C is for Coach... Freebie Literacy Coaching Printables




C is for Coach:
One small part of my Intervention position this year is Literacy Coaching.  This has been such a neat experience.  I have learned so much from other teachers!  I never leave another teacher's classroom without something new; a different approach, a new strategy, a better system, etc.  

C is for Collaboration:  
I am collaborating with a group of teachers that are also coaching.  We are doing a book club on the book, Literacy Coaching: The Essentials.  This book goes over everything from how to establish relationships with teachers you are working with to models to use in a gradual release cycle.  


C is for Communication:
Communicating with teachers is key!  It is essential that you make the most of the teachers' time.  For this reason, you'll need to stay organized.  Click HERE for a set of freebie printables to stay organized!  



Guided Reading: as an Intervention Teacher



This year I (Tamra) made a switch to from classroom teacher (1st grade) to Literacy Intervention Teacher.   I work with 4-6 students at a time for about 30 minutes each group.   At the school I work at,  Guided Reading is a big focus this year.  Teachers are refining their Guided Reading instruction.  One of the ways they are doing this is by implementing a similar lesson plan format school-wide.   I am doing the same.  It is very similar to what I've always done and I'm so pleased that it works so well in an Intervention setting!  

I split my lesson plan into 2 days.  Below you'll find what I do each day. 

DAY ONE:

1.  The first thing the kiddos do is practice writing 3 sight words on white boards (Target Dollar Spot).  I get the sight words from the list assigned by the county I teach in.  Kiddos write the words and I help them as needed. After writing the words, we clap out the letters and erase them by "tracing them away."  I keep track of student progress with sight words on a really simple check off sheet. 


2.  After sight word practice, I introduce the book that we will be working on.  One of the first things we talk about is vocabulary that we will be encountering in the text.  I always write vocabulary words on the small whiteboards so the students can see the word.  We "find the words" using these finger light up cars (Target Dollar Spot).  


3.  After a picture walk, students start reading the text.  All students whisper read and I listen to students one at a time.  I assist students while they read.  At the beginning of the year,  I model the expectation that they read and reread; they may not just wait until time is up.


While I listen to each student read, I make anecdotal notes using a really simple system...Post It Notes.  It's quick and painless!  After I have a good amount of data, I record the data from the Post It notes onto a data sheet that allows me to see patterns of errors and reading behaviors.  


After reading for about 8-10 minutes, we stop.  I also ask oral comprehension questions (2 on day one and 2 on day two).   I write these questions out before hand so that I can make sure my questions are rigorous and similar to TRC type questions (TRC's are the running records we use in our county).  When the students answer the questions orally, I expect them to restate and answer the question and provide evidence for their answer.  


Based on the needs of the group, we spend a bit of time on word study.  This is generally a phonics pattern that the kiddos are needing help with.  In this example, I am using our Literacy Bags to work on digraphs. 


The last thing we do on Day 1, is work on a new sight word.  I try to select this from the text they just read.  First, I spell the word on the white board, then we play a game called "What's Missing" where I take letters away, and last the students "make" the word using magnetic letters.  (I put the magnetic letters they will need in little Rubbermaid tubs before the lesson starts.)  


DAY TWO:

Day two looks just like day one, except I scale the time back of each of the components.  We practice the same 3 sight words, review the vocabulary, reread the text, and practice the new sight word (we do not do the word study on this day).   Spending less time on each of these components gives us plenty of time to work on responding to text in written form.  Ahead of time, I prepare 2 questions which always say, "Use parts of the text in your answer."  


That's our 2 Day Guided Reading plan in a nutshell!  After the 2 day plan is complete, we start a new plan/ book!  This has allowed each group to get through 2 books each week.  

Here's another great Intervention goodie!  Grab this Nonsense Word Fluency mini-pack as a FREEBIE on our FB page.  Click the pic below to grab it!
https://www.facebook.com/FirstGradeBuddies

Need more reading tools?  
Check out our FREE webinar 'Interactive Reading in the Primary Grades!


Use these tools to engage your readers with strategies to interact with texts. We share easy to implement resources to use in the classroom and at home.   For attending the webinar, get access to a file with the 5 reading tools featured above so you can make your own classroom sets!
Come grab some new ideas to refresh and re-energize your ELA time!


Click here to view the webinar!



Curriculum Night



Just this week we had our Curriculum Night with parents.  In our district, Curriculum Night is a time for parents to come to the classroom and find out about routines, procedures, and curriculum in the classroom.  Kiddos do not come.  We're always looking for ways to best give parents a peek into the curriculum in a way they can understand.  After years of just telling parents about it, we made a new handout to give instead.  


In our handout, we provided clear information as well as pictures of curriculum tools.  We wanted parents to really get a "glimpse" into the 1st grade classroom!  The handout also allows the parents a tool to take home with them to dive into more late.  
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4oqs3dO-goOOEFnd0FvVW1pN3M/view?usp=sharing

We've found using this handout helps to limit the amount of talking we do and allow parents more time to consider the curriculum and ask specific questions.  The night is much more relax having an open dialogue format such as this!  

We are sharing this handout as an Editable Download (PowerPoint Version).  You can enter your own classroom information.  You can also add slides or remove slides as you like.  Hope you can find it useful in your classroom as well!  Click here to grab it!

   Some of the other goodies from Curriculum Night:
We talk about our homework.  We lay out samples of our homework items on each table for parents to peek at.  We review how to record fluency in the reading homework and how to respond to their kiddo's responses in the writing journal.  It is sure nice to clear up parents questions before we start sending this stuff home!

Here are some handouts we use to encourage parents to work at home with kiddos.  We also have parent write a note to their kiddos.  The kids are always surprised to find them when they come to school the next day!

Primary Economics Unit: Goods and Services

Shopping Experience
 Come find out about our Shopping experience we create for our Economics Unit!  This experience takes a bit longer to prep before and only takes about 30 minutes to perform.  

The shopping experience teaches about goods and services.  All kiddos get to help in prepping and all kiddos get to have a turn providing a good or service and all kiddos get to have a turn shopping!  As soon as you tell your class that this experience is upcoming, it will be the talk of the classroom!  To begin, you will need materials for the goods and services you will have your kiddos sell.  These are the goods and services we do in our rooms, with supplies listed for each:
Goods 
- bookmarks: colored cardstock, ribbon, stickers
- notebooks: colored cardstock, white printer paper, stickers
- bracelets: pipe cleaners, pony beads

Services  
- pencil sharpening: pencils, pencil sharpener
- cubby cleaning: baby wipes
- desk/table cleaning: baby wipes

We like to ask parents for some of these supplies ahead of time using Sign Up Genius.
Once you have collected you supplies, you will need to prep a few things before the kiddos start helping to create.  To make the bookmarks, you will need to cut rectangular bookmark shapes from the cardstock, hole punch the top, and tie a ribbon through the hole.  To make the notebooks, you will need to cut a cardstock piece in half vertically.  Then you will do the same with plain white computer paper.  Fold the cardstock in half and put the white computer paper inside and staple into a book.

Now it is time for the kiddos to make them fancy!
These are bookmarks that have been decorated with stickers by the kiddos!

These notebooks have been decorated with stickers by the kiddos!

These bracelets have been made by the kiddos using pipe cleaners and pony beads!

Time to Shop!
To get ready to shop, we have the kiddos sign up to sell a good or provide a service.  We do 2 rounds of shopping so all kiddos get a chance to do each part.  On the sign up sheet, we have 2 spots for each job during the selling time and 2 different sets of this set up.  The first rotation takes about 15 minutes.  Half the kids shop and half the kids sell.  After the first rotation, we flip flop.
The kiddos make signs for the job they will be doing.

 The kiddos have dollars and paper bags for their shopping time.  Each good or service costs $1.  We give them $4.  They put their goods in the bag after they purchase!

 Kiddos hand over a dollar to buy a note book!

This kiddo hands over a dollar for a cubby cleaning.  
This kiddos hands over a dollar to get a pencil sharpened!

This kiddos is providing the service of a desk cleaning!

Kiddos grabbing a bookmark!

After we complete both rounds of shopping, we gather the kiddos to talk about what they loved from the shopping experience!  You can grab our Economics Pack for more resources to help teach about Economics, set up this Shopping Experience, and have kiddos provide reflection after the experience has completed.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Economics-in-the-Primary-Grades-569734


Primary Economics Unit: Factory Experiement

Factory Experience
We use this experience in conjunction with our Economics Unit in Social Studies.  While the experience only lasts for about 20-30 minutes, it does require some work and planning ahead of time.  We've got lots of pictures and pointers to share below!

The Factory
This experience shows kiddos the importance of organization and quality vs. quantity.  The kiddos LOVE it, especially because they get a snack to eat at the end.  This experience is also MESSY, so it is best to do it on a day your classroom is going to be vacuumed!  In the factory experience, kiddos make graham cracker sandwiches.  Materials needed are:
- 2 boxes graham crackers
- 2 or 3 tubs of vanilla frosting
- 2 or 3 containers of sprinkles
- paper plates for each kiddo
- 6 or so plastic knives
We try to make a Sign Up Genius ahead of time and have parents provide the materials needed for this activity!

You will set up 2 separate tables.  One table will be cleaned off and sanitized.  This will be the "factory table."  The other table will just need to be cleaned off.   This will be the "free for all table."
  The factory table will be organized.  There will be about 10 kiddos at this table depending on your class size.  We usually have about 20 - 22 kiddos, so we double up the jobs at the factory table.  At the factory table, there will be stacks of plates with enough for each kiddo, plate with piles of graham cracker halves, a tub or two of frosting with knives, and a container or two of sprinkles.  Once you set out the materials, select the kiddos you want to "work" at the factory table.  We take the kiddos into the hallway and talk to them about what is going to happen, what will happen at the factory table, and what their job will be.  In the pic below, you can see each side of the table has a set of kiddos doing a job.  This is how we double up the jobs. 
After you have told the factory table kiddos their job, make sure they wash their hands.  At the factory table, the first job is taking an empty plate and placing a graham cracker half on it.  Next, they pass it to the person doing the frosting.  They will spread frosting on the graham cracker half.
Then, the graham cracker goes to the person to get sprinkles on it.
After getting sprinkles, the graham cracker half gets a top on!
Last, kiddos at the end of the table take the plate and carry it over to another clean table where all of the finished graham cracker sandwiches will be collected.

While the factory table is working in an organized manner, the other table and the rest of the class is having a free for all!  At this table, set a plate or two of graham cracker halves, a container of frosting with a few knives, and a container of sprinkles.  Do not give these kiddos detailed instructions.  Just tell them to make graham cracker cookies and let them go to town!  This is where it gets MESSY!  

 No plates!
Finished pieces just sitting on the table!
Crowded table, not enough supplies for all so they have to share (or argue)!
Messy table!
Messy fingers!
Yikes!  Licking fingers!  We tell the factory table NOT to do this!
Oh boy!  This kiddo is ready to eat before everyone else!
At the end of the experience, the free for all table is MESSY!  Although it is sad for some kiddos, these cookies all go in the trash! 
The final products!  After the experience has ended and before the kiddos are able to enjoy a snack, we talk about what happened.  We prompt the kiddos to think about what each table looks like, what happened at each table, which cookies they would rather eat (although the free for all table kiddos always want to eat their cookies, we have to remind them about how they were unsanitary).  Luckily the factory table was organized and clean and they make enough cookies for the whole class to enjoy!
We've got more Economic Resources in this pack!  It includes vocab work and follow-up printables from this experience.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Economics-in-the-Primary-Grades-569734