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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.2
With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.2
With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.

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It's the beginning of the year, and you have a whole new class that is sitting in front of you. You don't know them besides the information you got on the student information card. You know the first few weeks are getting to know them. Both personally and academically. You also know the first few weeks are going to be full of assessments. Assessments can be a intimidating word, but assessments are essential in providing appropriate instruction for your little learners. By using a beginning literacy assessment with your pre-k or kindergarten students you are able to determine what skills each child has developed and still needs to practice.

The Benefits of Assessments

Although you feel like you test them so much, assessments really do have a lot of good information. This assessment can be completed at various times throughout the school year. In my district, we assessed at the beginning, middle and end of the year. This gave me the opportunity to compare the same assessment over the entire year. And do you know another great thing about these assessments? They could help create and guide your small group instruction! It's pretty amazing to see the improvements they make over the year. I also used this assessment during parent-teacher conferences. If I am not pleased with the growth of a student, I always have this assessment to show parents. Documentation is key!

How To Use This Assessment

I start with the right side of the page before completing the alphabet knowledge assessment side. The right side assesses: sentence segmentation, syllables, rhyming , onset and rime, initial sound, and oral language.

I use the teacher guide to help direct me through assessment, so that I can easily and quickly determine which skills my students know and which skills we will work on during small or whole group instruction.

For sentence segmentation, the learners use counters or other manipultatives to show how many words there are in each sentence. They are asked to clap and count the syllables, determine if words rhyme, as well as, make up new rhyming words.

The learners can show if they are able to blend sounds together and manipulate sounds to create a new word, as well as, listen to common sounds in different words. This assessment also helps you document if a learner is able to listen and respond appropriately in conversations.

Finally, I use the alphabet pages to assess the learner's knowledge of alphabet letters and sounds.

Having a quick literacy assessment for pre-k and kindergarten students can help guide your instruction throughout the school year. If you are able to determine that all except three students in your class are able to count syllables, but 18 do not know how to produce new rhyming words, you can focus on rhyming during whole group instruction while working with those three learners in a small group to work on syllables.

I like to start the year off with this assessment, but again, you can use it at anytime during the year. If you would like a copy of this assessment for FREE, click on the download button at the bottom of this post!

Need some other resources to help guide your instruction? Check out these links from my store!

Before you can even think about assessments, you need to get your small group instruction planned out! My Guided Reading Materials and Forms is full of all the resources you need to plan and organize your guided reading instruction!

Writer's Workshop is another component of your classroom that can't be ignored! Have it ready to go even before the school year starts with my Writer's Workshop: Getting Started Pack!

Your students will feel like scientists when they create their own Science Notebook! So many printables are already included, but your own work is encouraged too!

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It's the beginning of the year, and you have a whole new class that is sitting in front of you. You don't know them besides the information you got on the student information card. You know the first few weeks are getting to know them. Both personally and academically.

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Home - The Owl Teacher | Classroom behavior management, Parents as teachers, Classroom management

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Nov 19, 2015 - Take Back Your Weekends Let me help you take back your weekends without sacrificing quality teaching! Teaching Resources to Save Time VISIT THE SHOP Teaching ideas to engage VISIT THE BLOG Join thousands of educators

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Thank you to Diane for submitting this fun book report poster. It's legal size (paper) worksheet and is great for lower grades (or as an easy project for upper grades). Great end of the year project (present on your favorite book from the year) or as an end of the quarter/semester project.

Click here for the Word Doc: Book Report Poster- legal size

I recently made a similar page that's formatted to fit regular 8.5″ x 11″ paper. Here's the PDF: My Book Report - Squarehead Teachers
Like what you see? Help support this blog of entirely free stuff for teachers by sharing it with your friends! Thanks!
This entry was posted in Books, End of the Year, Graphic Organizers, Reading and tagged book report, books, Children, Education, Elementary School, Homeschool, Kids, Teacher Resources, Teachers, Teaching by Squarehead Teachers. Bookmark the permalink.

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Thank you to Diane for submitting this fun book report poster. It's legal size (paper) worksheet and is great for lower grades (or as an easy project for upper grades). Great end of the year project (present on your favorite book from the year) or as an end of the quarter/semester project.

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Conner, J. (2004). Using Think-Alouds to Improve Reading Comprehension.

Davey, B. (1983). Think-aloud: Modeling the cognitive processes of reading comprehension. Journal of Reading, 27(1), 44-47.

Gold, J., & Gibson, A. (2001). Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension.

Olshavsky, J. E. (1977). Reading as problem-solving: An Investigation of Strategies. Reading Research Quarterly, 12(4), 654-674.

Wilhelm, J. D. (2001). Improving Comprehension with Think-Aloud Strategies. New York: Scholastic Inc.

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Think-alouds have been described as "eavesdropping on someone's thinking." With this strategy, teachers verbalize aloud while reading a selection orally. Their verbalizations include describing things they're doing as they read to monitor their comprehension. The purpose of the think-aloud strategy is to model for students how skilled readers construct meaning from a text.

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Think Alouds: Modeling Ways to Think About Text (Virtual Tour)

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Prepare one or two simple questions related to the topic of the story or book.

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Recently, a colleague and I have been trying out an activity called speed-chat. One challenge we face in our context is giving our learners ample opportunities to practice the target language. This can be especially difficult because we have large classes, and many of our learners have had little experience in using English in unplanned situations. What is speed-chat? Speed-chat is an activity that is easy to implement and requires no or minimal resources. It is a concept which involves learners talking about a single topic for a short burst of time, before moving on to a new partner and repeating the process. Studies have shown that the repetition of a task can result in increased complexity and fluency in speaking. Furthermore, the constant changing of partners means that no two interactions will be identical, and thus interest is more likely to be sustained. How can I implement it in my classroom? Teachers, organize your learners so that they are sitting in pairs and facing each other, in rows or a circle. Then, present a discussion topic. Ideally, they should not have had time to prepare for their conversation, although the activity may follow lessons which have built their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary relevant to the topic. Then, start a stopwatch and the learners should aim to talk for the duration of the set time, which will depend on their level, their confidence in speaking in unplanned situations, and the chosen topic. When the time is up, students rotate to a new partner and start the process again. The number of times the learners rotate will vary depending on the context and the teachers' and students' needs. The teacher can choose to be a participant in the speed-chat, to move around and join into various conversations, or to sit right back and observe. The aim of the activity is not for learners to produce perfect English, but to communicate their ideas without planning and preparation. Therefore, while the teacher may listen out for common grammatical errors or misused vocabulary, they should be addressed at a different time. What have we seen after implementing 'speed-chat'? We have used speed-chat in our undergraduate English communication classes, and our learners really seem to look forward to these weekly sessions. As teachers, we have observed learners rework aspects of their talk as they engage with more interlocutors. We have also noticed a gradual easing of concern that many learners exhibit about making errors in front of teachers and peers. Over a 15 week term, students can increase their speaking time by two or three times. How can I adapt 'speed-chat' to cater for different levels of learner? Depending on the level of the class, you may provide a short list of suggested questions to get them started. For advanced learners, problems can be posed to elicit advice, or opinions can be presented for debate. For learners who are hesitant to speak, particularly when they might be overheard by others, playing English background music might help to create a more relaxed atmosphere, and to give students the feeling that they are not being listened in on. It can also provide a talking point when they run out of things to say, but have time left on the clock. Some tips for teachers! * This strategy works best if it is complemented with activities to improve students' spontaneous oral communication skills, including how to create follow-up questions, how to make small talk, how to react and interrupt, and how to use strategies to overcome limitations in language knowledge. * For the last round of the speed-chat increase the time of the conversation slightly. Students will probably not notice, and this is likely because they have collected stories, vocabulary, questions and confidence along the way, to be able to cope with a longer conversation. * Depending on your context, you might consider allowing learners to use a smartphone to stimulate conversation (for example by showing a photo of their holiday). My colleague has written more about this on her site, https://languageteachersupport.com/. If you liked this, then please check out my other posts here, http://dreamreader.net/category/uncategorized/

Disclaimer: All content written for our magazine is produced independently by teachers working in the English language teaching profession around the world. The views and opinions expressed in the content produced by these writers does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the British Council.

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Speed-chat: A minimal resource activity to get your learners talking

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Recently, a colleague and I have been trying out an activity called speed-chat. One challenge we face in our context is giving our learners ample opportunities to practice the target language. This can be especially difficult because we have large classes, and many of our learners have had little experience in using English in unplanned situations.

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The teacher gives the title of the reading to the learners and students have to share their all their knowledge about the topic.

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This article has a guide on activities for before, during, & after the reading.

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"Before" Reading Strategies:
Tapping into a student's schema is one of the most important things to do before starting a lesson or unit. Teachers must quickly assess where her students stand, knowledge-wise, and what background or pertinent information they are missing or have misconceptions about. In order for students to start building new knowledge, they must first have a sturdy and complete foundation. This "foundation" is their background and previous experiences and knowledge. For this reason, "before" reading strategies are necessary before any real learning can take place.

A "before" reading strategy is strategy that is used before students jump into a text with ties to a lesson or content-area unit. The purpose is to mentally prepare the students for the lesson or assignment ahead, giving them the tools to begin to start to think critically about the topic. It also introduces the lesson little by little, generating excitement from students as to what the next unit or lesson may be.

K-W-L Chart
These charts are a quick and effect way to assess student understanding about a topic before the unit has begun. The students begin by sharing information they already know about the topic. This can give educators great insight as to how much knowledge they already have about a topic, either from experiences or past knowledge, and if this information is indeed correct.

The K-W-L chart also provides students with a chance to set their own purposes for reading. In this chart, they list what they hope and want to learn by the end of the lesson or unit. This gives students a goal that they personally set, giving them the desire to find the answers to their questions.

For a full explanation on K-W-L charts, as well as photo examples, click the K-W-L Chart link above.

Word Sort
Word sorts can also be used to introduce a lesson or unit. Teachers can quickly assess whether the students have previous experiences with these words. By having the students sort words into categories, they begin to see the "bigger" picture. Not only do they begin to make connections between words they know in comparison to the category, they make connections between words they know and words they did not know. Having the students work in groups on word sorts is a great way to have students share their knowledge, making it a collective effort to complete the sort as well as a collect effort to learn.

For a full explanation on Word Sorts, as well as photo examples, click the Word Sort link.

Explore these other examples of "Before" reading strategies:

"During" Reading Strategies:
As educators, we expect a lot out of our students. "During" reading strategies help students meet those expectations by aiding students in comprehension. To read is to actively search for, decode, and comprehend content; it is the active search for knowledge. However, students need help in determining what is important in the text and what "big" ideas they should pay attention to. "During" reading strategies also aid students in monitoring their comprehension and understanding; it lets students know if they are indeed learning. For this reason, reading strategies that take place while students are reading are very important to the ultimate goal of gathering and transforming text into knowledge.

Venn Diagram
Venn diagrams serve as a graphic organizer that highlight the differences and similarities of two or more topics. Students can complete this graphic organizer while reading, making it easier to compare and contrast information after reading for review. While students are reading, they may jot down words or short phrases that are key to the main idea. For example, students may write down: "many neck bones, can see at night, sharp talons, flies" when they are reading a section of the text about owls. Next, they may be reading about eagles. After doing the same exercise but this time, they find what eagles have in common with owls by reviewing the information they wrote down.

When students take notes as they read, they begin to compile key information on their own, making sure they are understanding the information and its big ideas.

For more information on Venn diagrams, click the "Venn Diagram" link above.

Explore these other examples of "During" reading strategies:

"After" Reading Strategies:
Reading strategies that take place after reading are used to summarize, wrap up, and finalize the information that has, or should have been, learned and understood while reading. It further strengthens the main ideas as well as offers students a chance to think deeply and critically about the information they have read.

For this purpose, "After" reading strategies are just as important as the strategies that should take place before and during reading. "After" reading strategies also demonstrate to the student what they are capable of doing and learning if they are sincere about their efforts to do so.

Story Boards
Story boards are a good strategy to use to strengthen sequencing, order, plots, and chronology. These types of activities not only give the students a reason to listen to the story being read, it gives them a purpose and role to fulfill. As the story is being read, the student can examine their page and think about the events and text as a time-line. They must decide where their page fits into the time-line via the pictures, diagrams, text, and ideas being presented in their page.

This strategy helps students see the overall mental picture of the text and chunks important information in references to chronology. Students must be able to understand that the text has meaning, ideas, and information and that these elements are intentional and should make sense.

For more information on how to use story boards, click the Story Boards link above.

Explore these other examples of "After" reading strategies:

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Reading Strategies: Before, During, & After

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"Before" Reading Strategies: Tapping into a student's schema is one of the most important things to do before starting a lesson or unit. Teachers must quickly assess where her students stand, knowledge-wise, and what background or pertinent information they are missing or have misconceptions about.

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We have had many conversations, during professional development sessions as well as with individuals, about a teacher's part in helping students access instruction. Access, in it's basic sense, is providing avenues or entry points for every student to be able to receive, understand, interpret and remember the skills and content presented to them. Students are required to access text, visuals, notes, lecture, etc. all day everyday. Many students need additional support to access the content we deliver. It's not as difficult as it might seem at first, and truly it benefits all students.

We came across these visuals and thought they spoke to our recent conversations about access. Modification isn't just for a student with an IEP or severe disability. Modification is changing something just enough for it to work.

@ValentinaESL shares simple yet powerful ways to accommodate instruction for students who need assistance in accessing the content. While this visual is intended for the purposes of instructing English Language Learners, the tips are valuable for teachers to use with any students. Visuals, front loading vocabulary, multimodal literacy, leveled text, scaffolds for writing and communicating, and student choice are simple ways to begin providing access for your students.

@kweins62 at Northstar Paths shared this great visual... about visuals! Visual cues are so important for every student. Seeing, writing, hearing, speaking what we are learning and what we have learned is key in long-term success with content and skills. Whether the visuals you use to aide your instruction are found, developed by the teacher, or created by the student, their use is important and supported by research.

Think of a student or more in your classes that seems to struggle with every step of the instructional process. Are there adjustments you could make to help this student approach and access the instructional resources and content? How can you incorporate visuals into the introduction, practice, review and assessment of the content and skills you teach?

We would love to help you find ways to support your students to be as successful as possible. Reach out and let us know how we can help you!

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Supporting Students' Access To Instruction

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We have had many conversations, during professional development sessions as well as with individuals, about a teacher's part in helping students access instruction. Access, in it's basic sense, is providing avenues or entry points for every student to be able to receive, understand, interpret and remember the skills and content presented to them.

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Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities

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Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities

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The National Center for Learning Disabilities presents examples of accommodations that allow students with learning disabilities to show what they know without giving them an unfair advantage. Accommodations are divided into the following categories: how information is presented to the student, how…

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Key Details Kindergarten Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse key details kindergarten resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Are you struggling with what to do while reteaching a concept to your students? Try these six strategies to beef up your reteach, and make your students feel like rockstars!

Build Schema

Sometimes our students have a difficult time understanding a concept because they have no prior knowledge of it. Providing real world examples that they can connect to will increase engagement and allow their brains to build a framework for understanding.

One of my favorite ways to build schema is through YouTube videos related to the topic. Our students are deeply interested in video, and if you are able to find a current video that accurately explains a topic they get really into it. From there I encourage students to ask questions to build into our reteach.

Peer Coach

Sometimes students have already heard it from teachers several times and they aren't making the necessary connections to the content. When this happens, give peer coaching a try.

In order for peer coaching to be successful it is important to carefully think through who you have in the role of coach. It is tempting to select a student who has shown complete mastery of the content, but the more powerful choice is a student who is right on the cusp of mastery without having achieved it yet. This makes the coaching process powerful for both the coach and the students being coached.

I introduce the coach as the "content expert" to the group and give them the floor. In addition I love to record the way the coach introduces and teaches the concept to the group to refer back to. By having a peer coach, students are able to hear the content in a different way, from a different person who they trust.

These Big Ten Math Stations are a perfect took to use along with peer coaching. Each unit offers ten different stations built around the same standard to allow students ample practice towards mastery. They are available for second, third, fourth, and fifth grade in bundles or separately.

Cooperative Learning Strategies

I am slightly cooperative learning obsessed. I love cooperative learning strategies for all areas of the classroom and academic spectrum, but they are especially great for reteaching.

While there are far too many strategies to name that would be perfect for reteaching, my absolute favorite has to be sage and scribe.

To complete Sage-N-Scribe

1. Partner A has the pencil

2. Partner B thinks out loud while Partner A scribes for them giving them praise or corrections

3. Partner A and Partner B switch rolls and repeat

This strategy is amazing for all students, because voicing their thinking really makes them work on their metacognition and work on academic vocabulary. It also allows me, as the teacher, to hear how my students are doing. The power really is in the conversations.

Focus on Vocabulary

Vocabulary really is everything, it can not be underutilized in the classroom. I am a big advocate for pre-teaching vocabulary, but I also understand that it does not always happen. When students struggle with a concept it is imperative that we take the time to ensure that it is not the vocabulary that is getting in the way.

There are a myriad of ways to focus on vocabulary, the important part is that you do it. When students are comfortable using academic vocabulary in oral and written language they are able to better grasp concepts as a whole.

One of my favorite ways to include vocabulary, and get students writing, is through photo quick writes. I show students a photo as well as give them a word bank of vocabulary terms to use to write everything they know about the concept. Their writing is a great way to flush out what vocabulary they truly know and what needs some more work.

Another easy activity to complete with vocabulary is a word sort where students simply take a deck of vocabulary cards, like these word wall cards, and sort them into words they know and words they need help with.

Use Visuals

Our goal is always to reach learners in as many ways as possible, and one of the easiest ways to reach a new learning style is through visuals.

This might mean creating an anchor chart together, making individual mind maps, illustrating vocabulary words, or sketch notes. The sky is truly the limit, and follow the guidance of your students when it comes to visuals.

Check for Understanding Often

Often it is difficult to apprehend where the break down is when it comes to understanding, so it becomes important to stop and check for understanding as often as humanly possible while reteaching.

Whatever you do, just do it early and often.

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Are you struggling with what to do while reteaching a concept to your students? Try these six strategies to beef up your reteach, and make your students feel like rockstars! Sometimes our students have a difficult time understanding a concept because they have no prior knowledge of it.

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Vocabulary Focus | Lesson Plan | Education.com | Lesson plan | Education.com

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Use this lesson to explicitly teach unknown vocabulary words to students using structured language practice strategies. This can be used a stand alone activity or a support lesson.