Sorry, I'm late in writing this post! I needed a few more pictures before I wanted to post! So, as promised, I'm writing a bit about how I teach Phonics/Spelling words and Sight words!
I have a weekly plan for each type of lesson.
Let's start with Phonics (one of my favorites!):
On Monday, we start with introducing the phonics skill. I attempt to introduce the skill with a bang! I need to catch the kiddo's attention for the skill of the week. Right now, we're working on short vowels and CVC words. For all you non-teachers out there, thats consonant-vowel-consonant words like c-a-t or d-o-t. Eventually, we will work on harder skills and more complicated words. Anywho, we introduce the skill and come up with words that use the pattern or sound of the week. I also have a powerpoint for showing examples of words with the sound of the week.
On Tuesday, we explore the sounds further. We practice s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out the words with our Stretch-It-Out Slinkies...slinkys...there's no correct way to spell that! Ha! Anyway, we use a powerpoint that puts one letter/sound up at a time, and we practice stretching it out and then blending/putting it back together. We also use our arms to stretch it out Our right hands start on our left shoulder and go down the arm with each sound. We try to get as much action and movement as possible. Also, research shows when you cross your body, it registers in your brain and sticks with you! Let's get these kiddos moving!
On Wednesday (my personal favorite), we BUILD IT! We get with our Peanut Butter and Jelly partners, and use letter tiles to build out words with our weekly skill. We also stretch out the words before we begin to build it with the tiles. This activity requires a little teacher-prep because you have to make sure the kiddos have the letters they need. You can give the job to a kiddo to prepare the letter cups if you want to give them more responsibility.
On Thursday, we WRITE IT! Thursday is the day we practice writing our spelling words, without actually saying that's what we're doing! Again, we s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the words before we write it. Some of my kiddos who need a little bit more help, use Stretchy-Snake cards to help hear all the sounds before they begin writing. We dry-erase write our words on our dry erase mats, and then check them before erasing. By now, we've had lots of practice and exposure to the skill.
On Friday, we review and take our phonics and spelling tests. And that's our phonics lessons for the week! I also work with students in small groups working on the skills a little more in depth and applying them while reading!
As for Sight Words...such a boring, yet very important thing to work on!
I still do the weekly plan format, but a little different.
On Monday, we introduce the words by using sight word cards. For morning work that day, we can color and cut our own sight word cards to use for the week. (Sidenote: the previous week's cards go into their Super Reader bags to keep practicing at home.) On Monday, we introduce the words and practice recognizing them. We hold up the words that we're talking about at the time. Always with the hands-on activities! ;)
On Tuesday, we practice recognizing the words again. First, we hold the cards up when the word is said or described. Then, we practice using a powerpoint. We play games with who can recognize the words.
On Wednesday, we work with using the sight words. We work on an interactive fill-in-the-blank game (which is then put into centers) as a group. I write sentences on sentence strips with the missing sight word and put them in a pocket chart. We work to figure out which word is the best fit for the sentences. The kiddos hold up the correct word when they figure out what word to use.
On Thursday, we make up our own sentences using the words. We work with our table groups to share our sentences. Again, we use our sight word cards to help us make up our sentences.
On Friday, we review and assess the words of the week. We also retire our words from the current week chart to our word wall, so that we can reference them from now on!
So that's how our Phonics and Sight Word lessons go in our classroom. Each of these lessons usually lasts from 7 to 15 minutes. During our Reading Workshop, we rotate between whole group lessons and center rounds. It's important not to keep the kiddos in one place for too long!
If you're a teacher, please share what you do for Phonics and Sight Words in your room. I'd love your input!
If you're a parent, I hope this helps with how you can work on these skills at home!
Happy Reading!
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