Leap Into Literacy
Grade 1
Reading Strategy
Drop the Finger when reading!
As soon as students train their eyes to track print, (around level C), they should no longer be pointing to words. We don't want this practice to develop into a bad habit. Celebrate students who read without pointing: "Congratulations! You’ve trained your eyes! You don’t need your finger anymore, just read it with your eyes. You’ll be able to read so much more quickly, and smoothly, and with better expression! All of this will help you understand your books even better!”
Explain that now they use their finger only when reading gets a little tricky. It can help them cover up parts of a word or find their spot.
Writing Strategy
Tips For Getting Started With Opinion Writing
- Define opinion for students
- Introduce opinion writing by activating students’ thinking about a topic or book
- Model the language
- Give students opportunities to talk about their opinions
- Provide prewriting activities to prepare them for successful writing
- Provide Structures for Opinion Writing
Rate Your Writing
To help Kindergarten students begin to self-assess their writing, create a chart of pictures about the same topic. Add more detail to each picture. Then write a corresponding sentence for each picture. Rate the pictures 1-4. Discuss the qualities of each rating with the students. Invite the students to use the chart to assess their own work.
Suggested Opinion Mentor Texts
- Hey Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose
- My Brother Dan's Delicious by Steven L. Layne
- Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
- Earrings! by Judith Viorst
DOGO News
DOGO is a leading source for current events, news, and non-fiction texts across a variety of categories and grade levels. Students can discover articles of interest and post comments based on their reactions to the content, all within the confines of a kid-friendly ecosystem.
Speaking and Listening: 5 Ways to Help Students Listen
Check out these tactics for encouraging a deeper level of listening that also include student accountability:
- Say it Once
- Turn and Talk
- Student Hand Signals
- Pay Attention, Pause, Paraphrase
- Creating Questions