Working the Word Work

At this point in the year I find it extremely important to find any spare moment to work with my low readers.  (Like any teacher has a spare moment?!) I wanted to hold another guided reading group each day so I started implementing it when the students first arrive and start their word work.  Since I am reading with a group, I needed meaningful activities that my students could guide on their own.  If I usually prep previously it goes pretty well.

*In addition, we do Words Their Way during our extra hour of school and I also add more word work during guided reading groups*

My students have been struggling with long vowel sounds and especially the magic e...even with all the helpful hints out there!  At this point in the year the on-grade level text (in first grade) is G/H/I, which have many words with long vowels...so I know it is extremely important for the students to understand the spelling patterns.

Here are a couple of the activities I put into place (make sure to grab yours!):

1. To start out the week I give each child headers for their journal of the common spellings for the vowel.  

Pick your copy up here  or click the picture--->Long Vowel headers

I've found that my students can't just hunt for the words because they write any old word!  I try to make it a fun hunt. Sometimes I write the words all over their tables (see below), or I make labels for each child to wear (below), and other times I hide post-its around the room.

2. To keep reinforcing the long vowels I created a page to cut out and glue in word work journals.  The student must circle the long vowel words.

Pick your copy up here  or click the picture--->Circle the Long Vowels

3. My kids favorite is making words.  I don't think it is like your traditional Making Words.  I give them a strip of letters that they cut up and make as many words as they can.  Then one student pulls random student names (out of the cup of Popsicle sticks with their names) and has them write one word on a notepad under the document camera.  Then they try to guess the mystery/magic word and glue it at the top. I couldn't find a picture here at home so I will take one tomorrow and add it in :)

Click the picture or the link 26 different making words for you ----> 26 Making Words

I realize my ideas are simplistic but they word for my students.  I find that my consistency and preparation is the key!

Enjoy!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

This year things are a little different for me and it has taken me a while to get in the spirit BUT I'm finally there!  Last night my step-mom and I decorated and listened to Christmas songs...it was just what I needed.

So I woke up this morning and decided to bring the Christmas cheer to school.

Here is a pack with 5 word activities.  Some are vocabulary development and the rest are word work. Click on the link or pictures to download yours for free.

Winter Words

For the past two weeks, our first grade team has digging deep into Land and Water.  Here's what's been going on:

We started with natural resources and man made materials.  We took our clip boards and went on a hunt around the school.

The kids sorted the resources in their journals.  The sort is from Michele Olson.

Then we started to investigate where we can find natural resources on Earth.

The students drew examples of each in their notebooks.

Then we observed soil and determined what kind it was and what we could do with it.

Then we observed rocks and went on a hunt.  We used Primary Graffiti's Interactive Notebook for Earth Science to help use describe rocks and soil.

For some reason I can't get this picture the right way!  For water, we did a Frayer Model.

To show their understanding of land and water the students sorted pictures in their journals.  Again this from Primary Graffiti's Interactive Notebook for Earth Science which I absolutely love.

While I was out the students and substitute figured out how we use these resources.

 At the end of this week we started getting into fast and slow changes.

Next week we are looking deeper into the changes on Earth.  It's been so fun!

I hope you are starting to enjoy the holiday season as well!

Back to work...word work that is!

We have standarized testing at our school this week and although we aren't made to participate yet it does change our schedule.  With this change there is more time to work with {Yay!} and what better to do than word work! 

Here a couple activites for you :)  Items were purchased at the Dollar Tree and Target's Dollar Spot.

Long I Ice Trays uses ice tongs (Target), bucket, ice trays and ice cubes (Dollar Tree).  The students take out a piece of ice and put it in the correct tray.  They must record the words on the sheet when finished.

 

Bucket Full of Hearts review R-controlled vowels ar, er/ir/ur & or.  I bought heart stickers from Dollar Tree and cut up card board in triangles for flicking into buckets (not shown, Target).  I placed all the items in an old Brighton container but any will do.  The students select a heart, read it and flick into the right bucket.  The students will record the words on the sheet.

 

 

One Order of Long O Sandwich is a game to review the Long O sound found in ow, oa, and o_e.  The sandwich paper coasters were found at Dollar Tree and I used three of them.  I wrote long vowel words on the sandwich pieces.  The students will select, read and place on the correct baggie.  After the students will explore the room and books to find more words.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

Gettin' lampy with it!

I'm sure its happened to you....the domino effect.  I wanted to bring a lamp into school that was too small for the space and that my younger brother knocks over every time he visits.  Well that led to a trip to Goodwill to get a new lamp {or two}. 

My colleague Susan Findlay at Edu-Bits has lamps all over her room.  It's so warm and lovely.  I had to copy her.  So far I have one lamp at school with hopes to get more over the summer.  Here is the little charm:

I think it adds a little ambience to the room that was very needed!  I can't wait to add more.


So back to the domino effect, I {accidentally} bought two lamps from Goodwill that I knew needed some TLC.  I love a project as you may have found out. 

So here were the lamps:

They were just a bit rough!  I spray painted each.  Notice that the white lamp retained some of its natural state.  I just taped over the nice silver part.  Next up was the shades.  They were just a bit dingy and slightly yellowed.  I took fabric from another project and cut it out to fit the shade and sprayed on a little craft spray.  It looks 100 times better.

The other lamp (white)  I decided to go a little funkier.  First I tried fabric but it wasn't right.  Then I had the inspired idea to use ribbon.  The shade is tapered so the ribbon started straight vertically and ended with a diagonal.  I personally like the diagonal side. 

So I am absoultely loving my new lamps....success!


Now on to a little education :)
Although I loved my centers chart, it keep falling off my concrete walls.  I started thinking that maybe it didn't need to take up so much space because its just organizational not informational.  I wanted to still use our clothes pins, same centers and I wanted it to be magnetic.  Here is what I created:

The centers are the same. They still do several things, but I have them trained so well that they don't need to be told what to do. Just love that!  Maybe in the fall I will have to print out a directions sheet for each center.  It's something to think about.

I also made one for my intern:

Here is a copy of the centers for you!  Owl Centers

Our word work has become a review of skills learned so far.  My intern and I decided to pull out an old favorite.  You will need a cookie sheet, a top and the documents below.  The students spin the top, whichever word the top lands on is read out loud and then chanted (remember those word wall chant?).  We created four documents, one for each table and they are rotated one per day.  On Wednesdays we do College Words.  The kids LOVE this time of the day, which is a quick 10-15 minute window.

Word Work patterns

  

Word Wall Chants

College Words 1