Reading strategies, SWR, and more

Has your child told you about Eagle Eye, Stretchy Snake, Skippy Frog, or Chunky Monkey yet? If not, ask him/her to tell you about them! Each of these characters represents a strategy students can use when stuck on a word while reading. Eagle Eye=Check the picture for clues; Stretchy Snake=Stretch the sounds in the word; Skippy Frog=Skip over the tricky word, read on, and then go back and reread; Chunky Monkey=Divide the word into smaller parts to try to figure it out, then blend it back together. We've practiced these strategies through our reading mini-lessons, read to self time, and then again during our sharing circle (as seen below).

 

Now that Miss Dube has taken over the first part of our SWR mini-lesson,  I could get a photo of Echo the Eagle and part of a whole-group lesson. SWR is our spelling/word study program, and we do lots of activities, but we begin each mini-lesson with sound and red word practice.

Routines are much more fun with a puppet!

Students practiced one of this week's SWR skills--names begin with an uppercase letter--using whiteboards and each other's names. 

Ask your child if he/she has shared during our Share Time. I hope to have everyone share each week. It's a wonderful way to share what's going on in our lives and to practice speaking and listening skills. Everyone should know his/her share day, but if not, please let me know!  

I love seeing creative uses for things in our classroom, and Emily block name is definitely creative! I love how she made it stand up!