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Showing posts with label Clever Classroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clever Classroom. Show all posts

Guided Reading Strategy to Help Fluency

Guided reading strategy to help with fluency

Hi all, It's Emma from Clever Classroom

Okay, let's talk guided reading for emergent readers.
Reading comprehension and fluency are vital reading competencies for any reader, especially our beginning readers. These leveled reading pointers provide a FUN, hands-on system for your students to grow their fluency. These reading sticks will help children follow and understand the text that they are reading.
When I taught kindergarten I had an inspirational mentor who helped me understand loads of things like: phonemic awareness, phonics, guided reading and spelling strategies. I am so passionate about these aspects of teaching all these years later. She helped me understand 1:1 correspondence with text and how students move from that to sweeping their finger under the text as they read. Finally, students should move away from these two foundations to reading just with their eyes. This was a great framework for my students.

Guided reading strategy to help with fluency and reading competencies
Providing a Concrete System to help Children with Fluency
I found that some of the students needed concrete materials to motivate their reading progress. I came up with a fun way to help my students. Reading pointers aren't new, they have been around for years. I remember using them more that 15 years ago!
Another great idea is to use transparent counters to help students read the word they are pointing too.... anyway....
Providing students with a system will ultimately help them grow and motivate them to keep going. It's kind of like giving them goals to work towards. We all love that, right?
Guided reading sticks - 3 levels to help motivate children and develop reading skills
Different Countries, Different Guided Reading Levels or Systems
I know that different countries use different leveled systems, eg. letter and numbers and some colors. Which system does your state or country use to represent leveled readers?
No matter which system, I am referring to the first emergent and beginning reader levels. You might implement the graduation of pointing, sweeping and eye sweeping slightly different to myself, that's okay, you can decide when to change up the sticks.
What do I Need? 
The sticks are easy and very quick to make. your students might like to help!
I found three different sized popsticks, but you could use just one size if you wanted.
Reading sticks for guided reading. Use three levels to promote reading fluency with emergent and beginning readers.
What are the Three Levels?
One on one correspondence is first. I use this for the first 2-3 levels.
Guided reading idea fluency with 3 levels of reading sticks for emergent readers
I promote reading with a sweeping finger for the next two levels. The best way I thought my students would understand this was with a paintbrush. Woot-woot, it's kind of FUN!
3 levels of reading sticks to match emergent reading progression great idea for Kindergarten first grade and reading RTI
Then finally, I encourage students to be using no fingers, and just their eyes to follow the text as they read. I would invite students to use the eye sticks for one level as a transition to independent eye scanner reading. After this, there are no more sticks!
Guided reading idea to build reading skills

guided reading fluency sticks 3 levels for Kindergarten and first graders
These fun sticks are a great way to help children progress and develop their reading competencies. I hope your students love them too.
Guided reading sticks - 3 levels to help children's developing reading competencies including fluency and comprehension
Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope this idea helps to motivate your students as they develop their reading skills.
Similar Teaching Ideas
You might also like our Reading Reminder Slips which are a fantastic way to communicate with parents and also remind students which skills they are working on at home with their take-home readers.
guided reading skill and strategy reminders  Guided reading reminder slips to help develop reading skills and strategies
 If you're looking for emergent reading centers that are hands-on and that will last the entire year, and are also super-dopper FUN, your students will enjoy these centers and printables. They are matched with kindergarten or emergent reader skills set for both reading and writing. Click the image to see more.
I can read center activities to last the entire year   Kindergarten reading books and activities
Learn to read and write activities for kindergarten
Thanks so much for reading, I do hope it helps.
If you are a mad word work and reading nut like me, then you might like to join me over on my blog; Clever Classroom.

You can also follow Elementary Chalkboard to receive updates from more than 30 of our talented teacher-bloggers. 


Thanks for dropping by. 

Emma

Social Skills and Classroom Expectations

Hi all!  It's Emma from Clever Classroom

Are you looking for quality books and resources to help model desired behaviors as you start a new school year? 

Social Skills book list and Classroom Expectations resources

I have previewed and selected 30 books to help your students learn a range of social skills. 

Each book contains a message that you can turn into explicit instruction within your classroom on a daily basis. 

To help you teach explicit social skills and expectations, I move on to using our posters.  I laminate and display one copy and bind another. 

Social Skills book list and Classroom Expectations resources

Social Skills book list and Classroom Expectations resources

Social Skills book list and Classroom Expectations resources


I use these posters to focus on what I expect of students. We break each skill down using our social skills flippy books.  Students notice when others are doing the right thing and congratulate each other. The posters are ideal for introducing and revisiting expected behaviours. 

Having the books organized in one area, will make it easier for you to grab for them, when needed. 

Click through to see each book listed in this collection. 

Social Skills book list and Classroom Expectations resources


Back to School Tips and Ideas for New Teachers

Hi there friends, it's Emma from Clever Classroom

Recently I asked my Facebook fans what tips they would give a new teacher to help them save some money and get organized for back to school (see post here). 

I wasn't surprised to read that so many of them knew of different ways to save and get organized. 

Here are ten tips for new teachers, well any teachers. 

Back to School Tips and Ideas for New Teachers


1. Be prepared to spend money. Most of our Facebook fans mentioned that they spend between $200-$1,000 per year. 

2.  Join Scholastic to get discounted books. Try their Teacher Express store by clicking the image below.


3.  Visit yard sales and second-hand stores to find discounted books and games. You can search Craig's List or your local paper for the ones in your area. 

4.  Visit discount stores like The Dollar Store or The Dollar Tree for storage containers, games, craft, stationery and even furniture.

Try Dollar tree's online store here.

Dollar Tree Online Tips for Teachers Starting the New Year

5.  Save your receipts for taxation purposes.  You might like to use the new app; Expensify to scan your receipts. Here's a link to their website.  Here's a link to their FREE app.


Expensify app for teachers


6.  Ask your school if they have a budget for teachers to purchase consumables and or resources for the classroom. 

7.  Find a veteran teacher that is willing to help you. You might be able to borrow items. 

8.  Decide on a theme or even a color theme and shop for those items. 

9. Look for sales online and in catalogs. 

10.  Shop on Teachers Pay Teachers, there are so many resources that are bundled to help you save



Find 20 more tips over on my blog.

Back to School Tips Primary Chalkboard blog


Check out even more tips and ideas from the authors here at the Primary Chalkboard. 

Primary Chalkboard posts for July



Be sure to follow us here at the Primary Chalkboard to see more tips and tricks from our authors. 

Primary Chalkboard blog

Thanks for dropping by. 



Sight Word Activities

5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN

Hi there, it's Emma from Clever Classroom.


I love creating resources that are a bit different and require an element of interaction, movement and fun.  You can view the interactive/hands-on resources in my store

This post has inexpensive center ideas that can not only be used with sight words, but with any word list. 

 Are you always on the look out for cheap and also recyclable materials for your students?  I love collecting and using inexpensive props for hands-on literacy activities.

Bottle tops and ping pong balls fall in to this category! There are so many things you can do with both bottle tops and ping-pong balls.


5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN


Use ping pong balls or bottle top lids to create fun, hands-on sight word centers.

Ask staff and students to bring in clean bottle tops.  You could hold a table competition to see who brings in the most tops.  Collect them in a container and write on the top of each lid with a permanent marker.

You can use any word list for the 5 activities mentioned below.

5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN




1. 5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN: Egg Carton Shake read Write


2. 5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN: Hockey Word Challenge


 I have created a whole bunch of bottle top activities with record sheets and instruction cards, all of which can be used with any word list. 


Bottle Cap Center Games for any Word List BUNDLE


3. 5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN: Count Toss and Record


4. 5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN: Blow your Lid


5. 5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN: Woggle

Find more of these games in our Bottle Top Games bundle.

For even more sight word ideas, see my blog post.

Thanks for dropping by.



Emma Farrell - Clever Classroom


I Think you are Purr-fect Valentine's Bookmark FREEBIE and Crafty Gifts

Hi there friends, it's Emma from Clever Classroom!

I am so excited to share some freebies with you. 

If you're looking for simple gift ideas for Valentine's Day, then you will love these!

I Think you are Purr-fect Bookmark FREEBIE and Crafty Gifts Primary Chalkboard

I have created four bookmarks and three gift squares with cute sayings that relate to Valentine's Day.

They would be great as a gift to students or for students to give to parents or other family members. 


Your file also includes black and white versions of both the bookmarks and square gifts. 

Valentine's craft for kids: Printable bookmark gifts for Valentine's Day

Here are the bookmarks in color. 

Free Valentine's Day bookmarks and MORE


Free Valentine's Day download

Free Valentine's Day download

Free Valentine's Day printables

Free Valentine's Day printables

FREE I think you're purr-fect Valentine's Day gift and more

Each bookmark is printed three to a page. 


Free Valentine's Day bookmarks I Primary Chalkboard


Putting together the bookmarks are super-dooper easy!

Free Valentine's Day bookmarks I Clever Classroom

I love you to bits freebie

Here are the three square gift craft ideas. 

They are also avialbale in black and white so that the children can trace the text and decorate them after you've printed them on cardstock. 

I am stuck on you Valentine and more Valentine's sayings FREEBIE

I also used stinky stickers with, 'I am stuck on you Valentine'. 


You are as cute as a button and more Valentine's sayings

Valentine's Day Crafty Ideas all in a FREE download


Click here to download the freebie via my Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Free download for Valentines Day by Clever Classroom

More Valentine's Day printables ready to go for February. 

Valentine's Day Printables

February COMBO 100th Day of School and Valentine's Day Printables


Thanks so much for dropping by. 


Happy Valentine's Day!




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