Reading Challenges and What We Learned This Week

Reading Challenge #1:
Here are some pictures of readers in our class reading outside of school this week!  Please continue to send in pictures of your kids reading!

Colton and his baby brother reading!

Sadie Mae reading!

Hudson and his brother reading! 

Reading Challenge #2: 

For next week's reading challenge I am going to be starting something new in the classroom with our kids.  We tend to have "favorite" books in the class that the kids want to read over and over again!  I am going to start a traveling book bag.  If the kids want to bring home some of their favorite books from our classroom they will sign up on our calendar to take a few of their favorite books for the night!  Your child will bring them home and you can read them together.  These will be great bedtime stories that your child can enjoy listening to and reading with you!  I will also put in a little journal so you can write down anything you want about your experience.  You could write about what you did, your child's favorite book, if you reenacted the book together, your child could draw a picture of their favorite part or anything that you noticed!  This is supposed to be an enjoyable experience for you and your child focused around books!  If you don't get to the journal that is not a problem!  Just read and enjoy :)  The next day you will send the bag and books back for your child to share what you wrote, drew, did or you can even send pictures of you all reading together!  What a great reason to take a selfie!  I hope many of you will encourage your children to sign up to bring home some of their favorite books!

What We've Been Learning

Morning Message: I can help read and write the morning message.

Each morning we start our day by reading the morning message.  Letters and words are left out so the students have to think about what is missing and what would make sense to go there.  This also helps students understand that reading should make sense.    

Filling in missing letters

Interactive Writing:  I can share something with the class and write it down with help from my friends, my teacher and the classroom. 

Each day the line leader gets to share some news that they want to write down with the class.  The person who shares their "news" writes in one color and I write in another color to help students write the parts they aren't sure of yet.

  The person sharing the news points to their writing after, so we can read it all together.  

WIN (What I Need): I can read, write and create.

During this time of day Mrs. Miller and I read and write with students.  Other students are in groups where they write, read with a partner, listen to books and use Stem bins to create.  

Using plastic cups to create and build

 Partner reading

 Listening to books

 Using plastic cups to build a car

Independent Reading: I can read information in stories and determine the importance.

Independent reading is a very important time of our day.  This is a time where students read books that are just right for them to try out reading strategies that we have been learning in other parts of our day.  They also get to read poems that we have learned and books that they are interested in during this time.  

Sharing after reading

Writing: I can write a story about my opinion.

This week we have been talking about opinion writing and have been writing opinions about different topics.  The kids are learning that they have to state their opinion and then give as many reasons as they can think of for why they have that opinion. We have also talked about what to do if you finish early.  

 Using the room to find words to help us write

Chart of things we can do if we finish early

Literacy Centers: I can work with people in my center to grow as a writer, reader, and as a mathematician. 
The major focus in literacy centers is to get students engaged with reading and writing.  We learn to read and write by reading and writing.  Everything that goes into literacy centers have been learned together during other times of the day.

 Reading with a friend to learn about Groundhog's Day

Using a magnifying glass to find words that we know and then recording them

Math: I can use objects to subtract. 

This week we finished up our chapter on subtraction.  

Math around the Smartboard

 Students write and move objects 

 Moving into math groups 

 Others are in math tubs: subtraction smash 

 Disappearing train

 Plus or minus game

Dice subtraction

Social Studies: I can identify historical figures.

This week we learned about American figures including Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Harriet Tubman and Ruby Bridges.  We learned about them through books, newspaper articles, videos and working in our Social Studies book.  

 Learning about Harriet Tubman

 Learning about George Washington

What would you do if you were President?

Reading Challenge and What We've Been Learning

Reading Challenge!!

Reading each night is so important to help foster a love of reading and learning in your children.  It is also vital in helping them grow as readers!  So here is your challenge...take pictures of your child reading in many different settings, times of day and with a variety of people!  You can email the pictures or send them in.  I am hoping that I can use some of these pictures and add them to our blog.  We want everyone to know how important reading is to the Learning Lambs and their families!  Happy reading :) 

What We've Been Learning...

Phonics:  I can make words by replacing and substituting letters.

This week we have used the Smartboard to show how we can build different words with the same letters.  We have learned how to change the beginning, middle and ending sounds in words to make new words.

 Using letters to build words 

Adding letters to build new words

Sight Words:  I can learn new sight words.

We have so much fun learning our new sight words.  The best way to learn new words is to read!  When we see words in text, in meaningful contexts, it is easier to pick them up.  We also play a lot of games to learn them.  Some of the games include playing Body Spell on GoNoodle, read-say-cover-write, hangman, word search and fly swatter. 

 Spelling words with our bodies

Body Spell (GoNoodle)

Reading:  I can create the picture in my head while I read.

Reading is all about making meaning.  We have been working on listening to stories and trying to create a picture in our heads.  We have also spent time in independent reading to see if what we pictured in our heads after reading matched what the illustrator drew.  

Drawing pictures to match words (what they pictured in their heads)

 Choosing books to read that are "just right"

 Independent reading

Choosing books that interest us

Writing:  I can write a story about my opinion.

This week we started to write our own opinions.  We wrote about if we liked school or not and what we like best-cookies or ice cream.  Ask your child what their opinion was.  

Writing Workshop

 Using the room to help us write words

Hard at work

Math:  I can use math symbols to make a number sentence.

This week we really dove into subtraction.  We are learning how to use symbols (minus sign and equals sign) to represent our subtraction story.  Since we celebrated the 100th day of school this week we also spent time reading our clues to have other students guess what 100 things were in our bag.  The kids did a great job with this and they loved it!!

Clues for our 100 bag

Guided Reading:  I can use what strategies I have learned to help me become a better reader.

Guided reading is a time for Mrs. Miller and I to call groups of students to our table, based on their reading needs, to read books with us.  The books are a little above their independent reading level and require some help to read.  We read these books at school each day and then send them home so they can continue to practice out their strategies.  

 Whisper phones help us hear ourselves read

Pointing to the words to make sure what we say matches the text

Literacy Centers:  I can work with people in my center to grow as a reader, a writer and as a mathematician. 

Literacy centers occur during guided reading time.  While students are working together in literacy centers Mrs. Miller and I pull kids to our table to read.  Literacy centers are used to reinforce and practice what we have been working on and learning.

 Putting known poems together and then reading them

 Pointing to words in known poems while they read

 Using a magnifying glass to find sight words and then recording them

 Writing their opinions to what their favorite center was

 Math memory 

 Looking at pictures and then building the words with magnetic letters

Using highlighter tape to find known words in big books