We use Benchmark Advanced for our literacy curriculum and introduce blends right after CVC words. It is a BIG jump for a lot of students and most definitely needs to be explicitly taught. We always feel like the kids gets overly comfortable in the land of CVC words and then we introduce blends and it's tough for a lot of them. But I like the progression from blending 3 sounds to 4 sounds. So I wholeheartedly agree that it must be taught.
Yes! It is such a big jump!! I've never had a class of students just "get it" right away without explicitly teaching them to listen for the individual sounds and practice blending them together.
Hi Susan! How do you teach your trick words within your daily Fundations lessons? There is so much to pack into a days lesson that I never know how long to spend with that part? And is your goal to have them read them, spell them or both? In second grade, there are trick words like America and ocean. But 1st grade ones are definitely more of high frequency words and I think they should practice spelling them. Thanks! :)
We actually end up seeing them throughout the whole year! It is a really special thing :) Basically at the beginning of the year, we dedicate a staff meeting to this and it is something the mental health team oversees. We create a spreadsheet with all student names and each staff member goes through and checks off if they feel they have a connection with that student (and the student views them as a connected adult). After we do that, we go through students, class by class, and determine which students could benefit from having a mentor. We first, look at students who may not have as many checks, but then we also use parent/teacher input to determine this. Mentors are teachers and staff members who volunteer their time (15 minutes per week) and is largely why this is successful in our school! It is a great way to make sure all students feel connected to someone! The 15 minutes itself is not counseling or even based in counseling either, it is just to make connections and have another friendly face around the school. So every mentor does something different with their mentee. Play games, do crafts, chat and draw, etc.
Hi Susan! I really love your enthusiasm! January's been a looong month at school! Thanks for the teaching ideas and games once more, as well as the book suggestions! I'll definitely read "Beautiful Ugly"! 😊
How do you determine, prepare and practice for a whole school performance? I need to prepare for our schools Black History Program and I am stuck on what to do. I don’t want to repeat something I have done previously, and finding appropriate resources for first grade is challenging. Any advice on how to organize for any type of performance?
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Love this thank you for sharing
We use Benchmark Advanced for our literacy curriculum and introduce blends right after CVC words. It is a BIG jump for a lot of students and most definitely needs to be explicitly taught. We always feel like the kids gets overly comfortable in the land of CVC words and then we introduce blends and it's tough for a lot of them. But I like the progression from blending 3 sounds to 4 sounds. So I wholeheartedly agree that it must be taught.
Yes! It is such a big jump!! I've never had a class of students just "get it" right away without explicitly teaching them to listen for the individual sounds and practice blending them together.
Hi Susan! How do you teach your trick words within your daily Fundations lessons? There is so much to pack into a days lesson that I never know how long to spend with that part? And is your goal to have them read them, spell them or both? In second grade, there are trick words like America and ocean. But 1st grade ones are definitely more of high frequency words and I think they should practice spelling them. Thanks! :)
Could you share how your school organizes and determines who gets the mentor/mentee program? How long do you see the student ( for a month?)
We actually end up seeing them throughout the whole year! It is a really special thing :)
Basically at the beginning of the year, we dedicate a staff meeting to this and it is something the mental health team oversees. We create a spreadsheet with all student names and each staff member goes through and checks off if they feel they have a connection with that student (and the student views them as a connected adult). After we do that, we go through students, class by class, and determine which students could benefit from having a mentor. We first, look at students who may not have as many checks, but then we also use parent/teacher input to determine this. Mentors are teachers and staff members who volunteer their time (15 minutes per week) and is largely why this is successful in our school! It is a great way to make sure all students feel connected to someone!
The 15 minutes itself is not counseling or even based in counseling either, it is just to make connections and have another friendly face around the school. So every mentor does something different with their mentee. Play games, do crafts, chat and draw, etc.
Hi Susan! I really love your enthusiasm! January's been a looong month at school! Thanks for the teaching ideas and games once more, as well as the book suggestions! I'll definitely read "Beautiful Ugly"! 😊
The longest!! January and then March are the two longest for me lol. Onto February!!
How do you determine, prepare and practice for a whole school performance? I need to prepare for our schools Black History Program and I am stuck on what to do. I don’t want to repeat something I have done previously, and finding appropriate resources for first grade is challenging. Any advice on how to organize for any type of performance?