Guided Reading

What is Guided Reading?

Guided reading is an integral part of our kindergarten literacy program. In guided reading groups the teacher supports each reader’s development of effective reading strategies in a small group setting. Guided reading groups provide the opportunity for students to:

• Develop reading strategies using increasingly difficult texts
• Develop abilities needed for independent reading
• Enjoy reading, raise questions, notice information in the text, and request help in problem solving

During each group students are lead through a picture walk and discussion before they read the text. They then whisper read it to themselves with teacher support. Finally there is word work, where sight words are practiced and phonics skills are either practiced or introduced. Groups are determined through on-going student assessments of reading called running records. For this reason groups often change, depending on changing reading levels. It has already happened and is happening again this week, so your child may have new reading partners. Sometimes books will be read twice when groups change. Please return reading books each day, even if you have not read them. New books are not sent home unless books from the previous day have been returned. If you did not get to listen to your child read (we all have nights like that) just jot that down on the reading form and I can send it back with the new book. It is a great pleasure for me to read with your child J

Reading Workshop

Math Work Place - Beat You To 20 Cents

The object of this game is to be the first to collect 20 pennies. Students spin a spinner and take the amount of pennies to put on their ten frame. If they spin a nickel they get to take 5 pennies. With this game we are recognizing pennies and nickels by name and value,counting quantities to 20, exploring counting strategies, and comparing quantities.

Math Work Place - Race You To 15 Cents

In this fast paced game players spin a spinner, count coins, and trade pennies for nickels in a race to 15 Cents! It is a cooperative, fun game that provides practice with the following skills:

Recognizing pennies and nickels by name & value
Trading 5 pennies for a nickel
Counting quantities to 15
Counting by fives to 15
Comparing quantities

Math Work Place - Beat You To 20

In this game students work together to see if they can be the first to collect 20 Unifix cubes on their side of the game board. "Beat You To 20" allows us the opportunity to practice the following skills:
Counting to 20
Counting on
Comparing quantities
Reading numbers to 20
Adding 2 or more quantities

Reading A Map

After creating map a map of our classroom we played a game called : "Find The Animal." To play, three chosen students stood outside the classroom while the rest of us hid a stuffed animal somewhere in the room. When the animal was hidden away we used a dry-erase marker to draw a line on the map from the door to the animal. We then invited our friends back into the classroom and gave them the map to follow to the animal.

Thank You!

The Folsom PTO kindly bought us a new rug for our classroom! It is a checkerboard of rainbow colors which creates a classroom carpet with a place for everyone. There are many uses for this rug including classroom management, teaching respect of personal space as well as a variety of whole group games. Her are some examples:

Classroom Management:
Dismiss children to work at classroom centers by color
Divide children into teams or work groups by color
Direct children to line up by color

Games:
Simon Says - play in teams to encourage listening skills and cooperation. For example, "Simon says, green team, march in place."
Pattern Path - small groups use construction paper (that match the rug) to create pattern maps for other students to follow

Graphing

Think, Pair, Share - students discuss topics with a partner.