Differentiation

We are hitting that time of year when students become more aware of what other students around them are doing and not doing. Up to this point, they haven't really noticed when some students are doing different things than they are. There are two reasons for this:

1. The differentiation techniques that I have been using have not been very easy for a first grader to spot but they are becoming a bit more obvious.
2. They are becoming more aware of themselves and those around them and how they are the same and different.

I wanted to share with you how I deal with this so it could help you in your discussions with your child at home. I typically begin a crew discussion by asking what day they all lost their first tooth. They will look at me with confusion and explain that they don't all lose their first tooth on the same day and that some of them hadn't lost a tooth yet. I nod and then ask them what day they all learned to ride a two-wheeled bike. By this time a few of the crew will have figured out that I am making a point but others still need to straighten me out and explain things to me. Just to be sure I ask one more question about what day they all learned to walk. Now they all laugh and decide that I am being silly. This is when I talk to them about how we all do things at different times and in different ways and that this is completely normal. I then begin to talk about how this relates to learning to read, write and do math. I explain that we are all going to learn to do those things well but probably not on the exact same day. They usually seem to understand - but understanding something and feeling okay about it are two different things. We will continue to talk about this and how we all have different strengths and weaknesses but that we all continue to learn. You can help by reiterating this at home.

Important Dates
11/18-11/22 Climbing Week ~ Sign up to belay here: Fall Climbing 2019. Sign up for belay training here: Belay Training
11/18-11/22 Book Fair
11/25 Vision and Hearing Screenings
11/27-11/29 No School ~ Thanksgiving Break
12/6 Fieldwork to Joyous Chinese Cultural Center
12/20 Fieldwork to Pacific Ocean Market
12/23 Winter Break Begins 

Thoughts on Reading

Practicing Snap Words - Get Moving!

Today I wanted to share some ways that we are practicing our snap words at school. The crew loves to do this and it is a great body break in our day. (See? No worries. I am not torturing the crew by making them sit still all day.)  😀 There are three, super short videos below so you can see us doing each method. I couldn't get one of them to upload so there is a link to view it. If you get this post by email, you will need to click through to the blog to watch these videos. These would also be fun to try at home.

Snap Word Stretch
Choose a snap word and spell it. If the letter is a "tall" letter, stretch up to the ceiling. If the letter is a small letter, put your hands on your knees and bend down a little. If the letter hangs down low, flop over and put your hands on the floor (or close to it).

Snap Word Jog in Place
Choose a snap word and spell it while jogging in place and tapping alternate knees on each letter.

Snap Word Jog in Place

Dribble and Shoot Snap Words
Choose a snap word and spell it while making a dribbling motion on each letter. Say the word and shoot it into an imaginary basket at the end.

The Beat

Wow! Our crew did a fabulous job hosting the Beat this morning. As a crew we joked that I might need tissues because I might cry happy tears. I made it through without the tears but it was close. They truly did write their own lines (including using words like inspire and create and stress) and worked hard to memorize them. Thank you all for coming to support the crew. They truly appreciated it. I asked Ms. Lisa and a student from her crew to take pictures and video for us. The link to our photo album is below. Please feel free to upload any pictures you might want to share.

The Beat Photo Album

Snap Words

A little while ago I sent home an electronic copy of the snap words that we are learning in class.  Below are a few ideas of ways that you can practice readingl, writing and spelling these words with your child if you would like.

There are a couple of commercially made games that help provide practice with sight words like the games below but I know that they are many others that you could play on family game night:

There are several different levels available of this version.

You can also make up your own games with cards you make using index cards with the words your child is learning written on them. You could play Memory Match (Concentration), Go Fish, or other cards games. Here is a link to a large collection of games you can play with just index cards with the words written on them:

Sight Word Games 

You can also make the words using play dough, wikki stix, pipe cleaners or magnetic letters.

You can draw them on your driveway with sidewalk chalk and have your child jump on the word you call out or you could make a hopscotch board with the words in each box.

Your child could write them on the driveway with chalk or with water and a clean paintbrush.

There are also many apps and online games that will help your child learn to read and write sight words.

You can make up your own games, too. Anyway that you can make playing with these words fun and engaging is great!

After practicing them for a bit you might have a scavenger hunt and try to see how many of the words you can find in a book or see how many times you can find each word in a book. This will help your child see the words in context as well as in isolation.

Once your child can read the words, you can help them learn to spell the words.

Do this as much or as little as works for your child and for your family. We always want to keep any practice sessions light and fun. We want to encourage a love of reading and never want to make a child dread it. So if these games aren't fun, stop and go play outside.

Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Our current reading and writing units are both on nonfiction. We are all really enjoying learning and sharing new facts about a wide variety of topics. Below are some of the nonfiction books in our classroom at the moment. Ask your child to tell you a nonfiction fact he or she has learned recently.

Important Dates
11/6 Our crew hosts the Beat 9 am
11/11 No School ~ Professional Development Day for Teachers
11/18-11/22 Climbing Week ~ Sign up to belay here: Fall Climbing 2019. Sign up for belay training here: Belay Training
11/18-11/22 Book Fair
11/25 Vision and Hearing Screenings
11/27-11/29 No School ~ Thanksgiving Break
12/6 Fieldwork ~ More details coming soon
12/23 Winter Break Begins 

The Learning Challenge

This is an excellent video about the whole process of learning. I watch it again every year to help me get in the right mindset for teaching. I think you all will enjoy it, too.

The LearningChallenge

The Learning Challenge with James Nottingham from Challenging Learning on Vimeo.