I would like to congratulate a few students who have been released from Title One Services and are ready to go back to the classroom and independently use their strategies in guided reading.

Congratulations to:

Yuvia S.
Ja'Kora D.
Matthew W
Camren M



Awesome Job! Keep up the good work!

Spot-N-Dot

There is a strategy you can use to help readers decode longer, multisyllabic words. It is called spot and dot.
Here is some information on how to use the strategy from http://littlelearnersinc.blogspot.com/2011/04/reading-strategy-spot-and-dot.html


We can use Spot and Dot to decode longer words. To Spot and Dot, we find the vowels and put a dot over each vowel or each group of vowels. Since every syllable has a a vowel, we look for the syllables around the vowels.

*If the syllable ends with a vowel, usually the vowel says its long sound.
*If the syllable ends with a consonant, we know the vowel makes its short vowel sound.
*If the vowel ends with a consonant, we know the vowel makes its short vowel sound.
*We also know, "When two vowels go walking, the first vowel does the talking."

Writing it out would look something like this:

I would like to congratulate a few students for being released from Title One Services! They have worked so hard on their reading skills and are ready to independently use them in the classroom!

Congrats to:
Ortheis H.
Lukas R.
Caden R.L.
Scott B.



Keep up the good work!

Common Core Learning Targets

The students come to reading everyday with a learning target in mind. This is for them to apply strategies to become a better reader. Recently, I redesigned my bulletin board with specific learning targets that are based off the Common Core State Standards. All these targets are kid friendly, use kid friendly language, and are a little easier for the students to explain. (Sometimes the state standards get a little wordy for the student to understand). Take a look at some of the learning targets for the 1st graders!!!

Word Study

Something beneficial for children to do is study the nature of the English language. We have so many words that come from different origins and roots, but many words have also changed over time. Reading may come easier for students if they use etymology to understand the origins of words.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

Something fun you can do at home is go to the online etymology dictionary and look up the origins of words.

http://www.etymonline.com/

What a way for students to study root words, and look at prefixes and suffixes!

For example: You can type in the word instruction, the dictionary pulls up this definition:

instruction (n.) 

c.1400, instruccioun, "action or process of teaching," from Old French instruccion (14c.), from Latin instructionem (nominative instructio) "building, arrangement, teaching," from past participle stem of instruere"arrange, inform, teach," from in- "on" (see in- (2)) + struere "to pile, build" (see structure (n.)). Meaning "an authoritative direction telling someone what to do; a document giving such directions," is early 15c. Related: Instructions.