Word Attack Strategies: How to Help Beginner Readers!

Word-Attack Strategies
Word-attack strategies help students decode, pronounce, and understand unfamiliar words. They help students attack words piece by piece or from a different angle. Model and instruct students:

Use Picture Clues

• Look at the picture.
• Are there people, objects, or actions in the picture that might make sense in the sentence?

Sound Out the Word

• Start with the first letter, and say each letter-sound out loud.
• Blend the sounds together and try to say the word. Does the word make sense in the sentence?

Look for Chunks in the Word

• Look for familiar letter chunks. They may be sound/symbols, prefixes, suffixes, endings, whole words, or base words.
• Read each chunk by itself. Then blend the chunks together and sound out the word. Does that word make sense in the sentence?

Connect to a Word You Know

• Think of a word that looks like the unfamiliar word.
• Compare the familiar word to the unfamiliar word. Decide if the familiar word is a chunk or form of the unfamiliar word.
• Use the known word in the sentence to see if it makes sense. If so, the meanings of the two words are close enough for understanding.

Reread the Sentence

• Read the sentence more than once.
• Think about what word might make sense in the sentence. Try the word and see if the sentence makes sense.

Keep Reading

• Read past the unfamiliar word and look for clues.
• If the word is repeated, compare the second sentence to the first. What word might make sense in both?

Use Prior Knowledge

• Think about what you know about the subject of the book, paragraph, or sentence.
• Do you know anything that might make sense in the sentence? Read the sentence with the word to see if it makes sense.
  
  

Models, Maps, Symbols and More!

In Social Studies, we will be learning about maps.  We will first identify how a map is a model.  Students will recognize how models are representations of real things.   Then, we will find out how a map is model.  We will also discuss the difference between a map and a globe.  We will make our own maps and discuss how symbols help us identify items on a map.
Our next reading unit is called "Down On the Farm," which coincides with our Social Studies unit that compares the difference between a town and a farm.  Also, in reading we will begin working with the short "o" sound.  Your child will be responsible for identifying words with short "o" ending such as: pot, got, hot, fox, box, log, frog, dog.
In math, we will continue our inquiry into addition and subtraction. We will be solving addition and subtraction problems using different strategies.  Some of the strategies will be; using manipulatives, a number line and creating their own word stories.  Students will also understand the terms: number sentence, equal, plus, minus, counting on from ten, graphing, patterning, and tally marks.
Your child can benefit by being able to identify and write numbers up to 30.  Your child should be able to count by 1's, 10's and 5's to 100.  We will also practice counting by 2's. 
There are so many things going on in the last few weeks of Kindergarten!  I cannot believe the school year is three-fourths of the way finished.  Your child will grow and  learn so much in the next few weeks.  Remember, that as the days get longer and warmer, your child will probably be spending more time outside.   It is not unusual for them to get a little bit more tired, especially if involved in t-ball.  But summer will soon be here and they will be ready and on their way to First Grade!!!

Happy Spring Break!
March 21-25 
Classes resume Monday, March 28th!
 

Reading Strategies

Reading Strategies:
When we come to tricky words what do we do?
1. You can look at the picture.
2. You can look at the first letter in the word.
3. You can ask yourself what makes sense.
4. You can re-read.
5. You can look for chunks (small parts) in the word.
6. You can sound (search) through the word.

Comprehension Strategies
When I am finished I should be able to tell:
1. What happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story.
2. Was there a problem?  If so, what was it?
3. What was the resolution (solution)?  How did they fix the problem?

If the book is Non-fiction, I should be able to name 3 facts, from memory that I didn't know before.

Dancing in PE with Mr. D

Mr. Dunlap brought in a Wii and Just Dance for the PE class on Monday at Washington.  The kids absolutely loved it!!!!  I should say- the kids AND ADULTS absolutely loved it!!! 

Who Let The Dogs Out Video

 

Watch These Awesome Dancers!!!!!!!

Report Cards

Third Quarter Report Card testing is under way.  Report Cards will be sent home with your child on March 30th.

High School Students Read to Kindergaraten!

Fairfield High School Students from Mrs. Mayer's class comes to Washington School to read to selected classes. The students enjoyed having "big" kids to hang out and read with. Sophmore Tyler Gilmore and freshman Erica Topping are the first to read to our class.

Cian listens as Tyler reads.

Erica Topping and Tyler Gilmore read the books- Is Your Mama a LLama? and There's a Nightmare In Your Closet.

Justin Leonard  reads about Curious George.

 

 

 

 

               Thanks for reading to us! We enjoyed having you!

Lion or Lamb?

Lion or Lamb on PhotoPeach

Mrs. Spalla Is Back in School!

I have been back in the classroom learning  about new technologies to integrate into the classroom.  For the next month, I will be participating in the class Web 2.0 Tools for the 21Century Teacher.

I will be learning how to use tools such as Twitter, Diigo, Wordle, Moodle, and many more to enhance learning in the classroom.  This will be a great addition to all the work we have been doing with Mrs. Breen.  The kids love doing anything that has to do with a computer!