Literacy Matters
April 2018 / CKLA Updates & Information
Thank You!
As we were in classrooms this month, we continued to be inspired by conversations and observations that indicate the desire to do what is best for your students. Thank you for trusting in the process and continuing to learn more about CKLA as this year continues. Below are a few shout-outs that demonstrate just a few of the great teachers we had the pleasure of seeing in schools the last month!
Shout-Out!
Morehead Elementary: Shout-out to Ms. Purdie for her fantastically engaging execution of the “sound hunt” activity. She had every single student thinking by using choral responses and circulating to check for accuracy. It’s clear that her students are learning quickly and loving it at the same time!
Monticello-Brown: Shout-out to Ms. Archer’s 1-2 combo class. She’s masterfully and purposefully incorporating movement into her discussion questions after students read from their decodables. Her use of mix-pair-share got students up and moving, thinking, and discussing with a partner on every single question. It was an awesome customization that led to greater student learning.
Jones Elementary: Shout-out to Ms. Richter. She maintained high expectations by asking students to work and think independently during the worksheets at the end of the lesson. Her support and questions, while she moved around the room, ensured the cognitive demand was squarely on the students during the “you do” part of the lesson. This allowed her to formatively assess who needed more support later in the day. Students were excited to show their knowledge and understanding of the day’s lesson and could be heard whispering their sounds as they wrote them on their page. Way to go!
How Can I Use TRC Question Stems?
While planning Listening & Learning lessons, consider consulting the “Reading 3D TRC Question Stems” located on Canvas (CKLA-Mclass Folder) to enhance any comprehension questions. One process for modifying stems in a Listening and Learning lesson is described below. This process could also be used when modifying questions for the readers in the Skills lessons.
Step 1: Determine Listening and Learning questions related to a TRC stem: (e.g. Inferential How do people prepare for the Chinese New Year?)
Step 2: Consult Question Stems document to find a way revise the question to more intentionally mimic the TRC stems. (e.g. How do people prepare for the Chinese new year? Provide two specific details to support your answer)
Step 3: Provide students with a space to draft a written response to this question, either before or after discussion, depending on goals for this lesson.
Kindergarten- How Do I Create a Tricky Word Wall?
You may have noticed that “sight words” aren't taught in CKLA as other programs teach them. This is because CKLA teaches the sound spelling of what are typically “sight words”, and if it’s not a sight word, it becomes a “tricky word” until students learn the spelling (though some words will always be tricky words, like “said”). Because of this, it’s important to display these “tricky words” for students using a tricky word wall. CKLA advises that the tricky words are in yellow to express caution, and that they are on the tricky word wall until students learn the spelling. At that time, you can move the word to a different word wall, if you choose, such as a high-frequency word wall. Click here for more information about CKLA Tricky Words.
Kindergarten- Sound Posters: What are they and how do they support student learning?
Grade 1- What Are Spelling Trees?
This material did not come in one of your many boxes! It’s actually something you create yourself on a poster, and so is often overlooked. Spelling Trees are a way to visually demonstrate the new sound spellings as your students learn them. Click Here to watch a first grade teacher using a spelling tree for Unit 5, lesson 4.
Grade 1- Vowel and Consonant Flip Books and Individual Code Charts: What are they and how do they support my students learning?
Note: the colors on the spelling cards and the color of the highlighting students do in their individual code charts are intentional!
- All vowel sounds are written/highlighted in green to signal to students that the mouth is wide open, letting the air go.
- The consonant sounds are in red to signal that when saying a consonant sound parts of the mouth touch or are closed, stopping some of the air.
- The r-controlled vowel sounds are written in a different color, blue, to show that they are a combination of a vowel sound and a consonant sound.