Reflections of a Teacher : May 2015

Friday, 8 May 2015

Parent Tips to Help Children Read

Parent Tips to Help Children Read

Margaret Fuller said "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader".

This year I saw a need at our school to share some fundamental strategies for reading that would assist parents in encouraging children to "have a go" at unknown words when reading. Also to show and discuss simple strategies that can help when parents read at home with their children or come into the classroom to assist with reading at school.

Learning to read is such a complex task. As adults where reading comes easily we tend to forget the complexities of reading and writing.
I write writing here too as they both come "hand in hand".

If a child has difficulty learning to read, reading become a tedious task. If misunderstood the child is totally discouraged and says things like "I hate to read" or "I don't like reading".

As reading is a means to many ends its importance can't be stressed enough.

If you can't read it can hinder progress in many other areas. It has therefore become a passion of mine to make reading fun, interesting and not a chore.

I believe getting everyone on board which includes the most important teachers the parents. This is a vital and important factor in planning for every child. If we are all listening to children read and most importantly reading aloud to children, which should never be forgotten at any age, our enjoyment in reading together and valuing reading will create a love of reading for all!

You can download the power point from my teachers pay teachers store, just follow the link below.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tips-to-Help-Children-Read-1776979

Until next time.

My Classroom with an Eric Carle Theme...

This is my small classroom that is not big enough for a full class but perfect for a small group of children. With its green background I decided that an Eric Carle theme would add colour and make it bright and cheery. This was confirmed when my first student arrived and commented, "Wow! I love it!"

This is where I spend most my time teaching Reading Recovery and taking small groups of children for intensive instruction as I am the Learning Support Teacher at my school.

Below is the space where I have my Reading Recovery sessions and I work on a one to one basis with an individual child with their reading and writing.

The magnetic board below is used to make and break words as well as group letters.

Below is the space used for my small groups and I'm lucky to have an interactive white board as well as large magnetic board.

A well planned classroom environment will promote learning. Light, space and equipment are all contributing factors to planning a classroom environment. When teaching children with special needs or children that are struggling with some aspects of their learning the environment should be planned very carefully so that it is child-centred and offers a rich array of materials especially hands on equipment and sensory materials. This will allow children to be involved and engaged in their learning. So attention to detail will provide a rich environment which in turn will promote optimal
learning.

Monday, 4 May 2015

"A child is like a butterfly in the wind.

Some can fly higher than others but each one flies the best he can."

Why compare one against the other?

Each one is different!

Each one is special!

Each one is beautiful!"

(Facebook.com /incredible)

We are all cocoons waiting to become butterflies. As a teacher I realise the importance of our words and actions. We contribute or hinder the development of children, finding their wings so they can fly.

This post describes an activity I have done with a small group of children who are special, different and beautiful! My small literacy group listened to the story "The Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.

This story was dramatised and retold in many different ways. One of their favourite activities was retelling the story in sequence using the pictures from the story. The children placed the pictures in sequence on the magnetic board. This story incorporates not only rich language but the children learn the days of the week and numbers. I use role play with many stories especially narratives as I find it is an effective learning tool as it encourages children to become active participants in their learning as well as build their confidence, develop their listening skills and develop their social and language skills.

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is a great story to use for sequencing the events that occur in the story. Sequencing is an important skill as it contributes to the children's ability to comprehend what they read and being able to retell the story (the beginning, middle and end).

This is a great comprehension strategy to develop especially with narratives.

At the conclusion of our unit of study we decided to make fruit salad to celebrate all the fruit the hungry caterpillar ate. We called our fruit salad "The Hungry Caterpillar Yummy Fruit Salad".

The next day we recalled what we did and read the recipe. For a free copy of the powerpoint that can be made in a book for the children go to my store, the link is below.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Yummy-Fruit-Salad-1803044