On Friday, my thought was “What am I going to do next week!?!”
The four day week completely threw me for a loop last week so I got all out of whack when it was Friday and it was supposed to be Thursday.
Next week, we are going to do be reading Rhyming Dust Bunnies and I am so excited! I created this resource over the summer and have been busting at the seems to pull it out. We are going to be making Dust Bunny pens on Friday and the kiddos are going to be searching for rhyming words with their little dust bunnies. I think we are at the point that I can release them a bit. I have an awesome group this year so I feel like we are ready for this!
Fingers crossed.
We are still chugging right along with Handwriting Without Tears. We are going to be putting our writing folders together in the next couple of weeks. I had a lot of “How do you make that letter?” at the beginning of the year. HWT is quickly solving that problem for me. We are taking it two letters a day, but the resources that accompany this program are amazing and it is so age appropriate. Love, love, love it!
As you can see, we are still going to be labeling this week. Some of the plans that were there last week magically appear this week because we may or may not have gotten to everything I planned on (oops). My lesson plans do not look like this on Friday. There are a lot of notes to myself, arrows and crossing out that happens. I should show you an example on Friday 🙂 It starts out pretty but ends up a scribble-ly mess.
Math is still a lot of number sense instruction. How to make the numbers. How to represent numbers differently..etc.We are going to briefly talk about shapes.
We are Wednesday Word Problem-ing it again this week. Last week, we did two and they did great so
I am also going to be starting math tub rotations for the first time. I am thinking that I am just going to stick their number next to their literacy stations and they are going to keep their same partner. I used to have a math tub partner and a literacy station partner, but why change it and use more room to organize?
Isn’t it nice to not be a new teacher sometimes and you just magically gain sense and reason?
As we are learning how to use our “helping hand” this week, I will let you know what books and ideas I use as I introduce each skill. Here is the helping hand we are going to be using this year. I worked with my team and my literacy coach to tweek our old one. Here is the new one.
I copy this on colored card stock and laminate it for each student. They keep it in their book bag all year. I prefer it because it’s tactile and if they don’t have this hand in front of them, then they can use their own hand and visualize what’s on each finger. I know a lot of people use the animals to help give cues to their students, but I have always used the hand. The other reason I prefer the hand is the order. I want students to do these steps in order. First, you get your mouth ready and say the first sound. Second, you check the picture. If you still can’t figure it out, skip it and read the rest of the sentence and then go back and re-read to see if you can figure it out. Lastly, does it look right, sound right and make sense?
As I introduce the “Helping Hand” this week, we take a lot of time to work on each component. I have a poster sized version of it that we will use to do shared reading activities. I use Level A or B (DRA 1) to work on these skills and act like I am a Kindergarten Reader. I dramatize a bit to make it fun.
What are your tips and tricks for little readers?
Enjoy what’s left of your weekend!
I loved seeing your lesson plans for the week and hearing about how other teachers have to cross out and move things in their plans too! It’s hard to get it all in sometimes!
Lori
Conversations in Literacy
I feel ya girl! I love getting to see other plans as well. I don’t always put every activity in there because sometimes it’s a game time decision ;0)
I do the same thing with my lesson plans. By the end of the week, they do not look pretty anymore. 🙁 Hope you have a great week!!
Hugs,
Amanda
Mrs. Pauley’s Kindergarten
I just choose what I think is the most valuable. I can’t get it al in but I’ve always been an over planner!
Your dust bunnies unit looks so fun! I secretly hope that some day I get to teach K! All the activities look so fun!!
Jess
The Teacher Talk
We did dust bunnies today and it was so fun! The kids thought they were hilarious. I hope you get to teach K someday too! It’s so fun 🙂
I love your hand for reading! I use a similar tool using the animal strategies that are all around the blogging world and TPT – I just made a bookmark for them to keep in their reading bags. Same idea!
Sara
Primary Buzz
I like the animals but sometimes I feel like its obscure for my kiddos so we just stick with the hand in K. I think that first grade teachers use both at my school…not sure though 🙂
OMG- you are so organized. I want to be you. 🙂
xo
Learning With Mrs. Leeby
Lol…yeah right! I feel like that about you!!!
I just started math stations this week too! Good luck 🙂 Mine did pretty good today haha!
Have a good week!
Miss M
The Fabulous First Grade