S'More From the AP
Week Ending October 23, 2015
Phonics - Tapping Out With Tiles by Mrs. Eason
There has been a lot of tapping in first grade, and it is not with our feet. We are tapping with our fingers. Tapping Out With Tiles is a new phonics program we started this year. It is a hands-on systematic approach that helps the children with letter identification and sound identification. The lessons are spiraled in a way to ensure and increase understanding, mastery, and challenge.
The children tap the sounds they hear in a word. Each child has a mat and a bag for their letter tiles. The children get the tiles as they are introduced. It is 100% hands-on.
The program begins by introducing two consonant letters at a time and you work with that sound a few days. The consonants are introduced with a mouth position card and the children position their mouth like the card. Then say the sound. For example, “The Pushers” are p and b. They are called “Pushers” because your mouth makes the same position for both sounds. All of the consonants tiles are red. Vowel tiles are yellow tiles and are bright like light bulbs because they light the way for words to be spelled. You cannot spell a word without a vowel and this helps the children who aren’t there yet realize that there has to be two colors of tiles to make a word.
When we tap out a word we say, “Class, echo the word “pat.” After they echo “pat”, I say “Fingers up, tappers together.” Everyone holds up their hand in the beginning position (thumb and index finger touching). I ask what is the first sound you hear in “pat”? The students say /p/ and I tell them to tap their thumb and index finger as they make the /p/sound. What sound do you hear next? /a/ Tap your long (middle) finger and thumb and say /a/. What sound did you hear last? /t/ Tap your ring finger and say /t/.
After we have tapped out a word, we are ready to spell the word. When we spell the words I tell the children it is very important that they pull down the letters in the spelling area in the correct order. I will ask the children for the first sound they heard in the word “pat”. They will say /p/ and pull that tile down.
I will ask what they hear next in “pat” The children will say /a/ and pull that tile down. I will ask them if /a/ is a consonant or a vowel and what area of the tile board they found it. Then I will ask them what was the last sound you heard in “pat”. The children will say /t/ and pull that tile down. Then everyone reads the word.
It has been exciting to see the children “tap” out their words in reading, writing and spelling.
The Principal Ponders
First grade is tapping their way to master spellers, readers, and writers! “Tapping” actually happened by accident. I wanted to buy my 1st grade niece, Lily, some books at our book fair last spring. I texted my sister-in-law to ask what kind of books Lily was reading. I knew she read well, but I wasn’t quite sure what her “just right” level would be. Being the life-long teacher that I am I asked, “Do you know her DRA score/level?” She didn’t know it off hand, but said she would ask her teacher. When I received her response a few hours later, my sister-in-law said Lily’s DRA level was a 34. I though about it for a minute….and then another minute….and then another. THEN, I had to go check myself, check my brain (which y’all can attest, has had some memory issue lately!), and make sure I was recalling the levels correctly. I wasn’t wrong this time – it really was a 3rd grade level. Again, she was in 1ST GRADE at the time!
Of course, I just assumed I had a super-intelligent niece who was obviously taking after her favorite aunt. J But then, her teacher contacted me about “Tapping Out With Tiles.” It just so happens that her teacher, Stephanie Lynch, was one of the authors of the program. So fast forward…..I scheduled a visit to see the program in action. Erin Walter, Linda Eason , and Lisa Stern accompanied me to Purefoy Elementary in Frisco to experience “Tapping” for the first time. Now granted, this was the end of the school year, but these first graders were spelling words, using the correct vocabulary, such as diphthong and blend, forming past and future tense words with complete understanding – it was amazing!
We got to spend some time talking with Stephanie after the lesson. I wanted to be sure it was the program, and not just my super-intelligent niece, that was the reason for all this incredible learning. Stephanie informed us that her entire class was either at or above grade level – wow!
So that’s how OSE 1st graders became “tappers!” Kindergarten students will begin “Tapping” after Christmas and 2nd grade will start next year. And it’s making a difference in 1st grade already! Look at just a few of these success stories:
· A 1st grader who only knew 3 letters last year, made 100 on a 10-word spelling test. You can stop her and ask her to spell a word and she will “tap” it out for you! She even spelled the word fantastic for Lisa Stern this week!
· A 3rd grade Special Ed. student who has made no progress with the specialized reading program utilized by special ed is making progress for the first time in 2 years!
It is so exciting to see the difference the program is making….and only after such a short time! I can’t wait to see what kind of readers these kids are going to be when they get to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade!
If you are wanting to know more about what “Tapping” is all about, talk to any of the 1st grade or Kinder teachers, Lisa Stern, or Kelly Brooks. They have all had the training and can fill you in. Better yet – stop by one of their rooms during a “Tapping” lesson! You will BE and LEAVE amazed!
Worth Reading
Worth Watching - Get The Kleenex!
Tech Corner
Zen Habits is blog that features articles related to finding simplicity in our daily lives. It is one of the top 25 blogs and top 50 websites in the world, with more than a million monthly readers. Zen Habits features a couple powerful articles a week on simplicity, health & fitness, motivation and inspiration, frugality, family life, happiness, goals, getting great things done, and living in the moment. Check it out - link is below.