Literacy News
December 2015
Literacy Leader Update Meeting
Greetings Colts! I hope you guys are feeling Merry and Bright...this is my favorite time of the year and I can't wait to kick off December.
The week before break, I attended an update meeting and was given a few ideas to help promote Explainitory Writing across the grade levels. Rumor has it that this is going to be our focus for dare I say the word....STAAR.
Here are the ideas that were demonstrated, keep in mind we are trying to keep the genre fun and interesting ;-)
1. 6 Things You Should Know About Me. Have the students generate a list and then select one idea to elaborate on.
2. I Was a Witness. The students will list 3 things they have witnessed and then choose one idea to explode.
3. Three Truths and One Lie- After they have created their list, have the class determine which experience is the lie. Then, the class can help the author choose the most interesting idea to write about.
3a. Email me before 4:00pm (12/01) today and tell me your favorite writing lesson from this newsletter and you will get a Jeans Pass.
4. 3 Thing That Bug Me- This would be interesting to see what the students come up with.
As you present the ideas to the students remember to model your own list to help the students brainstorm topics/ideas. Have fun!
Book of the Month
Off Campus Dates
12/4- I will be out 1/2 for a Writing Meeting
12/11- All day ELAR Training
Upcoming Dates
MOY TPRI is right around the corner. K-2 will begin on January 4th, that is the first day we come back from Christmas Break.
Dyslexia, the Hidden Disability
Ever wonder why a dyslexic students struggles with spelling test .. here is something to think about.
1. Hear the word
2. Remember the word
3. Unblend the word into sounds
4. Keep the sounds in sequence
5. Determine the sounds/symbol relationship
6. Discriminate between similar sounds
7. Apply applicable rules i.e.. not/note
8. Write the letters in sequence
9. Repeat steps 1-9 for the next word
Remember it takes anywhere from 5-1500 repetition's for a dyslexic student to produce a word automatically.
Fun Links
Letter Writing to Santa. Sign up your class and they can mail a letter to Santa!
Short kid friendly Christmas Poems
http://www.coolest-holiday-parties.com/short-christmas-poems.html
Run-on Lessons and anchor charts
http://caffeineandlessonplans.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/conjunctions-and-compound-sentences.html