Back in Action

It's been a while sense I've posted anything. Last few months really flew by with wedding planning and a grad class. Whoops! I'm mostly going to post pictures here so you can see what I'm doing. I mean they do say "A picture's worth 1,000 words".

Anyway, here are some wedding pictures...

Full wedding party (minus one bridesmaid)

Walking down the Isle

On the way to the reception :)

First Dance

Cake Cutting

Tomorrow I get into my classroom... hopefully I will post more pictures then. Goodnight :)

Word Study...E-No!

We all know that word study is important. Words their way is a great program but the cut, sort, and paste routine can get old. I think it's important to mix in targeted word study activities (you know... all of those ideas at the back of each section of the book :)

Targeted word study activities are designed to using student miscues based on what they are "using but confusing" in their authentic writing. This is because asking a child to write a word requires lower order thinking skills then using the word in writing be a sentence... there is a lot more going on to write that sentence. Targeted activities are designed to come alongside students and provide reinforcement and extend students understanding.

For example students were aware of the long e sound but they were using but confusing some of the long e patters in their authentic writing. Here are some examples:

1. pecies (pieces)
2. neades (needles)
3. beileave (believe)
4. creem (cream)

To get technical these students are using the CVCe pattern correctly, but they are confusing CVVC patterns so they are in the middle within word stage.

So Back to E-No. E-No is like the popular game UNO, except that instead of using numbers this game uses words with the long e CVVC pattern.


Here are the  E-No Rules and here is the templet for the E-No Cards that I used for the activity.

Wow that was a lot more then I meant to write...
-Match Top

T-Shirt Book Reports

I have spent the past few days looking at teaching blogs and I and I was inspired to start a blog because well, hey my ideas are Pinterest worthy... or at lest I think they are! So here goes nothing. My blog will be mostly pictures because lets be realistic, who wants to read long descriptions of activities? Not me! BUT feel free to message me if you want more detail because I most likely have a full lesson plan to go along with the activity :)

So here goes...

Today's activity: T-Shirt Book Reports! (I saw a similar idea on Pinterest)

This is my example for Ed Young's, Lon PoPo (Sorry I'm not a great artist :)

This is the front:

And this is the back:

This is how it works:

• Students Pick a book and read it
• They decorate a T-Shirt with a picture that encourages others to read the book but doesn't give away the ending
• They make a billboard add for the book on the back of the t-shirt
• Everyone wears their shirt to school!

I love this activity because it promotes choice, kids get really invested in their book and they get to share it with their classmates :)

Thats all for now
-Match Top