Leap Into Literacy Kindergarten
December/January
Reading Workshop Unit 2 Reading Super Powers!
Kindergarten teachers encourage their young readers to call on super powers just like super heroes do! Show them that they can look and point and then read everything.
Prepare for a visit from "Readerman" and get ready for a personalized note and special power pointers to harness the power of 1-1 matching. Encourage readers by telling them that things will get hard and they will run into trouble, just like superheroes do. That's when we tap into out picture power, reading words in a snap and not giving up.
Books come to life as students learn to read with fluency, expression and drama. We retell books to others, talk about them, scoop up words, pay attention to punctuation and give the gift of reading to someone else by sharing it.
Aha moment!
Did you know that in levels A and B you aren't looking for accuracy from your students, but how well they one-to-one match and use the pictures? As soon as they control these behaviors move on up to that C!
*BAS assessment standards still stand for the official assessment.
How-To Writing
Students become the teachers in this fun, active, try-it-out unit as they learn procedural writing. Reading and writing is linked in this unit, as what your beginning writers learn will have payoffs for that child’s work as a reader.
Keep in mind that the information writing your children do during the writing workshop should be cross curricular as their how-to writing relates to science and social studies!
Students can strategically place their books by gifting them to local shops! "How to Give a Dog a Bath" can be shared with your local dog groomer! "How to Make Guacamole" can be shared with a local restaurant! What a way to teach students the power of a genuine audience!
I'm Done. What Should I Do Now?
If you hear this question all too often during the independent work portion of writing workshop, Leah Mermelstein in her book Self-Directed Writers, has a solution for making this time more productive for both students and teachers. Using a wealth of classroom anecdotes, student samples and specific teaching language, Leah illustrates how even the youngest students can become self-directed learners. Her explicit strategies include:
- creating an appropriate physical environment along with daily rituals and routines
- scaffolding instruction with Write Alouds and Interactive Writing
- planning units, focus lessons, conferences, and shares that are aimed at helping kids become self-directed.
Need More Nonfiction Texts?
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