At the bookstore just now (I was picking up some Sandra Boynton for a friend's baby), I re-read Hop on Pop. I think that would be an ideal book for the twins, and also for the kids who came last week. If you turn out to have a spare undamaged copy of that lying around, unwanted, would you consider sending it to me? I could use more than one copy, and right now I don't have any copies.
Thank you!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Word Families
I forgot to mention that I have a teacher's resource store poster of word families which I plan on taking with me next week. I shall have to take a look at it over the weekend and figure out some ideas on how to use it for teaching.
The difficulty I've had most with planning is that I plan away and then no one shows up. This week the Grandmothers/Mothers who run the community activities at Cliveden Park have decided to call all the families who have been coming to see me now and then, before hand. So that they get used to the idea that Monday Night is Reading Tutor Night. That way I'll more likely have some regular pupils.
I am also going to print up a colourful (bookishly illustrated?) flyer with the dates and times that I intend to be there, to give to each family member who brings the little ones. Hopefully it will help.
The difficulty I've had most with planning is that I plan away and then no one shows up. This week the Grandmothers/Mothers who run the community activities at Cliveden Park have decided to call all the families who have been coming to see me now and then, before hand. So that they get used to the idea that Monday Night is Reading Tutor Night. That way I'll more likely have some regular pupils.
I am also going to print up a colourful (bookishly illustrated?) flyer with the dates and times that I intend to be there, to give to each family member who brings the little ones. Hopefully it will help.
Learning to Read
Last monday evening I had the pleasure of meeting twin girl children. They are six years old. T and M. M told me that she's three months older than her sister, but I considered that for a moment and decided she must mean minutes. They know their letters and sort of the sounds of their letters, but they are a little over-confident some of the time. They had a tendency to put all the letters of C-A-T together, but not in order. I kept reminding them to sound out the letters in the order they had put them, and then they noticed where they had gone wrong and ultimately fixed each problem.
Before that, though, I gave them a packet of alphabet flashcards and asked them to put them in order alphabetically. It became a race. A race which was marred only by the fact that the pack included only one each of Q, X, and Z. I made up spares by writing them on a piece of paper for Little Miss T.
When each had a side of the table covered in the alphabet, I asked them to sound out each letter and then went on to ask them if they could spell particular short words: "Can you spell 'cat'?", followed with "What other words can you make if you take away the 'C' and put other letters in it's place?". They figured out hat, sat, mat.
After a lot of running up and down the side of the table making up words ('hax?'), I asked them to each choose a book and we would sit and read together. As it turns out, I did all the reading. But I had them look for particular words (and, the) in the pages with me. All told we read five books that night. Their favourite by far was The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg. Miss M decided that she would dislike The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry before we began, but I told her it was my choice (the choices are rather limited on the picture book shelf) and I wanted to read it to them. She listened, but afterward they begged me to read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff before they left for the night.
While we read, they squished themselves as close to me on either side as they could manage without actually sitting directly on my lap. It was cosy. If there's one thing I've noticed on the nights I've been working with these children, they are affectionate little creatures. Starved, you might suggest, for attention and love. They are loved - I imagine, although I don't see a lot of it with the Littles. I don't often meet the parent or guardians. This time I did meet Grandma, and she seemed uptight. At the end of the evening she asked whether I thought they would get better at reading... I said I certainly thought that they would - that the more reading they did and had done for them, the better/easier it would be for them. They are bright little girls. I hope to see them on Monday evening. I rather suspect I shall, because Grandma seemed pretty strict and as someone mentioned to me as we left for the evening, perhaps not altogether as bright as them herself. Plus, she's Grandma. She's carrying the weight of bringing up her grandchildren, most likely alone. I can understand why she's concerned. But as I said, they are six years old! They have time.
I picked up a copy of 100 Words Kids Need To Read by 1st Grade by Lisa Trumbauer, on the basis that I can copy some of the pages so that I can offer an actual lesson of sorts in the weeks ahead. Activities based around words. It seems as though five, six, seven is the age group I'm working with. And it's a brilliant place to begin. Although it's vaguely terrifying to someone who isn't actually a "teacher".
As always, I appreciate any ideas you all have.
Before that, though, I gave them a packet of alphabet flashcards and asked them to put them in order alphabetically. It became a race. A race which was marred only by the fact that the pack included only one each of Q, X, and Z. I made up spares by writing them on a piece of paper for Little Miss T.
When each had a side of the table covered in the alphabet, I asked them to sound out each letter and then went on to ask them if they could spell particular short words: "Can you spell 'cat'?", followed with "What other words can you make if you take away the 'C' and put other letters in it's place?". They figured out hat, sat, mat.
After a lot of running up and down the side of the table making up words ('hax?'), I asked them to each choose a book and we would sit and read together. As it turns out, I did all the reading. But I had them look for particular words (and, the) in the pages with me. All told we read five books that night. Their favourite by far was The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg. Miss M decided that she would dislike The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry before we began, but I told her it was my choice (the choices are rather limited on the picture book shelf) and I wanted to read it to them. She listened, but afterward they begged me to read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff before they left for the night.
While we read, they squished themselves as close to me on either side as they could manage without actually sitting directly on my lap. It was cosy. If there's one thing I've noticed on the nights I've been working with these children, they are affectionate little creatures. Starved, you might suggest, for attention and love. They are loved - I imagine, although I don't see a lot of it with the Littles. I don't often meet the parent or guardians. This time I did meet Grandma, and she seemed uptight. At the end of the evening she asked whether I thought they would get better at reading... I said I certainly thought that they would - that the more reading they did and had done for them, the better/easier it would be for them. They are bright little girls. I hope to see them on Monday evening. I rather suspect I shall, because Grandma seemed pretty strict and as someone mentioned to me as we left for the evening, perhaps not altogether as bright as them herself. Plus, she's Grandma. She's carrying the weight of bringing up her grandchildren, most likely alone. I can understand why she's concerned. But as I said, they are six years old! They have time.
I picked up a copy of 100 Words Kids Need To Read by 1st Grade by Lisa Trumbauer, on the basis that I can copy some of the pages so that I can offer an actual lesson of sorts in the weeks ahead. Activities based around words. It seems as though five, six, seven is the age group I'm working with. And it's a brilliant place to begin. Although it's vaguely terrifying to someone who isn't actually a "teacher".
As always, I appreciate any ideas you all have.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
US Election Day
Have you voted yet?
I know it's mostly only local government, but those are the ones you need to pay attention to. Those people run your schools, run your local councils and in some cases your cities. One day those officials might be campaigning to represent you in the state. They are important people to keep an eye on.
Go out and cast your vote today!
If not, don't make complaints later on. You made your choice.
I know it's mostly only local government, but those are the ones you need to pay attention to. Those people run your schools, run your local councils and in some cases your cities. One day those officials might be campaigning to represent you in the state. They are important people to keep an eye on.
Go out and cast your vote today!
If not, don't make complaints later on. You made your choice.
Happy November
A quickie because I need to get some cooking done.
I'm back in the U.S. and I've had my first class weekend at I.I.N. in New York. I had a Fantastic time and I'm so happy to be able to take the course. It's Just The Thing!
Tomorrow I'm meeting my second prospective Little Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters - which will be exciting, too. So far that I know, she has had a Big Sister until her family moved house recently, and now her former BS is too far away for the commute. So I may be matched up with her. We'll see how it goes.
Last night I started reading to Kids at Cliveden Park again for the first time since the school year began. I was lucky enough to work with two children, aged six and five. Boy and girl respectively. They know their ABCs (almost), but can't read yet. They were full of beans, so I tried to tame them enough to sit and listen for an hour or so. We read Harold and the Purple Crayon (Thank you Gretchen!), One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and The Snowy Day.
I'm looking for ideas on how to better work with them next week, because it seems like a great opportunity to help them with their letters and reading skills. The little boy, M, (6yo) can spell letters out, but doesn't know how to sound them out. The little girl, C, (5yo) can make convincing sound noises in word sequences, but doesn't know all her letters. So we'll see. I'm thinking flash cards and a trip to the local teacher resource store. I already have one poster of word sounds (dog, fog, log etc). But I have to say I find myself uncertain of how to make progress with them.
Ideas, please.
I'm back in the U.S. and I've had my first class weekend at I.I.N. in New York. I had a Fantastic time and I'm so happy to be able to take the course. It's Just The Thing!
Tomorrow I'm meeting my second prospective Little Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters - which will be exciting, too. So far that I know, she has had a Big Sister until her family moved house recently, and now her former BS is too far away for the commute. So I may be matched up with her. We'll see how it goes.
Last night I started reading to Kids at Cliveden Park again for the first time since the school year began. I was lucky enough to work with two children, aged six and five. Boy and girl respectively. They know their ABCs (almost), but can't read yet. They were full of beans, so I tried to tame them enough to sit and listen for an hour or so. We read Harold and the Purple Crayon (Thank you Gretchen!), One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and The Snowy Day.
I'm looking for ideas on how to better work with them next week, because it seems like a great opportunity to help them with their letters and reading skills. The little boy, M, (6yo) can spell letters out, but doesn't know how to sound them out. The little girl, C, (5yo) can make convincing sound noises in word sequences, but doesn't know all her letters. So we'll see. I'm thinking flash cards and a trip to the local teacher resource store. I already have one poster of word sounds (dog, fog, log etc). But I have to say I find myself uncertain of how to make progress with them.
Ideas, please.
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