Little Literacy Learners: October 2011

Monster Match Winners

Did everyone have a good time hunting for my little monsters? I hope so!! Thank you for all of your kind comments. I had a great time reading through them and look forward to some new blogs to check out!!

Here is the post you were hunting for:

But, if you left a comment elsewhere (on another post, through email, Facebook, etc...), I am still sending you my Monster Match activity. Please check your inbox!

If you missed the fun, you can purchase my Monster Match activity by clicking on the picture below!!

Also, I am missing one address for Amy from The Resource(ful) Room, once I get it I will send you the activity.

Thanks so much and enjoy your monsters and slime everyone!!

Want to have some fun for a free Letter ID Activity?

(I am reposting this with some HINTS on the bottom!!)

Early last week I created a "secret" post for my Facebook friends, sharing a FREE letter identification activity shown below, called Monster Match (very similar to my Pumpkin Letter Identification).

I changed the post a little, but if you can find that post on my blog and leave me a comment there with your email address, I will send you the Monster Match activity for FREE!

You have until midnight tomorrow EST (Monday, October 17th) to find that post and leave me your comment!

Have fun and Happy SPOOKY MONSTER Hunting!!

Hints: It is NOT a post in October or September and does NOT already provide an activity for free (Mr. Munch).
You will know when you find it!

= Have fun! =

Beginning Sound Sort-M, B, H FREEBIE

Hi there!

Just wanted to share a simple beginning sound sort I created to provide my little ones some independent practice with the consonants "M", "B", and "H".

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I love hearing from all of you, but feel like my comments have really decreased lately. I miss you! Please let me know how things are going with and that you are still with me =

Enjoy!

Top 50

I was so excited and honored when I opened my email! Little Literacy Learners was named one of the Top 50 Educational Blogs, based on recommendations by other teacher blogs for having outstanding content for elementary teachers, by Teacher Certification Degrees!

Click the picture below to see what they have to say and to view the other blogs on the list that Little Literacy Learners joins!

Thank you!

Upper Case Sound Identification Progress Monitoring

I was recently assigned to provide a Tier III intervention and needed something to track the letter sound identification of the student, so I created this little, easy to use tool to monitor progress.

It includes 2 data sheets for the teacher to mark and monitor progress, along with 12 stimulus sheets for the students to view. Each stimulus sheet lists the 26 letters of the alphabet in a different, random order. As the student goes through and produces the sounds, I will make a slash through incorrect responses on the Data Sheet. (These include the most common consonant sounds and short vowel sounds) When complete, I will total up the number of correct responses and then graph it right on the Data Sheet.

The data sheet allows you to have all of your data from 12 different assessment periods on one sheet (when printed front-to-back)!

Click on a picture for the shop of your choice!

What are some ways you monitor progress for either Tier II or Tier III interventions?

The End of Molasses Classes

I was asked to review, The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark. Can I just say his school sounds absolutely A....MA....ZING! I think a slide in the middle of our foyer at ~~home~~ school would be so much fun!

In this book, Mr. Clark provides 101 "Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers" to help get students "unstuck". I wanted to take a moment to share two of the solutions that really touched me. (I don’t want to give too much away in case you haven’t read the book yourself.)

His 12th Solution: Set the tone for a love of learning.
This solution really brought me back to The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller and how much we need to instill a love, not only for reading, but for learning in general. So many of my little learners do not have that love for reading or learning when they begin working with me. We as teachers need to instill that in them. I agree with Mr. Clark in that we need to show our students that we are lifelong learners and continue to have a constant thirst for knowledge. We need to show them that even as adults there are still questions that we may not be able to answer, because we continue to learn things ourselves. He states, "No one knows everything, and the real lesson we need to teach our children is that the man who can actually find the answers to any questions presented to him is the true genius." It helps to reinforce the need for the students to try their hardest and do their very best every day.

His 13th Solution: Treat every child as if he or she were your own.
I wholeheartedly agree with him when he says, "For anyone who works with children, we often are made aware of the burdens they have to bear, but in many instances we will never know. We never have an awareness of the pain they are feeling and the struggles they have to endure. What we can do, however, is love them and see them as individuals we care about and respect."
He says we can accomplish this by simply paying attention to them, asking them how they are, having lunch with them, or even giving a small gift. He says, "It may seem like something simple at the time, but it may just end up being the most special moment in the life of a child who is desperately deserving of happiness." All of the children we work with are such beautiful little beings and part of our job is to help them see themselves as such.

Some of his solutions seem so very simple. But as simple as they are, they really help open our eyes to the many hats we need to wear as parents and teachers!

Don't forget to stop by TBA to see what others have to say about this amazing book and how it has touched them!