I am looking forward to the year ahead. This blog will be one way that I share with you what we are accomplishing in the classroom. I usually update this blog with quotes, photos, and slideshows from special events throughout the year. This will also be a place where I can post great articles to share that I believe parents might be interested in reading.
Please be sure to check out
Recess Before Lunch Can Mean Happier, Healthier Kids
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin389.shtml
Beginning this year we will be having outside recess beginning at 11:50. Then we will have lunch at 12:30. This will enable us to be in the cafeteria with far fewer students. Research also supports this as a positive switch in the schedule.
Reading Program - Daily 5
During our reading time this year, second grade will be doing "The Daily Five" program. The term "The Daily Five" refers to the five choices that the students will be able to choose once the program is up and running (more info. on the 5 choices below). Each school day we will spend around one hour working with The Daily Five. First, we will do a whole group lesson on topics including reading strategies, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and writing. After our whole group lesson, students will break up into groups of no more than four students and do 2-3 sessions of Daily Five choices. During the group time, I will also be pulling students to work in small groups or sometimes individually on reading skills and assessments.
Five Choices
1. Read to Self - Students will get their book baskets (full of good-fit books of their choice) or choose from our classroom library, find a comfortable spot in the classroom, and will read to themselves. "Children reading to themselves is the first step in Daily Five and is the foundation for creating independent readers and writers. On the surface--like all of the components in Daily Five--Read to Self seems basic and simple. However, we have found that specific teaching techniques can make Read to Self a powerful tool for enhancing all literacy skills." (The Daily 5 p.46)
2. Read to Someone - Students will pair up with a partner. They will both get their book baskets, find a comfortable spot in the classroom, and will take turns reading to each other. One student will act as the "reader" and the other student will act as the "Checker" and will re-tell what was read by the "reader" - this skill is called "check for understanding". "Reading with someone helps readers, especially developing readers, become more self-sufficient and less reliant on the teacher for assistance. Research shows that taking turns while reading increases reading involvement, attention, and collaboration." (The Daily 5 p. 60) Children LOVE to Read to Someone, and why not, they have a friend with them who will listen to them and discuss their reading.
3. Work on Writing - Students will get their Daily 5 journal and write about different topics (some of their choice and some of mine). "The writing component of the Daily Five provides additional support children require to become effective writers. Its purpose is to provide daily writing practice." (The Daily Five p. 80)
4. Listen to Reading - Students will sit with iPads and listen to books read to them while they follow along. Listening to Reading is valuable for developing fluency and vocabulary.
5. Word Work - Students will use different means to create words, play with words, and practice using their spelling words based on that week's Words Their Way word sort. This will help in preparation for each Friday's spelling test. "Creating and maintaining a time during each literacy block to focus on words is critical to developing readers, writers and communicators." (The Daily Five p.85)
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