Technology guide a friend to draw a monster in the computer

http://students.umf.maine.edu/sarah.b.ellis/public.www/Monster.html

This looks like a great excercise to use in a computer lab for grades 2-5

Using descritvie words to guide a friend to draw a monster. Centers like this make me wish I had older kids some times. This is technology, sequenctial step production and writing using descriptive language. The kids also swap with a friend so are receiving peer evaluation and growing their vocabulary ideas from a friend in a friendly fun maybe even critically constructive manor!

Picture Book Power: Connecting Children’s Literature and Mathematics

In the article Picture Book Power: Connecting Children’s Literature and Mathematics by Joyce Shatzer I found a connection with a book I have loved since I was a child. Tikki Tkkik Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel. I cannot believe that 40 years later I would remember by heart Tikki Tikki Tembo –no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo, But I do. My husband would probably tell you he was shocked because I have a very bad memory. I love to read this book to my classes but I have never before thought of using it to teach phonological awareness, phoneme segmentation, until I read this article. So in the Imagine It program we have the name necklaces at the beginning of the year to teach the kids about their names. How many letters? How many upper case letters? How many lower case letters? What does your name start with? And we begin teaching word parts or syllabication by counting syllables within the kids’ names.

          After reading this article I read the book to my kids. They loved it. You just want to say that name over and over it’s like a rhyming riddle; Tikki Tikki Tembo –no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo! We clapped out the syllables in it and I called on several of my higher math achievers to count our claps for the word parts but none of them could come up with the right number, close, but not fifteen the number of syllables in the name which is now dancing through my brain again.

GPS

ELAKR2: The student demonstrates the ability to identify and orally manipulate words and individual sounds within those spoken words.

b. Identifies component sounds (phonemes and combinations of phonemes) in spoken words.

Materials

Tikki Tikki Tembo retold  by Arlene Mosel

Chart paper

Markers

After the reading and discussion I drew a large graph on chart paper and talked about collecting data and told them a graph was a picture that tells us how much. I put number of syllables on the horizontal and the number of kids on the vertical rise. I have 16 kids, 2 have 1 syllable names, 10 have 2 syllables, 3 had 3 syllables, and one child has 4, MRS. Alvarez makes 5 syllables. It was our very first graph. What a great introduction!

Prior to this activity we had the name necklaces for three weeks and had clapped the word parts in each of their names and counted word parts with their fingers. This activity put it into a visual modality I could see it spiraling deeper into their understanding.

We are very blessed that in the K grade in Bartow we have adopted some excellent phonics programs the past several years. The “purple book as we call it” is actually versed and lesson by lesson built on the phonological continuum we’ve just learned in the endorsement. Since using this for our first small group guided reading instruction, before any print is introduced, the kids hear how many words are in a sentence and learn to hear rhyme. It of course builds from there.  The first grade teachers at our school have absolutely raved about the students’ phonological awareness. And though we’ve had very low groups come to us this past two years in particular they have left READY for first. Even though we warned them and felt that the kids were coming to them low in writing skills they were READY to write they told us; which they were ecstatic about. Though I’ve been to many phonics trainings, because the foundation for it is in Kindergarten, I have gleaned something new or in this case many things that are new and others that refresh my memory spark my dedication to the systematic approach set out before us in this endorsement. The continuum is key. If a student has missed a rung you must go back and catch it before they will understand and feel the success come from themselves as it is internalized.

I was so happy that I have many of the texts in this article available to me. The Wolf’s Chicken Stew is a great one especially for the 100^th day, A Chair for My Mother- great story I’ve used it to have children design their own chairs but the application for using catalogs and prices is great for first, second, or third.

My Thoughts on the Group Presentations

First of all I thought my team mates were extraordinary!!! I find reading most research materials to be very cumbersome. Really even our chapters on vocabulary concluded in saying that the research shows that vocabulary instruction is better than no vocabulary instruction. DAH!  That was a letdown. But our team all had different abilities and experiences to bring activities to the table to cover the shallow findings and bring more depth to the presentation in the end. That’s just my opinion of course.

The first act was tough to follow because you ladies that did the piece on instructional trends in teaching reading blew me away with your presentation. I had no idea it could be so interesting!! I had always wondered about the whole language approach and what happened there. That the politics were so enmeshed in education came as a surprise to the not so political me!!

I got lots out of the fluency piece. Seeing pair reading as a social setting and not a work block was good for me. Letting students pick their partners for shared reading instead of assigning them of course in hind sight would help some be more relaxed and their partner more ready to help someone who they like. I can see why it’s the favorite choice for fluency work in middle school.

Though I am pretty well versed in phonemic awareness as a MAJOR part of the curriculum in Kindergarten I still picked up on several reaffirmations in the acquisition of reading presentation. We shall follow our continuum! I might try to adjust Amy’s phonics pig pen lesson toward the end of the year. I want to get the Recipe for Reading book discussed and I Hear with My Little Ear.

The comprehension team really helped me to focus more on my preteaching what I want my students to learn. I also like the table they inserted for the skill, sample prompts and purpose. I will use it.

I enjoy learning in this way so many interesting professionals we have in this cohort. Lucky us!

Read Aloud Picture Book Lesson on the Pledge of Allegiance

This school year I was surprised to see 70% of my students in Kindergarten stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance with the announcements the first day of school. This would indicate a large percentage of my kids went to PreK. I also noticed that though they were standing and trying to figure out which hand to put over their heart (normal) the words they were saying were mumbled. Even the kids that were saying most of the correct words showed a disconnect from the actual meaning.

            The first full week of school I chose to teach the children vocabulary from the pledge of allegiance using a picture book written by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Samson and illustrated by Chris Raschka appropriately titled I Pledge Allegiance.

Below you will see my amended lesson plan. I was very happy to bring this knowledge to my kids. I am just in awe that they have been exposed to so little sometimes. It’s sad but that’s why we’re here, right? My children left after a follow up lesson with a much deeper understanding of who we are as Americans and what patriotism and pride we should have in our great nation. We are so blessed to be born women in America!!! And Jason you too…..very blessed! Take me down from my soap box now I’m tearing up. Anyway and to see them stand every morning and understand the promise we are making to our fellow Americans makes me very proud of these little guys.

            The first time I taught the lesson I didn’t have the Big Book of symbols I borrowed for the follow up that added greatly to the lessons substance. They learned that the American flag is up if President Obama is home at the white house and not up the pole if he’s gone. I wondered to myself how long that will stay a policy with all of the terroristic actions of resent years.

 These are very abstract ideas to teach five year olds. The preteaching of the vocabulary as well as the visuals brought it much more into perspective for the students. The ESOL kids in my class, I have 2 boys this year, knew as much about our country as my other students. I think their mothers and fathers are just the most recent immigrants to the U.S. and have significant feelings of appreciation for the freedoms and life styles we are so blessed to have. They know the alternatives and I believe have shared this with their kids. We also share planning with our ESOL teacher so she can do activities that reinforce the skills we are teaching.

Vocabulary for the Pledge of Allegiance

GPS :

 SSKH2 The student will identify important American symbols and explain their meaning.

a. The national and state flags (United States and Georgia flags)

b. The bald eagle

c. The Statue of Liberty

d. Lincoln Memorial

e. Washington Monument

f. White House

g. Pledge of Allegiance

h. Star Spangled Banner

Vocabulary

Pledge = a promise

Allegiance = loyalty, faithfulness, love, friend – compare to a dogs unwavering love

Flag = a symbol of a place

Liberty = freedom being able to think and make choices

Justice = fairness, to be treated fairly 

Fuller explanations:

A pledge is a promise.

You could say “I pledge to clean my room.” You promise to clean your room.“I pledge to be your best friend” which would mean you would be there to play with your friend but also to help them or cheer them up if they need it. You are promising to be a best friend.

Allegiance is loyalty.

Your pet dog has allegiance to you. They are attached to you; they love you and are always happy to see you and give you love. The loyal dog’s allegiance to his owner could not be broken. Nothing would stand in between this buy and his dog’s faithful allegiance. The dog is very attached to the boy.

Liberty is freedom.

Having liberty gives us the freedom to think and have choices about how we live. Having liberty means we are not forced to do what somebody says about the important things in life like how we praise God or what church we go to.

Justice is fairness.

Everyone is treated the same. Fair means that everyone has the same rules, rights and consequences.

Flag = is a symbol something that stands to represent something or place.

Materials:

The national flag of the United States of America

 I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Samson and illustrated by Chris Raschka

 Vocabulary pictures from Imagine It

American Symbols Big Book

Star Spangled Banner -music

American symbols color sheet to make into a book.

Red and white and blue construction paper

Glue/scissors

White crayons

Read Aloud opening.

Before: Activate prior knowledge. Have children analyze their surroundings and grow out from there to us as Americans.

We are going to talk about some symbols or of great nation today. Who can tell me the name of our country? Pull out the globe show them where we are: Continent, nation, state, town, name of our school. I was amazed that they did not know the name of our school!!! What is our symbol for our school? Does anybody see the sailboat on my shirt have you seen that around the school? We are the Allatoona Lakers. Have any of you been to the big beautiful lake right down the road?

Show the children the picture of the American flag. They’ll say hey we have one of those in our room!

Show the students the picture cards from Imagine It vocabulary and tell them the child friendly definition for each.

During: Read I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Samson and illustrated by Chris Raschka

Discuss the pictures in the book and compare them to the vocabulary pictures. Stand up say the pledge show them their right hand and how the left hand makes an L shape so they will know that’s their lllllllleft.

After: The children colored and cut and sequenced a book of American symbols to take home and share with their families.

After reteaching 2 days later we made the flag from construction paper and added the math connection of making AB patterns. I also gave more examples of where they will see these symbols around us on a daily bases. We looked closely and coins and the dollar bill. They were astonished to actually see Abraham Lincoln sitting in the Lincoln Memorial on the tails side of the penny!

Back in the Saddle

The past two years have been very difficult with many students not starting school knowing a single letter or even able to recognize their own name in print. I have been in holding pattern since June 20^th when I was told I may move to third grade. I was elated at being told I would remain in Kindergarten on August 10^th! Kindergarten is not an easy grade to teach………………none of them are. But that being said five has always been my favorite age, there is something magical in a five year olds imagination. They’re all so unique without any idea what peer pressure is or sense of conformity to fit in but still very much uninhibited and full of excitement at coming to school. I love that! I love school always have.

All that being said and my fear of blogging has kept me trapped in Word world but I better get these lessons posted. It just seems so strange to me to put something out there that will be there forever! What if I mess up!! Get over it right! OK, I'm over it!!!