Text Connections With Heart

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for stopping by this little blog. Just a quick share tonight.  It's report card time, and I have a few reports to get finished before Friday!  I didn't want to hold on to this unit for too long, because as I use it this week, I see the connections starting to develop! 

 As teachers and parents, you know that reading comprehension is paramount for all ages. Reading Comprehension is the making of meaning of texts. When readers see how the ideas in a text connect to their own ideas, lives, and experiences,  the meaning of the text becomes more evident.  When connections are made, reading can come alive for a reader. Readers need to be aware of the different connections there are to be made.

For our youngest readers, I like to focus on “Text to Self” and “Text to  Text” connections.  As readers mature, “Text to World” connections can come into play.

When young readers are given a purpose for their reading, they are able to better comprehend and make meaning of the ideas in the text. Having them make those connections can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of the reading process to get students engaged with a text, to help students understand the text more deeply, or to evaluate students’ understanding of the text. Making connections puts heart into reading. The mini unit I'm sharing tonight includes some mini poster to display after describing the connection. I've also included a sample of a larger anchor chart you can make if you want.  And don't forget about the bookmarks!!  My kids loved them.

Teach the kids to make a connection sign with their fingers. Every story you read, they can form the symbol every time they make a connection!

If  you would like a printable of these posters, recording sheets, and bookmarks...

simply CLICK HERE!!! Get the connection!!!

Hope this helps you in your quest to help your kids with comprehension!  Let me know!! Till then, thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of the week!! 

Joyfully!

Nancy

Word Strategy Posters

Hello Everyone!

Teaching reading is hard work, and can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many curriculum products out there to help guide you in helping your students to become successful readers.  Many of those products are  research based and claim to support methods and philosophies.  Some kids learn to read so easily, but more often than not, kids need specific teacher directed strategies to help them. How do you wade through it all and find what is best for your students?  I have been teaching for many, many years, and seem to try something different every year! I do follow our district plan, but usually find I need to supplement with various other plans.  This year I think I have found the answer to the “wading.” In 2015, Jennifer Serravallo came out with “The Reading  Strategies Book.” Jennifer has done all the work in researching updated best practices  for teaching reading  of students from kindergarten through about 8th grade. This book has already proven to me to be invaluable as an educator of young readers. 

I love the Serravallo books! Can you tell I get a lot out of both her writing and reading strategies books???? 

Serravallo includes 13 goals matched with the levels of readers from A-Z. The beginning couple of goals  give strategies for emergent readers and how to gain full engagement in reading.  Most of our first graders come to us with beginning reading skills. Our Kinder teachers do a great job of promoting interest in reading and  beginning those engagement skills.  We do work on stamina and staying focused on our selections.  The goal I was most interested in, which Serravallo covers next, is “Print Work.”  In this unit, Serravallo gives 23 different strategies for helping kids figure out words when they get stuck. Hooray!!!  Thank you!!!

I have picked out the ones I think will “meet my readers where they are,” and created little visuals to remind them.  I decided to make them mini-poster sized and also bookmark sized. In addition I have included some supplemental charts and quick formative assessments.

 

I am sharing this new packet with you because I have a feeling you may be looking for a concise, complete collection of strategies with which to work on with your kids. Just know this packet only covers one of the 13 goals Serravallo describes in her book. And to get the full lesson ideas to go along with each of these strategies, you really have to get the book! Mine is already "dog-eared and sticky noted!!!" 

If you are interested in this packet, simply CLICK HERE for the free download!! :)

Hope these help you in your journey to teach little ones about the joys of reading!!  Have a great week, everyone!!!  As always, thanks for stopping by our little window on wonder!!  

Joyfully!

Nancy

firstgradewow@gmail.com

Read Between the Lines

Hello Everyone!
I am quickly sharing a mini unit on Inferencing...or as we like to call it, "Reading Between the Lines!"
Teaching young readers to infer before, during, and after reading can be tricky. By helping them make connections to their already present schema, asking questions, reading between the lines, looking for clues, etc., kids can be aware of the power of inferring.

Some simplified ideas for teaching inference include the following:

*We need to find clues to get some answers.

*We need to add those clues to what we already know or have read.

*There can be more than one correct answer.

*We need to be able to support inferences.

It is suggested that teachers pose four questions to students to help young readers discuss  inferences.

What is my inference?
This question helps students become aware that they may have just made an inference by filling in information that wasn’t necessarily in the text.

What information did I use to make this inference?
It's important for students to understand the various types of information they use to make inferences. This may include information from the text, or it may be schema, background knowledge, that a student brings to the text, or some other source.

How good was my thinking?
It has been suggested that once students have decided on where the answers to their questions come from (inferences), they can engage in the most powerful part of the process.

 Do I need to change my thinking?
The final step in the process is for kids to think about the fact that their thinking changes, and to be aware of that. 

We have to remember that we shouldn’t tell students their thinking is wrong, but rather to help them develop the habit of continually changing their thinking as they gather new information. Think about thinking! :)

Here are a couple of posters I quickly made to give my kids a visual of what it means to infer. 

 Practice inferring by writing a short mini story. Have kids come up with an inference!  Of course have kids get the idea by wearing slatted shades.  They will really be "reading between the lines!!

Can you believe this little guy wore this shirt today????  Perfect!!!

I know this has helped my kids think about their thinking!!I have this little unit which includes some pencil paper activities as well as the posters. 

If you think you might need this, you can simply CLICK HERE!! :) No Inferencing needed!

Well, thanks for stopping by for a peek through this little window.  It has already been a crazy busy month already!  But I'll be back soon!  As always, don't forget to leave a little comment! 

Have a great rest of the week!!

Joyfully!

Nancy

Math Fun, Synthesizing , and Baby Chicks! Oh My!

Hello Everyone!
Lots to share tonight! We have had so much "springtime learning fun" in math.  Last week I shared about a mini lesson in game form that we played on the lifesized 120 board with some wind-up chicks. Well, we got out the wind up bunnies this week.  We played a similar game yesterday, but today we shook things up a bit and included a chick and a bunny! The kids wound up the little hoppers and when each landed on two numbers, we had to first tell about greater and less than, but then we had to use different strategies to tell the difference.  It wasn't long before they realized that using the base ten model, finding the difference was easy!!  They thought they we were done with the problem after that, but noooo!  With a little hint from a fellow blogger (Pauline at Firstgradebythesea), I incorporated some movement into the scenerio!  After finding the difference, the kids had to hop or do that many jumping jacks!! Phew! One set of numbers had a difference of 41... the kids were pooped!! Here are a few pics!

You can get hopping chicks and bunnies at the Dollar Tree!! Make the 120 board on a shower curtain!! We've used ours all year!!

Now on to synthesizing.  I posted a couple of days ago about teaching kids about synthesizing while they are reading.  I introduced the concept using "The Little Island," and lots of discussion. We learned about the fact that we need to use our schema and our new thinking together to understand what our text selection is about. The kids had to take notes during the reading and then write what they thought the story was about using all of their new thinking.  They did a great job!!

 We continued today with synthesis focusing on the language of synthesis. We practiced synthesizing again using another book (this time an expository text) and used the words that help us organize our thoughts.

The kids had little bookmarks with language reminders to help them during "Read to Someone" time for Daily 5.  Supporting each other was important. Practice with this skill is important. Practice makes permanent!  You can get these little visual reminders.  CLICK HERE!! :) 

for your free printables.

Now, I promised the kids I would take pics of the new baby chicks that just hatched today so that moms and dads could see them.  We've been studying the life cycles of animals, finishing up this week.  We've also been waiting patiently for our school wide chick project to develop!  Tah! Dah!! Right on cue!! Happy Birthday to eight little babies!!! We love them already!!

They will be a huge inspiration when we start our poetry unit next week, I am sure!!

Well, thanks for hanging in there through this looooooong post, but I just had so much to share!!

Stay tuned, I've got some fun little math games for next week in the works!!

Thanks for stopping by for a peek!! You all are amazingly supportive!!

Have a great rest of the week!!

Joyfully!

Nancy