Sight Word Beach Ball

Here is a summer inspired little game I made to play on this rainy day.

I had a beach ball at home that I picked up from Dollarama. I wrote the sight words all around it (my son helped me with this). 

My son and I took turns throwing the ball to each other and whatever word we saw first, we read. We both had fun! Definitely going to do this with my students this week!

..."playing" aka practicing sight words at 7:00am, yes please :)

Tips for Raising a Reader...

Here is a list found in one of the Scholastic Orders and I thought I'd share:

1. Take turns reading aloud. Taking turns is fun and can make reading less daunting!
2. Use picture clues! Show your child how to look at the pictures to see what the story is about.
3. Guess what happens next! When you your reader guesses, it becomes a game - and it is a great way to reinforce reading comprehension! 
4. Have your child describe a character and then guess which one it is.
5. Kids are like adults - we all prefer to read about things that interest us! Pick books that have topics your child is interested in, such as animals, sports, or dance. 
6. When you read books aloud, have fun with the voices! Try using a different voice for each character.
7. Have your child read to your dog! No kidding! Dogs are good, nonjudgmental listeners.
8. Be a role model. Let your child catch you reading. Encourage daily reading moments - like following directions in a cookie recipe, or reading a billboard.
9. Stay positive. Your job is to be reassuring and supportive, never critical. You want your child to look forward to reading and enjoy it. Reading is hard work and your encouragement goes a long way.
10. Celebrate success! A progress chart, stickers, or getting to pick the next story are great motivators for kids!

Gr. 1 BAM Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our game of BAM!  The record for correct number of sight words before we got a BAM stick was 10! Maybe we can beat it tomorrow?

BAM!

A simple game to reinforce sight words is...

Here is how it works:

1. Write a sight word on a popsicle stick (large or small - I use small because they are easier to read).
2. Write "BAM" on several sticks.
3. Put the sticks in a decorated can (shown below).
4. Have student pull out and read the sight word.
5. If the student reads correctly they can keep the stick. If the word is read incorrectly it goes back in the can and another students takes a turn.
6. If a "BAM" stick is pulled all the sticks go back in the can. 

This game can be used as a centre or a whole class activity. If you are using as a centre, it's a good idea to model the correct procedure first. This is also a simple at home activity parents can make and use at home. 

May High Frequency Words

Testing in Progress...

With the PALS program there are testing periods that are in place.


JK/SK & Gr. 1
Letter Sound Frequency (LSF) Test

• Students are given letter sheet (which I have sent home a few months back). The top four letters are for me to demonstrate the letter sounds and show students what is required. 
• There are asked to say the sounds and I record on a seperate sheet the ones they got correct/incorrect
• They have a minute to complete as many sounds as possible

Word Identification Frequency (WIF) Test

• Students are given a list of sight words 
• They are given a minute to read as many words as they can (if a word if not known they simply say skip and move on)

Grade 3 Passage Reading

• Students are given a passage reading and asked to read as much of the story as they can in one minute. 

I am very proud of the reading gains I am seeing in all the classes - way to go students, you should be proud of yourselves!!!