Word Study!

It's about time to start word study groups. We've been practicing the activities that go along with our sorts while everyone has the same words. Usually I do one week of practice, but I'm doing two weeks this year. After assessing, I found that I need 5 word study groups this year in order to teach them effectively at their level. I have one group that are Within Word spellers (working on single syllable long and r-controlled vowels) and 4 groups that are Letter Name spellers. I really couldn't combine them when so many were missing beginning and ending consonants, and others had that feature, but needed to work on blends and digraphs. Management-wise, I know I can handle it.

Here's what a typical week of word study looks like in my classroom:

Monday- Teacher sort. The kids cut out their words and put their initials on the back of each. This is especially helpful when the kids drop a word, we can find who it belongs to. If you have kids with the same initials, you can have them use different colored pens/crayons to write theirs. Together, we talk about the headings/features of our words for the week and find what they have in common. We sort a few words together, then they finish the rest on their own. When done, I check their sort and they write it in their notebooks.

Tuesday- Writing sort. Basically it is the same sort as on Monday, but with a bit more independence. The kids sort their words by features, raise their hands when finished, and then write it in their notebooks when it has been checked.

Wednesday- Speed Sort day. The kids get with a partner and they sit across from each other. After finding their headings, one says "Go" and they sort their words as fast as they can. Once they are both done, they switch places and check each other's sort. After checking, they mix up the other person's words, then head back to their spot to sort again. They do this 3 times. Another option is to have the whole class speed sort at their seat. I think I may try that this week.

Thursday- Buddy Sort day. In partners, the kids find their headings and put them in front of them. The rest of the words are in their hands. One at a time, they say a word to their partner and their partner points to the heading where it goes. Once all of the words have been read, they are done!

Friday- Glue and Test day. For morning work, the kids sort and glue their words in their word study notebooks. Spelling tests are given by parent volunteers. The kids have to sort and spell at least 15 of their words. They also are given 3 dictated sentences to write. The sentences contain words from this week along with sight words that they should be spelling correctly. I try to put at least one question in as well so they have to pay attention to ending punctuation.

     For homework, the children take home their word study notebooks that we use in class. They have a list of Speller's Choice activities that they choose from to do. The activities stay the same all year as their words change each week. There are higher level activities to choose from for those kids who are ready for them. I have to update that, and will  post it as soon as I do.

A new way to manage behavior!

So we have almost finished our first month of school, and things are going pretty great with my kiddos this year. One of the biggest changes to my classroom this year was the way we handle behavior. Thanks to my friend Pam for introducing me to the Clip Chart. Using a color coded system, some spring clothespins, and an occasional sparkle, the behavior in my classroom is all about "clipping up"! Here's what my chart looks like:

You can read more about the Clip Chart at http://www.newmanagement.com/ebooks/clip_chart.html. I wish I had come up with this idea! I could have used something like this last year.

The idea basically is that all the kids start their day on green or "Ready to Learn". They have the opportunity to move their clothespins up for exhibiting desirable behavior or down for exhibiting undesirable behavior. The kids really try to get to clip up. Pink is really hard to get to and they know that! When they do get to pink, they get a sparkle for their clips. When they get five, they get to have lunch in the classroom with me.

I'm really loving using this in my classroom this year. It was cheap, and works wonders! I got the clothespins and sparkles at Michaels. The chart itself was made of construction paper and bulletin board paper behind. The words for my chart are from BainbridgeClass.com. If you have never been to her site, you MUST visit it!

Well, here we go!!

Since being introduced to so many fantastic teaching blogs, I decided (with some encouragement from a friend) to enter into the world of blogging to share ideas and contribute to where I get lots of fantastic ideas from!