Emergent Student Readers Set 1 & 2 UPDATE

I have been busy updating and revamping my Emergent Student Readers!  

This has been something I have been meaning to do for quite awhile now.  I wasn't really pleased with the order they were listed in, because they weren't listed in the order I teach them to my own students.  So I went ahead and fixed that.  Now they are listed in order of difficulty.  Each reader builds upon the previous reader as the sight words are reviewed and new words are slowly introduced.  The sentence patterns change slightly from line to line, to ensure the students focus on the text and do not just memorize a patter that is repeated over and over again.

Set 1 now consists of 7 Emergent Student Readers.  Each reader includes a copy for the student to read in class and also a Home Reader to take home.  

Also included are sight word flash cards and pocket chart picture cards to go along with each reader.

The following sight words are reviewed in Set 1:

I, see, a, my

I, see, a, the

I, see, a, and, the

I, see, a, and, the, my

I, see, my, the, can, go, you

I, see, my, the, can, go, you, is, in
I, see, a, my, can, is, it, no

In addition to introducing sight words, this set is geared to help students develop their concept of word.  I have placed dots under each word in the first five readers to remind students where to point with their finger as they read.  I also use this set to introduce the reading strategies of looking at the pictures for a clue and also using beginning sounds to determine unknown words. Rhyming pairs can be reinforced with the 1^st, 2^nd,  and 4^th readers in this set. 

You will find 6 different readers in Set 2, which continues to build upon Set 1.  

The following sight words are reviewed in Set 2:
I, see, my, the, can, is, no, in, on, me, like, look, it
I, see, the, can, you, is, on, me, like, little, we
I, see, the, can, you, is, in, on, look, it, at
I, the, my, is, me, look, at, this, that, am
a, is, this, that, he, she, has, have, do, or
a, my, the, you, is, on, this, that, he, she, do

In addition to introducing sight words, this set is geared to help students develop and apply additional reading strategies. I generally reinforce the following with this set:  checking the pictures for a clue, using beginning sound knowledge, thinking about all of the sounds to decode simple words, and making sure what they are reading makes sense.

If you want to learn more about how I use these Emergent Student Readers in my classroom, please click here.

Also, stay tuned because Set 3 is currently in the works!  

High-Frequency Magnetic Words and Magnetic Kidboards

I am so excited to share my thoughts with you about two of great products:  High-Frequency Magnetic Words and Magnetic Kidboards 

There are a total of 205 learning magnets that included nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, word endings, punctuation marks, etc...  The best thing is that they are color-coded!!  My daughter couldn't wait to open the packages to try them out.  So we opened them up, I sorted the magnets by color and placed the Kidboards right on the tabletop.  It was the perfect size! 

What a wonderful, hands-on and engaging way to provide instruction on sight word identification, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, complete sentences, rhyming, fluency, etc...  I explained what each color meant and my little one jumped right in, building sentences.

Here are some great teachable moments that happened in just a few moments with the learning magnets:
Concept of Word:  I reminded her, "What comes in between each word?"
Capitalization:  Sometimes the word she used at the beginning of her sentence did not start with a capital letter, I would ask her, "What happens to the first letter of the sentence?" or  Which letter should be capitalized? Why?"
Punctuation:  "What comes at the end of the sentence?"
Sight Word Identification and Fluency:  I made sentences for her to read aloud to me.
Grammar:  As she built her sentence, there were times she would say, "Do we have the word ___?"  I could answer by saying, "Yes, that is a verb.  Go ahead and try to find it in the red pile."

I can't wait to use them with my students!!
Guess what?!  Great news is that you can win a set of your own!
Just enter via the Rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway (Please be sure to read the Terms and Conditions!!  You must be a U.S. resident!)
And to have a little fun, make sure you leave me a comment telling me what word is hidden under my daughter's hand below!

Thank you Barker Creek for contacting me to review these items!

Click on the pictures below to learn more about each of these amazing products!

And if you haven't visited Barker Creek's website, click on the picture below to see all of their great teaching resources and supplies!

Good luck!

Valentine FREEBIES and Goodies!

I thought it would be helpful if I combined all of my Valentine goodies into one post!  

Some of these items are FREE!!  Those that aren't are on sale until Valentine's Day!!

Just click on each picture to be directed to my shop!

  

 

'

Thank you!

Valentine Product Updates and SALE!

Hi there!
I spent some time updating two of the products I use for Valentine's Day!

The first one is my 

Sight Word Finds-Love Birds and Puppy Love

I use this as a fun way to practice and reinforce sight words.  I have hidden 16 teeny, tiny words in a full-paged picture.  The students have fun using a magnifying glass to find the words!  I also included a recording sheet for students to write down 15 words as they find them!

This is split up into K and 1.  Each grade has two different Sight Word Finds-Love Birds and Puppy Love.

The following words are hidden:

K-1:  Love Birds:  I, my, go, a, see, can, me, and, is, it, am, in, for, the, at, no

K-2:  Puppy Love:  on, you, like, look, said, to, be, we, not, was, little, this, that, are, up, yes

1-1:  Love Birds:  like, look, said, then, when, with, me, my, from, for, she, he, here, play, all, are

1-2:  Puppy Love:  little, has, his, come, some, here, into, your, went, make, who, away, there, where, what, was  

The second one is my Monster Love Letter Identification.

I use this pack as a fun way to reinforce letters and their sounds.  This is a great addition to any Valentine's Day theme because the graphics used are adorable little monsters with hearts!

Guess what?  Both of these products are listed at half price until Valentine's Day!
Enjoy!

The Valentine Student Reader

Valentine's Day is just around the corner!
Can you believe it?  I'm just not sure where January went!

I wanted to share the Emergent Student Reader I wrote for my Kinderkids just for Valentine's Day!

"The Valentine" is a story about finding a valentine, but who is it for?  

This Emergent Student Reader practices:

~  the sight words:  can, you, see, the, is, it, for, my, the, no

~  concept of word

~  1:1 correspondence

~  use of picture clues when reading

and more!

Have you found some fun Valentine's Day goodies out there this year??  Please share!

Oh, and if you want to learn more about the Emergent Student Readers I have created, and how I use them with my kiddos, please click on the picture below:

The Bear-New Student Reader

Today I am excited to share that I have added another title to my Emergent Student Readers-Set 2!

"The Bear" is about a bear who keeps popping up in silly places.

While reading, students will practice:

~  the sight words:  see, the, look, like, is, it, I, at, in, on, can, you

~  concept of word

~  1:1 correspondence when reading

~  use of picture clues and other beginning reading strategies.

Don't forget that this title is an addition to the titles in my Emergent Student Readers-Set 2!  So if you have already purchased the set, please head to download it again!

If you want to learn more about the other Emergent Student Readers I have created, click on the picture below:

Can You Help Me? New Student Reader

I'm excited to share the news that I just added a new title to my Emergent Student Readers-Set 1!

"Can You Help Me?" is a reader about a little boy who can not find his bat.  I know many kids will be able to relate to losing track of an item or two!

While reading, students will practice:

~  the sight words:  the, see, can, you, no, I, in, on, is, it, me, my, look, & like

~  concept of word

~  1:1 correspondence when reading

~  use of picture clues when reading

~ identification of basic punctuation and how it influences fluency

Don't forget, I have added this title to my Emergent Student Readers-Set 1, so if you've already purchased the set, head over to download it again!

If you want to learn more about the other Emergent Student Readers I have created, click on the "Student Readers" tab on the top right of my page or on the "Student Readers" Label on the right. 

New Updates-I See Student Readers!

Are you familiar with my Emergent Student Readers?  

I use them throughout the year to help develop my students into readers.

Each year I start my students off with the following reader:

This reader practices the sight words:  I, see, the, a.

I use it to reinforce:

~  concept of word, sentence, and space

~  1:1 correspondence when reading

~  use of picture clues when reading

~  rhyming

~ onset-rime blending

This year I added another reader that is very similar, yet different:

This reader reinforces the sight words:  I, see, my, a,

along with the same concepts written above.

How do I use these?

I begin my instruction by writing out each sentence on a sentence strip.  I attach the corresponding picture and display them in my pocket chart.  We review the sight words in the reader and discuss the use of picture clues if we become puzzled on a word.  Then we name the pictures shown.

I model how we read by pointing to one word at a time and we read through each sentence together.  I then have each student come up and read with a fun pointer.  Once each student has read, I give them each a copy to begin their Student Reader folder.  

As additional Student Readers are introduced, I will add them to the folder.  Each week the kiddos go through and read through their folders independently to practice fluency.

I will also have them take their Home Reader home with them to read to someone special.

I have combined the two readers into one download:

If you had already purchased the first "I See" Emergent Student Reader, please go back to download the file again so that you can receive the second "I See" Emergent Student Reader!!

Click on the picture below to see all of the Student Readers I have created:

 

New Student Reader-"I See"

Now that assessments are done and I have added new kinderkids to my caseload, new groups and routines are underway.

I really wanted to start reinforcing concept of word with some of my groups, so I wrote a new Emergent Student Reader called, "I See".

Teachers Notebook
Teachers Pay Teachers

I will be using it to reinforce:

~  concept of word, sentence, and space 

~  sight words:  I, see, the, a

~  1:1 correspondence when reading

~  use of picture clues when reading
~ onset-rime blending
~ rhyming

I start by writing out the sentences on sentence strips and placing them in the pocket chart.  I model how we point to one word at a time when reading.  Of course I make a mistake or two (I read "a" instead of "the" and insert the word "can") for the students to correct me.  This helps ensure they are focusing on the words.

I then have each student come up and read with a pointer.  Once done, they receive their own copy to begin their Student Reader folder.  (As we read additional Student Readers, they will be added to the folder.)  They will also be taking home the Home Reader to read to someone special.

 This reader is a bit more simplistic than the first one included in my Emergent Student Readers Set 1. If you want to learn more about the Student Readers I have created and use with my students, you can click on the pictures below:

Thanks and enjoy!

Snowman Letters and Sounds

At school, we just completed our AIMSweb Benchmarking.  
Most of the kiddos had a great deal of difficulty with Letter Sound Fluency (LSF).  If you are unfamiliar with AIMSweb, this is where the student is presented with a random series of upper and lower case letters and they need to produce as many sounds as they can in 1 minute.  

When I assessed them with my Letter-Sound Assessment to see exactly what letters and sounds they knew, I found that many of them simply didn't know many letter-sound correspondences.  So they really need a boost in this area.

One game that I like to play with my kiddos is the, 
"Hide/Find the ____" game.  
This game has been around for years and years, but I just love how you can make simple changes and the kids continue to love it each and every time they play it.

I didn't have any fun alphabet cards to use for the winter season (well, none that wasn't currently part of an activity I would be using), so I made these Snowman Alphabet cards to place into a pocket chart and play, "Hide the Penguin" to reinforce letters and sounds.

Teachers Notebook
Teachers Pay Teachers

How do I play, Hide the Penguin?

Well, do you see that little penguin above?

He is the little guy who I hide behind the cards.

I simply place the letters I want to reinforce  into my pocket chart, as seen below (I play this game with sight words too).

  I then hide the little penguin behind one of the cards.

The kiddos take turns naming a letter and/or producing a sound trying to find the penguin!

Have you played this game before?  Do your kids like it as much as mine?

If you are interested in my Letter-Sound Assessment, you can find it in both of my shops!

Teachers Notebook

Teachers Pay Teachers

It is Fall!!

It is Fall!  The air is crisp in the evenings and the leaves are beginning to change color here in the Northeast.  I am looking forward to the beautiful changes Mother Nature has in store for the season!

Just for Fall, I wanted to share with you one of my Emergent Student Readers called, "The Colors of Fall"

This Student Reader is a part of my 
Emergent Student Readers Set 1

Here are some other products I have available that are perfect for the season to help reinforce early literacy skills for your little literacy learners!

Fall Letter Finds and Mix-Ups

Pumpkin Letter Identification

Emergent Student Book-My 5 Senses

My little one has such a thirst for learning.  She loves learning about letters, words, numbers, science, art, etc...  She has asked if we could read more books about what is inside our bodies.  In addition to the books we have taken home from the library that I will read to her, I created a new Emergent Student Book called, "My 5 Senses" for her to read to me.

I created the book to have somewhat of a predictable pattern, but I varied it a little bit to ensure that she is focusing on the words as she reads and not just memorizing the words by the pattern. Because it is important for her as an emergent reader to develop concept of word, I included dots under each word to encourage her to point to each word as she reads. 

To allow my little one to take ownership of the book, I decided not to include any graphics throughout the book.  Instead, I have asked her to be the illustrator!  This allows her to make it her own as she illustrates each page.


Click on the picture below to access your shop of choice.  The download includes the Emergent Student Book along with sight word flash cards to help reinforce the high-frequency words repeated throughout the book.

The Common Core Learning Standards addressed in this activity include the following:  

K.RS.FS.1:   Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

K.RS.FS.1a:  Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

K.RS.FS.1b:  Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequence of letters.

K.RS.FS.1c:  Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

K.RS.FS.3:  Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words

K.RS.FS.3a:  Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

K.RS.FS.3c:  Read common high-frequency words by sight.

K.RS.FS.4:  Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

This Emergent Student Book is similar to the Emergent Student Readers I have created.  Instead of being on a single page, it is set up as a book.
If you missed them, you can check them out by clicking on the pictures below:

and

I am not sure what is happening in your neck of the woods, but it has been absolutely beautiful here.  Because of that, I have been very unproductive when it has come to getting things done!

Thanks and I hope you enjoy!!

End of School Scramble

My students love scrambled sentences, do yours?  Since there are many special events happening in these last few days, I am not sure how much I am going to be able to see my first and second graders.  

I do have a few activities ready to go in case I am able to see some of them.  One of the activities is the End of School Scrambled Sentences.  This is an activity I created last year, but just adapted a teeny tiny bit.  (If you want to see that post, you can click here.)

This activity has 5 different sentences all about the end of school or summer vacation.  I pre-print the document, laminate, and cut out the word cards.  I then place the cards with the like pictures in cute little buckets.  The students then select a bucket, pull out the words and place them in the correct order to make a complete sentence.  Once they have it in the correct order, they then write the correct sentence on the recording sheet.  This incorporates use of their sight words, comprehension at the sentence level, and the need for proper punctuation when writing. 

Here are some 1st Grade CCLS that can be addressed in this activity:

RF1.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
a. Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
RF1.3 3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
b. Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
c. Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.
d. Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.
e. Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
f. Read words with inflectional endings.
g. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
L.1.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
b. Use end punctuation for sentences.

How many of you are still in school?  One full day and two half days left for this girl here!  How about you?

Get Together and Phrase FREEBIE

Holy Moly Cannoli!

The month of May flew by wicked fast!!
I woke up this morning realizing 
that June 9th is THIS weekend!!

That means we are having our 
Capital Region Get Together THIS Saturday!

Wooooooooooooo hooooooooooooo!!!!

Here are the details:

Saturday June 9th, 2012 

12 noon

at

Wolf's 1-11!

Will you be joining us??

On a different note, to help reinforce sight words with my Kinderkids, I have been sending home the "homework" shown below.  They simply read each phrase aloud to someone.  The parent/guardian listening to the child writes their initials and date in the box.  Once all of the boxes are complete, they bring it back to me for a little treat.  

If you click on the picture, you will be able to snag one for yourself for FREE!  

This summer I am hoping to create a pack that includes a few different versions of these.  Would you be interested?

Samson's Classroom Giveaway

I have another amazing giveaway to share with you!  

Have you ever heard of

Samson's Classroom?

It is a fantastic little internet based program designed to help children build their sight word knowledge, spelling, and reading comprehension skills.

Samson is a little dog that both boys and girls love.  He is adorable and quite entertaining!  He is the star of fun and interactive games to reinforce sight words, spelling, and reading comprehension.

There are many activities built into each aspect of the site.  For example, children are able to learn their sight words, build them, identify them, take a quiz, and play games such as the one shown below:

Samson's Classroom even provides you with student progress reports and allows students to log on from any computer.  What a great way to reinforce these skills over the summer months!

Here is the fun part, 
I have one full-year 
Samson's Classroom 
membership to give to one of you!  
You can have up to 4 chances to enter!  


Enter via the Rafflecopter shown below.  
Please make sure you review the Terms and Conditions.


GOOD LUCK!
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