9/13/04, Susan Gawrys wrote: > I attended a wonderful staff development session presented > by Cheryl Sigmon. She stated that 60&37; of readers learn to > read through writing. I am preparing a parent presentation > on writing and would like to read this research prior to > presenting. Any suggestion
I know this it the basis for the Spalding Method "The Writing Road to Reading"
I am considering buying this book but I haven't heard anything about it. I also am considering buying Work Stations by Diller. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks to all .
Kori, If you are a new teacher to kindergarten you may find the Building Block Kindergarten Center book helpful. Being an experienced teacher I thought is was too basic when I looked at it. I am currently reading Literacy Work Stations. It may give you the ideas you are looking for. What I have found most valuable though in center planning is visiting kindergarten teacher websites!
On 9/24/04, Barb/Ohio wrote: > Kori, > If you are a new teacher to kindergarten you may find the > Building Block Kindergarten Center book helpful. Being an > experienced teacher I thought is was too basic when I looked > at it. I am currently reading Literacy Work Stations. It > may give you the ideas you are looking for. What I have > found most valuable though in center planning is visiting > kindergarten teacher websites! > > Barb/Ohio
The K teachers in my building have just started calling our sight words popcorn words. We are having so much fun. Here are a few ideas that we have come up with in the last few weeks.
-when a popcorn word comes up in the news, the children come up with a yellow crayon or marker and "butter" the popcorn word
-the popcorn words get thrown around the rug at cirlce time. Tell the children that the words have popped out of the bowl. Sit with a bowl in your lap. Have the children retrieve the words. As they bring a word to you and read it correctly it goes in the bowl. If they read it incorrectly, it pops back out onto the floor for someone else to try.
-put all the popcorn words on yellow paper shaped like popcorn and put them upside down on the rug. On some pieces, write the word POP in big letters. Have the children sit in a circle to make the bowl. Go around the circle and have each child pick a piece of popcorn and read the word. If they read it correctly they get to keep it. If not, it goes back on the floor. If they pick a piece that says pop, every one has to stand hop three times and say POP! POP! POP!. (keeps everyone interested and paying attention) Also, the pop people have to put any popcorn they have kept back onto the floor. THEY LOVE IT!
These are just a few ideas. Hope they help!
On 9/26/04, krea wrote: > I am looking for FUN ways to really teach the popcorn words. > Thanks!
On 10/08/04, Beth wrote: > The K teachers in my building have just started calling our > sight words popcorn words. We are having so much fun. Here > are a few ideas that we have come up with in the last few > weeks. > > -when a popcorn word comes up in the news, the children come > up with a yellow crayon or marker and "butter" the popcorn > word > > -the popcorn words get thrown around the rug at cirlce time. > Tell the children that the words have popped out of the > bowl. Sit with a bowl in your lap. Have the children > retrieve the words. As they bring a word to you and read it > correctly it goes in the bowl. If they read it incorrectly, > it pops back out onto the floor for someone else to try. > > -put all the popcorn words on yellow paper shaped like > popcorn and put them upside down on the rug. On some pieces, > write the word POP in big letters. Have the children sit in > a circle to make the bowl. Go around the circle and have > each child pick a piece of popcorn and read the word. If > they read it correctly they get to keep it. If not, it goes > back on the floor. If they pick a piece that says pop, every > one has to stand hop three times and say POP! POP! POP!. > (keeps everyone interested and paying attention) Also, the > pop people have to put any popcorn they have kept back onto > the floor. THEY LOVE IT! > > These are just a few ideas. Hope they help! > > > > > > On 9/26/04, krea wrote: >> I am looking for FUN ways to really teach the popcorn words. >> Thanks!
according to the BB plan book there is a section called writing center (picture dictionaries) how is it set up? Is it a mini conference with students? WHAT IS IT?
We have just started using the Building Blocks program in our 1/2 day K. Because we are 1/2 day and time is limited, we decided to alternate one week shared big book reading and one week predictable chart. Since we are alternating, some of my colleagues are straining to link their predictable chart to their shared reading of the big book from the week before. This isn't necessary is it? Should the two be related to the same theme? I know it is nice if they are, but do they have to be?
On 10/27/04, Beth wrote: > We have just started using the Building Blocks program in > our 1/2 day K. Because we are 1/2 day and time is limited, > we decided to alternate one week shared big book reading > and one week predictable chart. Since we are alternating, > some of my colleagues are straining to link their > predictable chart to their shared reading of the big book > from the week before. This isn't necessary is it? Should > the two be related to the same theme? I know it is nice if > they are, but do they have to be?
no it isn't
here is an excellent site with excellent resources
On 5/01/05, jill wrote: > On 11/06/04, sue wrote: >> Does anyone know of Dibels Training in Michigan 2004-2005 >> school year? > > A team of Kentwood teachers and staff (speech, reading > consultant, counselor) in each elementary building were > trained last week. The K teachers were given an overview of > it, and the Get It, Got It, Go (i.e. baby Diebels). We are > going to use it at Kindergarten Visitation next week.
I am looking for a Dibels training in Northwest Ohio but I cannot attend the one held at the SERRC center on July 10-12. Does anyone know of any others in the area for summer of 2007?
Help! I am confused with all the info from 4 blocks/building blocks on word walls for kindergarteners. Any suggestions on a word wall for this level? I currently use mine for alphabet pictures associated with beginning letter sounds.
On 11/21/04, Sharon wrote: > Help! I am confused with all the info from 4 > blocks/building blocks on word walls for kindergarteners. > Any suggestions on a word wall for this level? I > currently use mine for alphabet pictures associated with > beginning letter sounds.
Sharon, my understanding is that kinders version of word wall is their names and environmental print ( I have real m&ms bag, cereal box top, etc tacked to my alphabet letters) with a few words as they become aware of them-mom, love, cat are early ones. Others can speak to this better than I can.
On 2/09/05, me,again wrote: > On 11/21/04, Sharon wrote: >> Help! I am confused with all the info from 4 >> blocks/building blocks on word walls for kindergarteners. >> Any suggestions on a word wall for this level? I >> currently use mine for alphabet pictures associated with >> beginning letter sounds. > > Sharon, > my understanding is that kinders version of word wall is > their names and environmental print ( I have real m&ms bag, > cereal box top, etc tacked to my alphabet letters) with a few > words as they become aware of them-mom, love, cat are early > ones. > Others can speak to this better than I can.
This is only my opinion-- If you follow Building Blocks completly it would be just as Sharon wrote. However, if you are using a basal-like Houghton Mifflin for me- they have high frequency words so I put them on the word wall and take down the BBlock environmental print and what other words I had up there as most of them can easily recognize them. It is kind of a celebration as we retire those words. Starting around 2nd semester I use the word wall more like 4 Blocks. I guess to sum it up--make it work for you.
I am currently combining the two, and it seems to be working
very well. I teach 1/2-day K, so time was a big factor,
until I decided to use Morning Message as my writing mini-
lesson. I still write to the children in letter format,
emphasizing letters and words, but include a sentence
of "Kidwriting." I d...See More