Literacy

-Reading
-Guided Reading
-Writer's Workshop
-Spelling

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reading
The components or the reading approaches are:

-Modeled Reading: The teacher reads aloud
-Shared Reading: The students read together with the teacher
-Guided Reading: See below
-Independent Reading: The student reads alone with little or no support from teacher
-Collaborative Reading: The student reads with a partner
-Performance Reading: The teacher watches the student read

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guided Reading
Guided Reading allows each student the opportunity to read at a level that is challenging to them individually and at the same time not frustrating. Students are in flexible, changing, reading groups and lessons are built around books chosen specifically for that group.

While I instruct a small group of students, the rest of the class participates in literacy centers where students cooperate with others to accomplish a given goal. Below are some of the centers students participate in.

-Reading Center
-ABC Center
-Writing Center
-Poetry Center
-Word Work/Study Center
-Pocket Chart Center
-Listening Center
-Art Center
-Game Center
-Integrated Studies Center
-Math Center
-Compuer Center

The following reading strategies are the basis of Guided Reading.
Parents and Teachers may utilize them when reading with children.

-Tell the child to look at the picture. You may tell the child the word is something that can be seen in the picture, if that is the case.

-Tell the child to look for chunks in the word, such as it in sit, at in bat, or and and ing in standing.

-Ask the child to get his/her mouth ready to say the word by shaping the mouth for the beginning letter.

-Ask the child if the word looks like another word he/she knows. Does cow look like how?, for example.

-Ask the child to go on and read to the end of the sentence. Often by reading the other words in context, the child can figure out the unknown word.

-If the child says the wrong word while reading, ask questions like:
        Does it make sense?
        Does it sound right?
        Does it look right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writer's Workshop
Each day students will participate in writer's workshop. We will be focusing on finding ideas (small snapshots) to write about and adding details to those snapshots.

The components of writer's workshop are:

-Mini-Lesson: A lesson directed by the teacher to teach the conventions of writing
-Writing Time: Students write small moments while the teaacher conferences with students
-Sharing Time: Students share work in progress with either small groups or the entire class and listeners respond

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spelling
Students choose their own spelling words from the Dolch High Frequency Word List and will progress through these lists at their own pace. Please look for your child to bring home their spelling words on a green sheet of paper. The list will come home in students' Tuesday Folders. Please set aside time each week to study with your child. Spelling Tests will be given on Fridays by spelling buddies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~