Friday 27.8.2010

Friday friday friday...

It takes time to master things, or so I'm learning, you cant catch everything all in the one breath, just like you cant hold 26 hands all at once, things take time, take practice, perseverance. Today I sat and observed my CT all day, just to really get a grasp on the morning literacy block. I saw how much the kids could do and how much I had held them back. In the morning session is probably where I felt the least confident in the program, I guess I feel the heaviest burden in regards to literacy as, if you mess up now, you mess up that child's reading and writing forever, habits are undeniably profound and lasting.

These are all the things my teacher managed to squeeze in the morning session and I'm still not quite sure how. But I'm learning and slowly picking it all up.

1. NEWS, hilarious and light entertainment.

2. Sight words: Game
- Say words then put it in a sentence

3. Spelling words: Game
- Spelling bee, say the letter, sit down if wrong.
- Dance back to desk using a spelling word

4. Spelling test
- (Mark diaries)
- Heads down when finished word
- Sentence, remind them of what you expect in a sentence.

5. Assessment on middle sound (I)
- Mark roll
- Mark work as they finish
- Slither to the floor (transition from floor to desk)
- Send them back if they don’t do it right, model how we do it.

5. Read narrative to the students
Engage them in the story, what do words in text mean, orientate them to the text.
Talk about the words in the story
Look at the pictures
Story: Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge.
Talk about what a memory is
Write about your favorite memory with your grandparents
Start them off on their writing MY FAVOURITE MEMORY WITH MY GRANDMA IS…….. (write on their own.)

(Turn on music while they are working) grandparents day song.

6. Handwriting books (i) trace over the letters, color in the picture.
Mark sentences from grandparents while they do handwriting.
7. Fast finishers, as more students start to finish their work get them all on the floor
That was just the morning literacy block, it was crazy but it was bonus to see the kids working so hard which actually minimized the behavioral issues when they were too busy to think about anything else.