December - February Literacy Events

Most recent events listed first.

Date: Wednesday, February 28

Read Aloud Stories	We reread some of the latter pages in Wacky Wednesday to look for even more wacky things than we had found on Monday and Tuesday.
Shared Reading: Songs	We sang our goodbye song early in the morning and our Good Morning song last thing of all. We also reviewed Willoughby Wallaby Woo and made sure that each child had a verse in the song.
Independent Reading	Our morning message: Dear Boys and Girls, Today is Wednesday, February 28, 2001. And today is Wacky Wednesday. Did you bring or wear something wacky? Children do not need to come to school tomorrow or Friday but teachers need to go to meetings. See you next week. Love, Mrs. H and Ms. Lee
Daily Routines	Most children responded well to a backwards day with some of the things being reversed or changed. In the Wacky Wednesday book, “it all started with a shoe on the wall.” And that is how we started our day. We took time to look at those children who turned their clothes inside out, wore things backwards, wore something odd (an old Halloween costume, pajamas, weird hats, etc). We included a parade to the other kindergarten class, the office, the library and our buddies class. We tried to watch a 16 mm film backwards but agreed after a few minutes that it was very wacky…and we rewound it and started again at the beginning.
Notes	Some of the children were so caught up with the backwardness of today that they asked to be zipped into their jackets backwards when we went out doors. What fun!

Date: Tuesday, February 27

Read Aloud Stories	We focused on four or five pages from the Wacky Wednesday book that had some of the wildest wacky things. The children are asking for “more” of this book whenever they can.
Shared Reading: Charts	Our music today focused on reading and playing rhythm instruments according to a sequence chart. For example, the sticks together tapped for 8 beats; then the triangles tapped for 8 beats; followed by the tambourines for four beats; and finally all together for eight beats. We did this as we sang Baba, Baba, Black Sheep. The chart reinforces the conductors actions and reminds the children what instrument plays next.
Shared Reading: Poems	We reviewed Five Little Dinosaurs as a Word Walk poem.
Independent Reading	We read /w/ words on the pocket chart. One set of pictures that I was using had different pictures on both the front and back of the large flashcards. I suggested that I might flip one of the pictures but that I wanted everyone to look carefully and then the child helper would choose someone to respond with the changed picture. The children seemed more patient than usual in waiting for a turn although a few groaned if they were not chosen. A new game…
Daily Routines	When children worked on their Show and Tell book, drawing something that starts with the letter W,w, they had opportunity to review most of the letters of the alphabet as they needed to find the W,w page near the end of the book.
Signatures	We continued to work on well-formed names on our art work.
Language Experience	We discussed tomorrow’s special event, Wacky Wednesday, and tried to make predictions as to what might be different in school tomorrow. The children are very creative…they will be limited only by what their parents allow!
Notes	Children are more frequently being seen to arrange placemats for snack so that they are sitting beside someone they know.

Date: Monday, February 26

Read Aloud Stories	Ms. Lee read Wacky Wednesday by Theo LeSieg. We took time to really look at the pictures to find the wacky things that were hidden in each picture. We also introduced the Wacky Walrus puppet and the story for the letter W, w.
Shared Reading: Songs	We introduced Willoughby Wallaby Woo, a song with a few W’s in it but also a song that will fit with our Wacky concept for Wednesday.
Independent Reading	I worked with children one on one to listen to their home reading book, if they had returned it. Many children seem to naturally track from left to right. Many have memorized their story. A few are using a sing-song voice or word by word reading. I want to model for each child how reading should sound like talking.
Written Communication to friends	We concluded the sign making for the dinosaur museum/play house. Each toy dinosaur was labelled with its owners name and its kind of dinosaur name.
Language Experience	We discussed how dinosaurs (the duckbills) were hatched and how adult dinosaurs looked after their babies.
Notes	I wonder if my suggestion to parents that they read the At-Home Reading books several times to their child is too loose an instruction. Maybe I should give them a specific number of times, i.e.. 6. I forget where I heard or read this. It seemed a lot at the time, but now I am wondering if children need the modelling of the words/story and natural sound of the story before it sticks with them. Maybe the word by word reading is something everyone goes through after memory but before actual word recognition.

Thursday, Feb. 22 and Friday Feb. 23

Read Aloud Stories	Baby Brontosaurus and Baby Triceratops both by Dick Dudley are pop up books. The children asked for these information books again and again.
Shared Reading: Charts	Children reviewed all dinosaur poems and charts.
Independent Reading	Children were asked to read their own colour graph which they constructed after they played with small coloured plastic dinosaurs. Most were able to share information regarding which colour had more and less. Questions regarding how many more were attempted by all, some with lots of success…
Writing Centre	We continued and finally concluded the “Dinosaur, dinosaur” writing Books.
Dictated Language	Children drew and tried to write something that they had learned about dinosaurs. We practiced first on individual chalk boards and then children had an opportunity to record theirs more permanently on paper.
Written Communication to friends	After our extended paleontology dig this month we make a sign on our dinosaur bones: This is EarlBuxton-osaurus. We found his bones at Earl Buxton School. The display, as glue-gunned onto a large cardboard box lid, is our pride and joy.
Notes	It is incredible how much children have learned about dinosaurs.

Wednesday, February 21

Read Aloud Stories	The student teacher read Sam’s Pizza and a tiny book called Pizza.
Shared Reading: Charts	Children read and follow a recipe chart when they make pizzas in Kindercooking today. This assembly line recipe has lots of options to individualize your pizza for the items you know you like or do not like. We had all agreed yesterday that we would not put anchovies on our pizza…just like in the song, “I am a Pizza”
Shared Reading: Predictable Books	We read Little Baby Dinosaur by Marleen Miles, a kindergarten teacher at Crestwood School.
Shared Reading: Songs	We sang I am a Pizza by Charlotte Diamond and Pizza by April and Susan. Each verse of the Charlotte Diamond song has an echo section so the children quickly are able to join in. I use tapes with both of these songs to keep us on the right melody…
Daily Routines	Children continue to borrow a book from the library each day that they return one. Our class appears to be leading the rest of the school in no overdues each week. We are extremely interested in the announcement that come over the intercom when our class is identified.
Writing Centre	Duplicated copies of the tiny book, Pizza, are available for the children to individualize and then take home today. As well, the Dinosaur writing books that we introduced yesterday prove to be popular as a choice today.
Language Experience	Although all of the class is familiar with eating pizza, not very many children were able to describe how pizza is made from scratch. The song, Pizza, seemed strange to some of the children when it described throwing the dough up in the air.
Notes	Pizza is the word of choice for our key/magic words this week.

Tuesday, February 20

Read Aloud Stories	We read Pete’s a Pizza, a story about a family who solves the problem of a bored child by making him into pizza (rather creatively done).
Phonemic Awareness	We introduced the sound of the letter /p/. Our puppet, Polka Pig, popped up to show her pinecone, pearl necklace with a peace sign on it, and her pink and purple polka dots.
Read Aloud Stories	Mrs. Jarosch read to the class: Honest to Goodness Truth, by Patricia McKissack (a Best of the Best)
Shared Reading: Songs	We introduced two pizza songs: Pizza by April and Susan and I am a Pizza from Charlotte Diamond. This second one, we have as a big book, and so, we read and sang together.
Independent Reading	We had a morning message that reminded the children that yesterday was a holiday and that tomorrow we would be making pizza in class. As the children did not quickly guess yesterday and tomorrow, I drew a box around the yes in yesterday and underlined the to at the beginning of tomorrow and helped the children read the little words.
Computer Lab	Once and sometimes twice a week children can access the computer lab in the learning studio outside our classroom. The mother volunteers who come into to help usually supervise 4 or 6 children at a time working in pairs. This month we have set up a memory game where children play a variation of Concentration to try to match pairs of cards. The children find the technology of computers fascinating and challenging. This game definitely favours those with a longer attention span, but we are noticing that children are improving in their ability to remember where the uncovered pictures are. Also most have not determined that the game can be competitive; almost all are willing to help their partner.
Writing Centre	Dinosaur books with stampers, tracers and pencils and felts were available for children to decorate. The preprinted words said, Dinosaurs, dinosaurs; I like dinosaurs; ________ dinosaurs; ________ dinosaurs; I like dinosaurs. We encouraged children to think in terms of opposites for the blanks. They generated a list of possibilities: big, small; meat-eaters, plant-eaters; walking, flying; mean, friendly; and decorated their booklet pages appropriately. We put a great deal of emphasis on the reading of the book after it was completed, and celebrated the child’s ability to make it sound interesting.

February 16, 2001

Read Aloud Stories	We read Dinosaurs and All the Rubbish by Michael Foreman
Shared Reading: Charts	We reviewed Dinosaur Detective. We also went way back in our collection of charts and reread “Once There Was A Princess”. We looked for all the /p/ words in the poem.
Shared Reading: Songs	We sang Listen to the Chorus…
Independent Reading	Our morning message today referred to the long weekend that is coming up and posed a question about what would be happening on Family Day for each child and his/her family.
Daily Routines	Before the children left, I asked each of them to whisper a word that started with the letter v. (I like to use the whisper technique because I will be the only one to hear who has not generalized the concept. Also, it gives me another chance to be close to each child, even for a moment.) Everyone can either think of something by themselves or they are able to look around the class and find something that is on the v experience chart or in the v pocket chart. A few of the children are encouraged to try to think of something that no one else has thought of…
Writing Centre	We have an ABC Language Board with puzzle pieces for each letter of the alphabet along with picture strips for common three letter words. I sat with pairs of children and encouraged them to find the letters that fit into the notched word strips. Rather than tackling the letters from left to right, I suggested that children try the initial sound, the final sound and then try one of the five vowels. (I had taped a piece of paper to the bottom of the board and printed a, e, i, o, u on it). I explained that words usually had one of these vowels in the middle. This was useful for most of the children but I noticed that Michael ignored the suggestion and took the letters in left to right order. He already was familiar with the sounds of the vowels.
Dictated Language	For the first time I asked the children to work in pairs and use chalk boards to try to help me write some words. I had them copy __an and told them we were trying to write the word van. They quickly realized that we needed a v. Next I said we could try man if we kept the an, but erased the v. Some of the children made a few wild guesses but we said man slowly and tried to isolate the first sound. It is hard to slow down the children who are most excited and wanting to blurt out what others are almost ready to discover. I also dictated vet, from __et and set from __et.

Thursday, February 15

Read Aloud Stories	We had a look at the book A Night in the Dinosaur Graveyard by A.J.. Wood. The holograms made this a favourite with many.
Shared Reading: Charts	We reviewed the chart, Five enormous Dinosaurs.
Shared Reading: Predictable Books	We read On My Way to School by Marleen Miles.
Shared Reading: Songs	We reviewed our favourite Valentine songs.
Independent Reading	I tried to check on children’s use of At Home Reading books, by calling them aside to read me the book that they had returned this morning. We are making progress.
Daily Routines	Our Show and Tell session today was longer than the usual five children because we had the overflow of ones who had missed their turn during yesterday’s party. A wide variety of objects were displayed today: Velcro, violets, video, valentine box, velociraptor, etc.
Writing Centre	When children are printing their Show and Tell word, a few need reminding to hold their pencil correctly. Most can find the correct page to work on. (“V is near the end of the alphabet”, I tell them, “so look near the back of the book”…)
Language Experience	The volcano demonstration was a huge success with the student teacher able to discuss and demonstrate the process, ask questions and give simple information to each group as well as directing children to look up more info in a text book.
Letters	We wrote some impromptu letters of thanks for the parents that had helped at the Valentine party.

Wednesday, February 14

Letters	The Valentine cards that had been completed at home needed to be mailed first thing this morning.
Independent Reading	When our buddy class arrived shortly after 9 this morning, we delivered each child his mail box/bag and the process of opening and reading the cards began. Children in kindergarten were interested to see who they got cards from, as well as what kind of cards these were…(the design and the words, joke, or otherwise) were the topic of much conversation. Random calls of thank you were heard across the room. We suggested that children take their cards home and share them with their families which they were more than happy to finally do. The buddies stayed to help the kindergarten child play board and card games for part of the afternoon. The role modelling, the turn taking, and the opportunity to have something new to do with their buddy, made this day extra special.
Shared Reading: Songs	Children had an opportunity to perform their Valentine songs for their buddies. We featured: Four Hugs a day, Skinnamarink, and I Have a Secret Valentine. Several mother helpers busily snapped pictures to commemorate the occasion. There were many giggles as the grade fours realized that we were trying to teach them how to hug, in the song, “Four hugs a day.”
Read Aloud Stories	The Valentine video, The Berenstein Bears and Cupid’s Surprise was shown to the children. It featured lots of rhyming couplets that the children were invited to recall after.
Daily Routines	Our routines seemed different today with a party rather than a regular day schedule. While the children are happy to have a special day, several miss the security of a regular routine and ask when we are going to have centre time.
Signatures	The children had the opportunity to see the names of their class mates and the good printing that they had done on their Valentine cards as well as trying to read who the card was from.
Notes	Today was a satisfying but totally exhausting day!!! I am so glad I don’t have an afternoon class to need a replay…

Tuesday, February 13

Read Aloud Stories	Mrs. Jarosch read to the class, Valentine, by Carol Carrick.
Shared Reading: Charts	Our pocket chart is featuring a story with eight picture cards about our Puppet character of the week: Vam Vampire. In the picture cards, she makes a vase and goes to a valley to collect violets for her friend, Vera.
Shared Reading: Songs	We sang Skinnamarink and Secret Valentine. Our music class featured a song: Love Somebody, yes I do Love Somebody, yes I do. Love somebody, yes I do. Love somebody but I won’t tell who.
Daily Routines	This month Show and Tell is encouraged to be a guessing game. Children are asked to bring an object that starts with the given letter of the week but it needs to be wrapped or covered so that the rest of the class can’t see it. The child should give the class three clues about the object and then choose from amongst the class volunteers, one or more children who are willing to put the clues together to guess what the object might be. We usually suggest the class give up, if after 3 guesses no one has guessed it correctly. This helps the procedure move a bit more quickly too.
Phonics Centre	We looked for pictures of words that started with the sound /v/ to decorate a Valentine shape. We were careful to not choose some pictures that started with other sounds.
Signatures	Children finished their Valentine for their buddy, taking care to print “from” and their own name. They were also encouraged to try to print “to” and their buddy’s name.
Notes	Excitement is peaking for tomorrow’ party.

Monday, February 12

Read Aloud Stories	At the listening centre this week is a story of the Biggest Valentine Ever. All children are encouraged to take time to visit this centre this week.
Shared Reading: Charts	We read Skin-a-marink and then we sang it. Children are recognizing the difference in their voices when they sing and when they talk.
Shared Reading: Predictable Books	We re-read Love is Something. This big book is becoming a favorite when children can browse and read by themselves.
Shared Reading: Songs	We practiced Four Hugs a Day, again.
Independent Reading	Children are continuing to match the name on their Valentine cards to the names on the Valentine mailing bags. Adults in the class continue to assist as necessary, pointing out what letter the name starts with or where on the board (in ABC order) the bags are hanging.
Writing Centre	We continued the ABC Language Board this week at the writing centre and taught the children how to make a rubbing of their word.
Signatures	Children are reminded to carefully print their name on their valentine cards so that their friends will be able to easily read who the card is from.
Oral Language	We introduced the letter sound for the week: V,v. Our feature puppet is Vam Vampire. The children helped tell the story by repeating the sound of /v/ when the story suggested a v-word. A few children are hearing the sound in normal conversation and smile and repeat the word when they hear me say something that starts with /v/.

Friday, February 9

Shared Reading: Charts	We reviewed our experience charts for the Valentine theme: Skinnamarink, Secret Valentine, and we also reviewed the skating song “It’s so Nice on the Ice”.
Shared Reading: Songs	We started to learn Charlotte Diamond’s, Four Hugs a Day. This song teaches someone how to give a hug. We tried it with fellow classmates. We will try it with our buddies next week.
Independent Reading	Our morning message introduced the first day of gymnastics.
Dictated Language	I scribed many footsteps that we as a class dictated to recognize Kindness that had been shown to us this week: Thank you Mrs. Leung for helping us make Valentine cookies. They were so delicious! Or, Thank you Mr. Reyes for delivering that ladder to our room so quickly. We will be able to decorate our room for our Valentine Party now.
Written Communication to friends	The children traced, decorated and cut out a Valentine for their buddy and signed their name to it. These were set aside for next week.
Notes	We reread our key/magic words.

Thursday, February 8th

Shared Reading: Songs	We learned the song, Skinnamarink, as we listened to the tape by Sharon, Lois and Bram. Our experience chart version features the first verse and chorus. Most children are becoming careful trackers pointing from top to bottom and from left to right. I challenged the children to find words that they could already read. We drew circles around the familiar words and commented on how many words we knew.
Daily Routines	Show and Tell this week is featuring H, h words. I like this week because even if children have forgotten to bring something, they have hair, head, hands, heart and happy faces with them. It’s hard not to think of something!!!
Language Experience	I try to explain what “Have a heart” means. We have a great Discussion first with children’s ideas…
Letters	Interest is building in the mail bags with photos and names on them that the children are using for mailing Valentine cards. A few children are expressing curiosity and some want to take their cards home already…Patience is sometimes hard to learn…
Notes	Our word walk this theme is : Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet and so are you. Each word is printed on a pink or red heart and laminated onto a large (sidewalk) laminating film. Children choose to walk or hop on each word. It is still interesting to watch which children are unsure of the difference between words and syllables – violets might be stepped on for vi- only.

Wednesday, February 7

Shared Reading: Charts	We reviewed several charts that we had recently read.
Shared Reading: Predictable Books	Love is Something If You Give It Away (big book) is also known as the Magic Penny Song. We read with gusto!
Shared Reading: Songs	The songs that we are learning are becoming a bit more secure in children’s minds. We reviewed out Valentine ones.
Independent Reading	Our morning message reminds us that we will be getting together with our buddies after recess when we will work together to make a Valentine craft to take home for Mom and Dad.
Writing Centre