Fall Fun CGI

Hello Kinder Tribe Friends! This is Meghan from Meghan's Pad. Are you having a hard time starting your CGI groups?  Do your kiddos long for math group?  Do you Kinders want to practice CGI during independent time?  Well, I am able to answer yes to all of these questions!

Wait, what?  I for one was having a hard starting my math groups this year.  I wanted group time to be fun, engaging, and something that the children would want to come to.  After much thought, I came up with the perfect solution.....CGI games!

My kiddos now love math group AND ask to play this game during free choice!

This is how it works:

You have the choice of 3 different game boards AND 3 different levels of cards.  Since our focus this month was on addition, the game cards are only join result unknown (JRU), but each set focuses on different sums (to 10, crossing the decade, and to 20).

During group, I call the kiddos to my table.  Player 1 goes first by picking a card.  We read the card together and everyone solves the math story (I make sure to have cubes, whiteboards, fun counters, etc.).  Once everyone has solved the math story, Player 1 says there answer.  If someone got a different answer we talk about how we solved it, and then solve it together.  If Player 1 got the answer correct, they roll the die and move that many spaces.  The game continues with each player picking a card and solving the math story.

If you are interested in the game, you can pick it up for free here.

Here are a few pictures of the game.  I hope you all enjoy!  What do you do to engage and encourage problem solving in math?

 

Beginning of the Year Centers

We spend much of the beginning of the year working on routines and assessments, along with building foundational skills that will help our students become successful throughout the year.

When we think of what we want our students to do academically by the end of the year, our answers may vary, but over all we want them to read and solve simple math facts.  But how do we get them there?  In short, we need to pick apart skills that will help lead them to the end result.  What are these skills, you may ask?

In the area of literacy, we take the reading skill and break it down into smaller skills.  These skills include reading strategies, word knowledge, alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness. So now on to the question of, what to do now with your students that will help with the goal of reading.  Here are some of my favorite centers that I use during this time to build these skills.

Alphabet:





This is created by Bonnie Kathryn Teaching.  Click here to view this product in her TPT store. This is a great center for children during this time of the year.  Children can work on these independently while you pull kids up for assessing.





Other alphabet center that I like to use include Alphabet UNO, Candy Land, Clip games and sorts.  I like to use games as a way to engage students.  They are not only learning and practicing fluency, they are having fun and ask to play it often.

Here are the images to the products.

                       

Phonological Awareness

Other centers that I like to introduce at this time include syllables and segmenting words.  I will often do these activities as a whole group or small group and then add them to our center collection.

My students love these centers.  The more that they can manipulate words and sounds, the more they are able to remember, engage, and use these skills.  Some of our favorite centers include Snap and Count Syllables by the Reading Mama and syllable clips, syllable cards and segmenting cards.

        

Reading Strategies:

I begin to talk about reading strategies during our small group shared reading time (This is a requirement from my district).  When it came time to teach these skills, I wanted it to be fun, engaging, and interactive.  I was searching for something that would help.  I came across this by Deanna Jump.  It had everything that I was looking for, and once I started using it, the kids loved it and therefore were able to recall may strategies when reading books at their level.

Please click this link to check this resource out in her TPT store!

The beginning of the year can be filled with stress, preparation, meetings, assessments, and getting to know your students (not necessarily in the that order).  It is important that we all remember to build on each student's knowledge, and help to build a strong foundation for each.

I hope you are all having a great start to the school year!

What skills do you focus on during this time of the year?  What are your "Must Do" centers or activities?

Twas the Night Before Kindergarten...

Twas the night before Kindergarten, and all through the house, not a dry eye was found, not even in a hound....

As I am gearing up to send my daughter to Kindergarten this year, I find the beginning of this story all too familiar.  Though I am a month away from my daughter starting Kindergarten, I can't help but think of what I can do to help her transition to her new school, her "big kid school," as she calls it.  

We have spent our summer reading many books, some about Kindergarten, and some not.  One of the books that I have included on our library is the classic, The Kissing Hand.  Each year, I have made the choice to read this book to my new class of Kindergartners on the the first day (along with many more books about Kindergarten and school).  Since this is the first book I read to my new class, I decided to include it in my summer letter to my kids and their families.  In the letter I introduce myself, and then invite them to check out at the local library, or listen to The Kissing Hand online (you tube) the night before the first day.  Once they have read the book, they use the temporary heart tattoo, that was included in my letter, to place in their hand (they can do the palm--rubs off easily, or on the back of their hand).  I tell the parents/families to kiss the tattoo before their child goes to school, and their kiss will be their child all day.  


Since starting this, I have many children come with their hearts on, and occasionally I will see them rubbing or holding the heart.  I find that it has helped not only the child, but also the families. 

I know for certain that not only will my daughter be adorning the heart tattoo on the first day, but I will be too.  

Please feel free to use this idea.  I will include the link to the the heart tattoos here.

Have a great start to the year!!!

Teacher's ABC's of Summer

We all work so hard throughout the year, and know that it doesn’t stop when the bell rings on the last day.  So I thought it would be fun to create an ABC list just for teachers to enjoy over the summer.  Here we go…

In case the image is too little, here is my list

A- Alcohol (sorry this was the first thing popped into my head for A),  Amazon

B- Bathroom (using it whenever we want!)

C- Cleaning (our classrooms), creating

D- Dollar Tree

E- Errands (anytime, anywhere)

F- Family, Fun

G- Going to the zoo, store, mall, lunch...

H- Hanitizer anyone?

I- Ice Cream Sundaes (morning, noon and night)

J- "Just Because" visits

K- Kicking back

L- Learning (PD and from others)

M- Michael’s

N- No Alarm Clock

O- Organizing

P- Planning (for next year), pool

Q- Quiet

R- Rest, Relaxing

S- Searching TPT

T- Target (Dollar Spot)

U- Using the stove to make lunch (no microwaves)

V- Vacations

W- www.Pinterest.com

X- eXtra time fro whatever you want

Y- You can’t remember what day it is

Z- Zzzzz’s

I hope you are all enjoying your summer!!!!

What would you add to the Teacher's ABC's of Summer?  Please add your idea in the comments below.

 

Guided Reading Plans

When I was thinking about how to start my post, one song came to mind.  The song starts with, "Let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start...." So, I am starting from the beginning.  During this post I am going to walk you through my lesson plan sheet, along with showing you how I store and organize my guided reading activities.  

A few years ago I started to implement the guided reading plus lesson format during all of my reading reading groups as part of my core instruction.  Each year thereafter, I tweaked it a little, until I finally came up with this format.  It includes many of the same components, but has also has been changed to meet my teaching style along with my kiddo's needs.

The top section is for the phonics activity.  On the first day of the group we begin with a short phonics activity.  This activity correspond with the child's text reading level {the levels are listed on the planning sheet}.  After checking which skill the group is going to work on, I then look through the pocket which contains the activities to match the skill.  

Before I continue, I have to show you my storage system.  This is something that I have been working on for the past few months.  Each drawer contains the phonics activities for that level. To help organize the activities by skill, I am using these clear poly pouches.  This makes it easy to see the activities and grab the activity for the group.

 

After a short phonics activity we do a short strategy lesson.  These lessons were created my Deanna Jump.  I also have been using these songs and lessons created by Deanna Jump to help children remember and apply the strategies.  

Now for the reading!  Once we have completed our short strategy lesson, we apply our lessons to our new book.  I give a small book introduction and then invite them to read.  We use many different tools to help point to the words and stretch out words.

To wrap up Day 1, we have a short conversation about the book.  As of late, we have been answering the question, "What is the book mostly about?"  This is a question that our district is wanting us to ask after every book.

I typically meet with reading groups on 2 consecutive days.  During Day 2 we focus more on comprehension, and "dive" deeper into the book, but first, we quickly review the strategy we are focusing on, and then go right into the book.

While the children are reading, I pick a focus and a question to ask.  This helps children slow down, and not only help me gauge where they are and what they are understanding, but they are now taking that task on themselves.

After the book, the children and I engage in a conversations around the book.  In addition, I also select an area that I would like the children to practice more.

We then wrap up our group with a comprehension focus.  This is an activity that can be done "outside" of the book.  We read a short passage and then walk through the comprehension activity.  

The children then can go back and complete the activity on their own or with a partner.  This is sometimes the same activity that we did in group, or is sometimes a different activity.  It all depends on the needs of the group and the activity.

I know what you are thinking...WOW!  That's a lot!  You would be correct.  It is a lot, but is also a focused plan.  I needed a plan that I could check skills off so I wasn't jumping all around and searching for materials and ideas.  This has helped me to narrow in on the tasks.  It has also helped my kiddo's reading scores.  They are all reading at level and I have not been able to say that ever!  

If you are interested in my guided reading plan yo can pick it up here for free!

How do you plan your groups?

Literacy Centers and Organization

Hi Everyone!

I am Meghan from Meghan's Pad.  I wanted to give you all a sneak peek at what I am doing during my literacy center/guided reading time this year, and how I have it all organized.

This week {tomorrow} I will have a new class of Kinders that will begin their year with me.  Each year, I feel the need to revamp an area of my curriculum.  This year, it's my center time!  

Centers are a great way, as we all know, to engage students in learning by providing them with hands on learning materials and the opportunity to regulate their learning needs.

This year, I am jumping back on the center wagon, and I couldn't be more excited!  The past few years I have struggled with having to use the district mandated curriculum, knowing that Kinders need more hands on, play based learning.  I have struggled with the early finishers, the no matter what I give you to do, you are going to refuse to do it, and the different learning styles and needs.

After much reflection, I have come up with a format that I think I am going to like, and a format that I hope my kinders will like as well.  Here it goes...

Each day I will gather the children on the rug for a small mini-lesson.  These mini-lessons are going to be based on the needs of Kinders.  These lessons can include alphabet, sounds, building words, rhyming, segmenting, strategies, digraphs, consonant blends, vowel blends, and the list goes on.  I will then have a "have to" activity that the children will need to do each day.  During the literacy block it can be an alphabet center, letter writing center, building word center, reading center, phonemic center.  Each day their have to center will switch, so by the end of the week each child has completed all the have tos.  

After the "have to" center is complete they will either turn it in, or will fill out a small exit slip, so I can quickly review their understanding, along with hold them accountable for doing the center.  Then the children will choose a "can do" center.  These centers will be a combination of old "have tos" and other centers that help to support that centers "have to."

Have I lost you??  I know it's confusing!  Here is an example:  A student on Monday will go to the alphabet center and complete the "have to" center.  Once they are done, they fill out and turn in their exit slip.  They then go to the alphabet "can do" drawer and grab a center, take it back to their seat {not assigned, just where they were working} and complete that center.  Once they have completed all the "can dos" that they want, then they can go to the alphabet "now what" drawer to work on those activities.

The "now whats" are going to be more independent activities that can include "worksheets," or reading.

My hope is that children will continue to be engaged, and will find the learning method that they prefer.

So now, the storage!  I love to organize, and love to buy bins.go inside of bins.  So these are PERFECT!  

         

I love to find bins that I found these bins at Joann Fabrics, and have been in love with them.  Each center fits perfectly inside these 4X6 photo cases {materials and all}!  

        

I am currently putting each center into a small container, and then each container into a drawer system.  This picture was taken before I labeled the drawers.  I have the "can do" centers in one of the drawers and the "now whats" in the drawer directly under.  Each is labeled with the center {alphabet, letter writing, word building, etc.}, and a number {either 2 or 3 for "can do" and "now what"}.

        

I am currently working on setting up something similar for math and our phonics time.

I would love to know how you do centers in your room?  What do the children do when you are in a small group?  I can't wait to hear all the great ideas!!