# data[].attributes.body
Creating this portfolio exposed me to different techniques I can use in a classroom as a future teacher. It also showed me there are numerous resources to use to make lessons more interactive for students. I learned how beneficial centers are to the learning of students. Many of the resources I found were resources that get incorporated into centers and the teachers stated they saw students being more engaged and learn the tasks at hand better then simply receiving instructions and practicing it afterwards.

It is important for teachers to receive professional development in literacy because it exposes teachers to new techniques and gives them the tools to try new things in their classroom. People usually fall into routines and don't like to stray away from them one they are set. But for students I believe it is essential to incorporate new things into the classroom to keep their interest. By providing PD's with new techniques about literacy it ensures that teachers have no excuse to change things up in their classroom for students.

Standard #1: Learner Development :

The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

This assignment addressed this standard because of the research that was needed to be done to find the resources to support the topics. After researching each topic it became more apparent how necessary engaging activities are for students to learn as well as creating activities that are appropriate to the students needs.

# data[].attributes.headline
Theorist Article (Integrating Technology: New Literacies: Artifact #3)

# data[].attributes.subject
Theorist Article (Integrating Technology: New Literacies: Artifact #3)

# data[].attributes.body
I chose this website because of the drawing activity. The child draws a picture about a scene you are reading. This is a great way to do read aloud with students who have sensory issues and can not handle sitting on the carpet for a long period of time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As I hear other moms share how they snuggle up with their kids and read a book, I'll admit I'm a bit jealous. Read aloud time at our house can be an absolute zoo. Even through all my efforts to make it fun and interesting, four kids arguing over who gets to sit by mom or turn the page made me crazy. (Not to mention the sweet toddler who, after a few minutes of listening, has the amazing ability to roam the house, locate any marker that happens to be out in the open, and decorate our house. Love.ly.)

I had almost given up completely on read aloud time {I don't advise this} until...I started using and rotating these quiet read aloud activities. Seriously. It transformed our read aloud time. And if read aloud time is zoo-ish at your house, too, maybe you can use some of these as well.
*This post contains affiliate links.

8 Quiet Read Aloud Activities

One word of caution before I share these quiet read aloud activities: if your child is not one who can focus on these activities and listen at the same time, these ideas may not be for you. I usually stop within the text at different spots and ask questions or start a small discussion, as a way to "check in" on my kids' thinking and comprehension. (I expect this mainly from my 5.5 and 8.5 year old kiddos. My 2 year old and 4 year old, while expected to be quiet, are not expected to always comprehend what's going on.)

1. During snack time or a meal time.

This is probably the easiest way to integrate read aloud time. Simply give the kids a snack or lunch and let them stuff their little faces during read aloud time. This has been a great time to read aloud because my tot is buckled into her seat, which equals no surprise markings on our couches (with permanent Sharpie, mind you.)

2. Sticker Play.

My kids love for me to draw them open-ended scenes for sticker play, like you see in the photo above. I wrote a post about it here.

We will also print off the "poke pages" from my free Pre-K/K Packs (find them all here) and they will place stickers all around the outline. (All my kids do this. Even my soon-to-be 3rd grader!)

Another favorite of ours are the Crayola Cling & Play Activity Scenes. I bought these for a long car trip and they have lasted us all year! While I couldn't locate these specific ones on the web, Melissa & Doug makes some fabulous reusable sticker pads that would serve the same purpose.

3. Playing with Stamps.

I have a tub of stamps that only comes out on special occasions. We have so many different kinds. I really like our letter stamps (upper and lower case) and our pattern block stamps. I also enjoy collecting stamps in the $1 section at Target.

4. Playing with a quiet toy.

The toy would depend completely on your child, but may I emphasize the important word-QUIET toy. The last thing you want is a loud toy that you have to read over. I encourage them to build AND listen at the same time. If the toy becomes a distraction at any moment, away it goes. But so far, we haven't had a problem with this.

My son, at 8.5 years old, loves LEGO bricks

My daughter, 4 years old, enjoys our bristle blocks

Playdough is another favorite at our house during read aloud time. We use our open-ended playdough mats at this time, too.

5. Coloring.

Coloring is probably my kids' favorite quite read aloud activity. So much so, that we just took a little trip to our local $1 store and bought new coloring books since our others were worn out. My kids like to color Carisa's Just Color! pages (she has so many FREE themed coloring pages).

I personally love the Color Wonder pages and markers (wonderful toddler gifts for Christmas or birthdays!) for my youngest so that marks stay off my walls and only on the paper.

They all love to color the giant coloring pages (also a great Christmas or birthday present) and spread out on the floor of our schoolroom to color as I read.

6. Drawing a picture.

Sometimes, my kids just like to doodle on paper as I read.

Other times, I might ask them to draw what's happening in the chapter(s) I'm reading aloud, like they did with The Mouse and the Motorcycle. This idea is a 2-for-1 because kids are 1) doing something quiet and 2) processing the information and drawing their mental images (a great comprehension strategy).

7. Working a puzzle.

I love the 24 piece puzzles for my 4 and 5 year old. Sometimes, my oldest will get out a more complicated puzzle and work it just during read aloud time. We keep it on a board and place the board up high out of the reach of little ones when not in use.

8. Painting a picture.

Pull out the water color paint (my favorite because it's washable) and let the kids just paint while you read aloud. They could even paint a picture about what you're reading aloud (another 2-for-1.)

For More Read Aloud Resources, follow along my Read Aloud Pinterest board!

Follow This Reading Mama's board Read Aloud Resources on Pinterest.

Other Quiet Time Activities for Kids:

Check out these quiet time activities for kids. Some may be just what you're looking for as you read aloud in your home!

Stay connected to This Reading Mama so you don't miss a thing:

~Becky

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As I hear other moms share how they snuggle up with their kids and read a book, I'll admit I'm a bit jealous. Read aloud time at our house can be an absolute zoo. Even through all my efforts to make it fun and interesting, four kids arguing over who gets to sit by mom ...

# data[].attributes.body
Definition: " is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read." (readingrockets.org)

Artifact #2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Free PRINTABLE DOWNLOADS & RESOURCES

The reading fluency activities on this page are essential for children with dyslexia and struggling readers. These activities can be taught in the classroom (small and large group setting) and can also be implemented at home! Keep checking this page for more free printable reading fluency activities and other ways to increase reading fluency!

READING FLUENCY ACTIVITIES: CLASSROOM THAT SUPPORT READING FLUENCY

By enlarging this template you can help students learn and remember important self-check strategies when reading. We have found that it is beneficial to add objects to each strategy!

Increase a child's reading fluency at the word level while they take turns "reading" and being the "listener". Open the above template for complete directions and materials needed. This is a great activity for reading centers!

Print and cut apart the strips to help children practice punctuation fluency by using letters of the alphabet.

Use this parent friendly homework log to help your students practice reading fluency using the repeated reading method at home. Repeated Reading is one of our favorite reading fluency activities because it is so effective.

Help children understand and recognize common prefixes and suffixes by cutting out and laminating the above cards. Provide children with opportunities to locate these in words. Reading fluency activities that explicitly teach prefixes and suffixes are important for increasing reading fluency.

Using the same premise as mentioned on the Reading Fluency Page in " Repeated Readings", students can receive feedback and guidance reading appropriate text from their peers. One student plays the "reader" and the other is the "listener". The teacher sets a timer for a desired amount of time and after the first trial, the listener provides feedback to the reader. After the second and third trials, the listener is responsible for checking off the reading behaviors that the reader demonstrated. NOTE: This reading fluency activity must be explicitly modeled by the teacher before students can do this independently.

Reader's Theater helps students become fluent readers! The repeated readings necessary to prepare for play, both silent and oral, help students gain confidence with the selected play text. Choral readings, rehearsals, and readings at home with family members all create great reading opportunities. (Carson-Dellosa's "Act It Out with Reader's Theater" Series are great because the speaking parts in each play can be acted with students at different reading levels).

When reading rhyming poetry, children may use the predictable patterns to help them get a sense of when it is appropriate to pause between phrases. Rhyming poetry appeals to children of all ages, and is therefore a good choice for developing reading fluency from kindergarten through fifth grade. For more information about rhyming, go to the Phonemic Awareness Activities Page.

Students should be given opportunities to practice reading fluency with letters, words, and phrases that can be found in the classroom. (Not just the print found in books!) During reading centers, students are able to walk around independently to "read the room". Pocket charts and hanging posters are located throughout and are kept at eye level. Empty laundry baskets are great places to keep rolled up poems and songs previously learned.

One of children's favorite reading fluency activities are practicing with short phrases. Repeated reading of phrases gives students practice reading decodable and non-decodable words with fluency. The short phrases may be written on sentence strips for the small group setting or used for a reading center activity. Click on the following links to print off these short phrases:

Print, cut, and laminate the "People Reading" cards. Using the "Short Fluency Phrases" located above, have students pull out a "people" card. They must read the short phrase to represent the person that was drawn. Have the student pull out 2-3 more "people" cards to use with the same short phrase. Our kids love reading fluency activities like this!

Print, laminate and place these cards with the "Short Fluency Phrases" used above. Purchase one Lego set for each child that will be reading and have a stopwatch handy. The idea of this game is to to finish your Lego creation before anyone else does! ("Lego Bionicles" seem to work best and they only have 30-50 pieces. Check the Lego sets for the appropriate age of the children you are working with!)
How to Play:

When a child reads a "Short Fluency Phrase" correctly (with good expression too!) they get to take one piece to make their creation. A child can also add 4 Legos if they pull out the, "Add 4 Legos to Your Creation" card or if they pull out the, "One Minute to Work" card.

If someone pulls out the, "Take a Lego Away From a Partner" card, they must take a Lego away from their partner. If someone has taken your Lego from you, the only way to get it back to to pull out a "Add 4 Legos to Your Creation" card!

This game might take a while if played until someone has finished their Lego creation. If you are working with a small group of children, a good idea would be to place finished Legos in a plastic bag until another day when the game can resume.

The above documents are used to encourage reading at home. Students are given a form to take home (on a needed basis). A list of the books read is written down, along with how the book was read. Students are encouraged to read any of the following six ways: Independently, with a parent, shared, paired, choral, and/or echo reading. A paper clip is linked together (to form 'The Reading Web') for each book that is read at home. The more books that are read at home, the bigger the web gets!

On small cards, write some common decodable and non-decodable words depending upon the needs of your students. Place these in a container along with 10-15 cards that say, "Oh No!" Have students read each card as they pull them out. If they are read correctly, the student gets to keep them. When an "Oh No!" card is pulled out, the child must put all of their cards back in the container. The student with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Each day students practice 5-10 words that are kept on a metal ring. Words are chosen for each student by the teacher. When the student is able to successfully read the word without any help, a tally mark is given. Once ten tallies are on a word card, it is taken off. Students have a special binder labeled, "Words I Can Read". Ring Words that are taken off are written down in this binder and then glued on the above template to take home to share with their families. Students get very excited when they are able to take their words home!

Return from Reading Fluency Activities Page to Reading Fluency Page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The reading fluency activities on this page are essential for children with dyslexia and struggling readers. These activities can be taught in the classroom (small and large group setting) and can also be implemented at home! Keep checking this page for more free printable reading fluency activities and other ways to increase reading fluency!

# data[].attributes.body
Definition: "a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system." (Google)

Artifact #2: Theorist: Jeanne Chall stated that learning phonics is a stage 1 skill and it helps a student with their reading skills.

Artifact #3:This website is a great tool to get worksheets to practice phonics.This specific page defines in simpler terms for parents how phonics is beneficial to a child's learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Phonics is one of the primary building blocks of reading. Without an understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds, reading cannot occur. This multifaceted connection between print and pronunciation is an important component of any instructional program in reading because it provides readers with tools for discovering new written words.
What is phonics?
Simply put, phonics is the connection between graphemes (letter symbols) and sounds. Because we have been readers for a good portion of our lives this relationship seems apparent and common sense. However, in reality there is no natural connection between words and their meanings. For example, there is nothing innately "cup-like" about the word "cup". Even more, the written letters making up the word "cup" do not reflect anything about an actual cup. The word and its written form are agreed upon by English speakers and thus must be learned in order to communicate.

At the very core of phonics lies the alphabet. In order to master phonics a person must master the alphabet. Letters then need to be connected to their corresponding sounds. As we know as English speakers, this is easier said than done. Many letters can represent a number of different sounds. Thus learning phonics is an ongoing process for a developing reader.
Elements of Phonics
The correspondence between letters and sounds presents itself in several different ways. While letters remain the same, sound comes in different units: syllables, onsets and rimes and phonemes. Each syllable is made up of an onset, a rime or a combination of both. An onset is any consonants presented before a vowel in a syllable. For example, in the word "star"/st/ is the onset. Conversely a rime is any vowel and consonant(s) following an onset. In "star"/ar/ is the rime. Phonemes are the small units of sound that make up a word. While "star" consists of only one syllable, it contains four different phonemes: /s/ /t/ /a/ /r/.
Role of Phonics in Reading
As you may have noticed phonics and phonemic awareness (the understanding that words are comprised of small segments of sound) are intimately connected. Phonics relies heavily on a reader's phonemic awareness. The reader must not only understand that words are made up of phonemes (small units of sound), he must also know a number of phonemes. Since a reader's primary phonemic awareness develops through speaking and listening, most children come to reading with many phonemes stored in their knowledge banks. Phonics instruction connects these phonemes with written letters so that they can transfer their knowledge of sounds to the printed word. This is why phonics instruction is an important component of early reading education.

The goal of phonics instruction is to help readers quickly determine the sounds in unfamiliar written words. When readers encounter new words in texts they use the elements of phonics to decode and understand them. There are a number of ways in which phonics can be applied to reading. Synthetic phonics builds words from the ground up. In this approach readers connect letters to their corresponding phonemes (sound units) and then to blend those together to create a word. For example, if a reader encountered the word "apple" and did not recognize it, he would sound out each segment of the word (/a/ /p/ /l/) and then blend these sounds together to say the entire word. Analytic phonics, on the other hand, approaches words from the top down. A word is identified as a whole unit and then its letter-sound connections are parsed out. This approach is especially helpful when a reader comes to words that cannot be sounded out (such as "caught" and "light") and reinforcement of sight words. Analogy phonics uses familiar parts of words to discover new words. When applying analogy phonics to the word "stun" a reader notices that the second half of the word is the same as other familiar words ("sun" and "fun"). She can then apply her knowledge of this phoneme to easily decode the word.
Impact of Phonics on Reading Ability
Phonics instruction has a strong impact on the reading abilities of young children. Those receiving phonics instruction in the early grades (K-1) showed significant gains in their reading comprehension and spelling abilities and moderate growth in oral reading skills. Studies show that children in grades 2-6 also show growth in these areas, but theirs is not as considerable as that seen in primary grade students. At the upper grades, phonics instruction has a positive impact on the reading abilities of disabled, low achieving non-disabled students as well as those from low socio-economic backgrounds. These groups of children showed growth in their abilities to decode and spell new words. However, their reading comprehension skills were not affected by phonics instruction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Phonics is one of the primary building blocks of reading. Without an understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds, reading cannot occur. This multifaceted connection between print and pronunciation is an important component of any instructional program in reading because it provides readers with tools for discovering new written words.

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1:Definition: "Spoken words are made up of sounds that can be manipulated" (Cohen)

Artifact #2:The website below is a great resource to learn more about phonemic awareness as well as assessments you can use to assess phonemic awareness.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics - Diversity Website: Literacy

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1:Definition: "Children's early reading and writing learning, in other words, is embedded in a larger developing system of oral communica- tion. Early literacy is an emerging set of relationships between reading and writing." (http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200303/Essentials.pdf)

Artifact #2:Theorist: Dorothy Strickland stated that literacy development at an early stage is related to the success of a student in their academic career.

Artifact #3:Storybook Reading Activity

I found this website that provides different activities that can be done at different stages of school to promote reading.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
These activities have been developed by national reading experts for you to use with children, ages birth to Grade 6. The activities are meant to be used in addition to reading with children every day.

In using these activities, your main goal will be to develop great enthusiasm in the reader for reading and writing. You are the child's cheerleader. It is less important for the reader to get every word exactly right. It is more important for the child to learn to love reading itself. If the reader finishes one book and asks for another, you know you are succeeding! If your reader writes even once a week and comes back for more, you know you have accomplished your beginning goals.

We wish you many wonderful hours of reading and writing with children!

Activities for birth to preschool: The early years

Activity 1: Books and babies

Babies love to listen to the human voice. What better way than through reading!

What you'll need:

Some books written especially for babies (books made of cardboard or cloth with flaps to lift and holes to peek through).

What to do:

Start out by singing lullabies and folk songs to your baby. When your baby is about six months old, choose books with brightly colored, simple pictures and lots of rhythm in the text. (Mother Goose rhymes are perfect.) Hold your baby in your lap so he/she can see the colorful pages of the book. Include books that show pictures and names of familiar objects.

As you read with your baby, point out objects in the pictures and make sure your baby sees all the things that are fun to do with books. (Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt is a classic touch-and-feel book for babies.)

Vary the tone of your voice with different characters in the stories, sing nursery rhymes, make funny faces, do whatever special effects you can to stimulate your baby's interest.

Allow your child to touch and hold cloth and sturdy cardboard books.

When reading to a baby, keep the sessions brief but read daily and often.

As you read to your baby, your child is forming an association between books and what is most loved - your voice and closeness. Allowing babies to handle books deepens their attachment even more.

Activity 2: Tot talk

What's "old hat" to you can be new and exciting to toddlers and preschoolers. When you talk about everyday experiences, you help children connect their world to language and enable them to go beyond that world to new ideas.

What you'll need:

Yourself and your child

What to do:

Talking enables children to expand their vocabulary and understanding of the world. The ability to carry on a conversation is important for reading development. Remember, it is better to talk too much rather than too little with a small child.

Activity 3: R and R - repetition and rhyme

Repetition makes books predictable, and young readers love knowing what comes next.

What you'll need:

Books with repeated phrases (Favorites are: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.; Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss; and The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.

Short rhyming poems.

What to do:

Pick a story with repeated phrases or a poem you and your child like. For example, read:
(Wolf voice:) "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
(Little pig:) "Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin."
(Wolf voice:) "Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

After the wolf has blown down the first pig's house, your child will soon join in with the refrain.

Read slowly, and with a smile or a nod, let your child know you appreciate his or her participation.

As the child grows more familiar with the story, pause and give him or her a chance to fill in the blanks and phrases.

Encourage your child to pretend to read, especially books that contain repetition and rhyme. Most children who enjoy reading will eventually memorize all or parts of a book and imitate your reading. This is a normal part of reading development.

When children anticipate what's coming next in a story or poem, they have a sense of mastery over books. When children feel power, they have the courage to try. Pretending to read is an important step in the process of learning to read.

Activity 4: Poetry in motion

When children "act out" a good poem, they learn to love its rhyme, rhythm, and the pictures it paints with a few well-chosen words. They grow as readers by connecting feelings with the written word.

What you'll need:

Poems that rhyme, tell a story, and/or are written from a child's point of view.

What to do:

Poems are often short with lots of white space on the page. This makes them manageable for new readers and helps to build their confidence.

Activity 5: Story talk

Talking about what you read is another way to help children develop language and thinking skills. You won't need to plan the talk, discuss every story, or expect an answer.

What you'll need:

Storybooks

What to do:

Activity 6: Now hear this

Children are great mimics. When you tell stories, your child will begin to tell stories, too.

What you'll need:

Your imagination

What to do:

Have your child tell stories like those you have told. Ask: "And then what happened?" to urge the story along.

Listen closely when your child speaks. Be enthusiastic and responsive. Give your child full attention.

If you don't understand some part of the story, take the time to get your child to explain. This will help your child understand the relationship between a speaker and a listener and an author and a reader.

Encourage your child to express himself or herself. This will help your child develop a richer vocabulary. It can also help with pronouncing words clearly.

Having a good audience is very helpful for a child to improve language skills, as well as confidence in speaking. Parents can be the best audience a child will ever have.

Activity 7: TV

Television can be a great tool for education. The keys to successful TV viewing are setting limits, making good choices, taking time to watch together, discussing what you view, and encouraging follow-up reading.

What you'll need:

A weekly TV schedule

What to do:

Limit your child's TV viewing and make your rules and reasons clear. Involve your child in choosing which programs to watch. Read the TV schedule together to choose.

Monitor what your child is watching, and whenever possible, watch the programs with your child.

When you watch programs with your child, discuss what you have seen so your child can better understand the programs.

Look for programs that will stimulate your child's interests and encourage reading (such as dramatizations of children's literature and programs on wildlife and science.)

Many experts recommend that children watch no more than 10 hours of TV each week. Limiting TV viewing frees up time for reading and writing activities.

It is worth noting that captioned TV shows can be especially helpful for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, studying English as a second language, or having difficulty learning to read.

Activities for preschool through grade two: Moving into reading

Activity 8: World of words

Here are a few ways to create a home rich in words.

What you'll need:

What to do:

Hang posters of the alphabet on the bedroom walls or make an alphabet poster with your child. Print the letters in large type. Capital letters are usually easier for young children to learn first.

Label the things in your child's pictures. If your child draws a picture of a house, label it with "This is a house." and put it on the refrigerator.

Have your child watch you write when you make a shopping list or a "what to do" list. Say the words aloud and carefully print each letter.

Let your child make lists, too. Help your child form the letters and spell the words.

Look at newspapers and magazines with your child. Find an interesting picture and show it to your child as you read the caption aloud.

Create a scrapbook. Cut out pictures of people and places and label them.

By exposing your child to words and letters often, your child will begin to recognize the shapes of letters. The world of words will become friendly.

Activity 9: Write on

Writing helps a child become a better reader, and reading helps a child become a better writer.

What you'll need:

What to do:

Activity 10: Look for books

The main thing is to find books you both love. They will shape your child's first impression of the world of reading.

What you'll need:

Good books

What to do:

Activity 11: Read to me

It's important to read to your child, but equally important to listen to them read to you. Children thrive on having someone appreciate their developing skills.

What you'll need:

Books at your child's reading level

What to do:

Listen carefully as your child reads.

Take turns. You read a paragraph and have your child read the next one or you read half the page and your child reads the other half. As your child becomes more at ease with reading aloud, take turns reading a full page. Keep in mind that your child may be focusing more on how to read the words than what they mean, and your reading helps to keep the story alive.

If your child has trouble reading words, you can help him or her in several ways:

Ask the child to skip over the word, read the rest of the sentence, and then say what would make sense in the story for the missing word.

Guide the child to use what he or she knows about letter sounds.

Supply the correct word.

Tell your child how proud you are of his or her efforts and skills.

Listening to your child read aloud provides opportunities for you to express appreciation of his or her new skills and for them to practice their reading. Most importantly, this is another way to enjoy reading together.

Activity 12: Family stories

Family stories enrich the relationship between parent and child.

What you'll need:

Time set aside for talking with your child.

What to do:

Activity 13: P.S. I love you

Something important happens when children receive and write letters. They realize that the printed word has a purpose.

What you'll need:

What to do:

Send your child little notes (by putting them in a pocket or lunch box, for example). When your child shows you the note, read it aloud with expression. Some children will read the notes on their own.

When your child expresses a feeling or a thought that relates to a person, have your child write a letter. Have your child dictate the words to you if your child doesn't write yet.
For example:

Dear Grandma,
I like it when you make ice cream. It's better than the kind we buy at the store.

Your grandson,
Darryl

P.S. I love you

Ask the people who receive these notes to respond. An oral response if fine - a written response is even better.

Explain the writing process to your child: "We think of ideas and put them into words; we put the words on paper; people read the words; and people respond."

Language is speaking listening, reading, and writing. Each element supports and enriches the others. Sending letters will help children become better writers, and writing will make them better readers.

Activities for grades three through six: Encouraging the young reader

Activity 14: Good books make reading fun

Stories for young children should be of all kinds - folktales, funny tales, exciting tales, tales of the wondrous and stories that tell of everyday things.

What you'll need:

A variety of interesting books

What to do:

Give your child many opportunities to read and write stories, lists, messages, letters, notes, and postcards to relatives and friends. Since the skills for reading and writing reinforce one another, your child's skills and proficiency in reading and writing will be strengthened if you help your child connect reading to writing and writing to reading.

Activity 15: Artful artists

Children love to be creative when it comes to drawing, and illustrations add visual imagery to stories.

What you'll need:

What to do:

Find a fable, fairy tale, or other short story for your child to read. Then ask your child to illustrate a part of the story he or she likes best or describe a favorite character. Have the child dictate or write a few sentences that tell about this picture.

Activity 16: Shopping your way with words

Use your weekly shopping trip as an opportunity to help your child develop reading and writing skills.

What you'll need:

What to do:

As you make out your grocery shopping list, give your child a sheet of paper and read the items to him or her. If the child asks for spelling help, write the words correctly for him or her to copy or spell the words aloud as your child writes them.

Ask your child to look through the newspaper ads to find the prices of as many items as possible. Your child can write these prices on the list and then look through your coupons to select the ones you can use. Take your child to the supermarket and ask him or her to read each item to you as you shop.

Activity 17: Cookbooking

Cooking is always a delight for children, especially when they can eat the results!

What you'll need:

What to do:

Show your child a recipe and go over it together. Ask your child to read the recipe to you as you work, and tell the child that each step must be done in a special order. Let your child help mix the ingredients. Allow your child to write down other recipes from the cookbook that he or she would like to help make.

Activity 18: Dictionary words

A dictionary is a valuable learning tool, especially if your child makes up his or her own booklet of words that are challenging.

What you'll need:

Paper and pencils

A stapler

Old magazines

Newspaper and supplements

What to do:

Encourage your child to make a dictionary by putting together several sheets of paper for a booklet. Ask your child to write at the top of each page a new word he or she has recently learned. If the word can be shown in a picture, have him or her look through magazines and newspapers to find pictures that illustrate the words and paste them on the correct pages.

Have your child write the meaning of each word and a sentence using each new word. Your child can then use some or all of these sentences as the basis for a creative story. Have your child read this story to you and other family members.

Activity 19: Journals

Keeping a journal is a way for your child to write down daily events and record his or her thoughts.

What you'll need:

Two notebooks - one for your child and one for you!

What to do:

Help your child start a journal. Say what it is and discuss topics that can be written about, such as making a new friend, an interesting school or home activity just completed, or how your child felt on the first day of school. Encourage your child to come up with other ideas. Keep a journal yourself and compare notes at the end of the week. You and your child each can read aloud parts of your journals that you want to share.

Activity 20: Greetings and salutations

Everyone loves to get mail, especially when the card has been personally designed.

What you'll need:

What to do:

Ask your child to list the birthdays of family members, relatives, and friends. Show your child some store-bought birthday cards with funny, serious, or thought-provoking messages. Your child can then create his or her own birthday card by using a folded piece of paper, making an attractive cover, and writing a short verse inside. Then your child can mail the cards to friends and relatives for their birthdays.

Activity 21: Giving the gift of reading

Reading a book is more fun when you have a homemade bookmark to mark your spot.

What you'll need:

Pieces of lightweight cardboard

Pens and pencils

Paper

Crayons and magic markers

What to do:

Provide your child with a piece of cardboard about 6" long and 2" wide. On one side of the bookmark, have your child draw a picture of a scene from a book he or she has read. On the other side, ask your child to write the name of the book, its author, publisher, publication date, and a few sentences about the book. After making several of these bookmarks, you might ask the child to send them to friends and relatives as gifts accompanied by a short note.

Activity 22: Let your fingers do the walking

The telephone book contains a wealth of information and is a good tool for reading and writing.

What you'll need:

A telephone book, including the yellow pages

Paper and pencils

What to do:

Have your child look through the yellow pages of the telephone directory, select a particular service, and write a clever or funny ad for it. Have your child read this ad to you. Help your child to find your own or a friend's listing in the white pages of the telephone book. Explain the different entries (for example, last name and address), along with the abbreviations commonly used.

Activity 23: Map your way to success

Children love to read road maps and this activity actually helps them with geography.

What you'll need:

What to do:

When planning a vacation, let your child see the road map and help you plan where you will drive. Talk about where you will start and where you will end up. Let your child follow the route between these two points. Encourage your child to write to the Chamber of Commerce for brochures about places you will see on your trip.

Activity 24: What's in the news?

Newspapers are a form of daily communication with the outside world, and provide lots of learning activities for children.

What you'll need:

What to do:

Clip out an interesting news story and cut the paragraphs apart. Ask your child to read the paragraphs and put them in order.

Ask your child to read a short editorial printed in your local newspaper and to underline all the facts with a green pencil and all the opinions with an orange pencil.

Pictures fascinate children of all ages. Clip pictures in the newspaper. Ask your child to tell you about the picture or list adjectives to describe the picture.

Do you take your child to the movies? Have your child first look up the movie page by using the index in the newspaper. After a movie has been chosen, have your child study the picture or text in the ad and tell you what he or she thinks the movie is about.

Have your child pick a headline and turn it into a question. Then the child can read the article to see if the question is answered.

Ask your child to clip food coupons from the newspaper for your grocery shopping trips. First, talk about which products you use and which you do not. Then the child can cut out the right coupons and putt hem into categories such as drinks and breakfast items. You can then cash in the coupons at the store.

Pick out an interesting article from the newspaper. As you are preparing lunch or dinner, tell your child that you are busy and ask him or her to read the article to you.

Many newspapers publish materials especially written for children, such as the syndicated "Mini Page," "Pennywhistle Press," and "Dynamite Kids." In addition, some newspapers publish weekly columns for children, as well as tabloids and summer supplements written by educators.

Activity 25: Using television to stimulate reading

What child doesn't enjoy watching TV? Capitalize on this form of entertainment and use TV to help rather than hinder your child's learning.

Some important ideas to consider before turning on the TV: Limit in some way the amount of TV your child watches so as to leave time for reading and other activities. Decide how much time should be set aside for watching TV each day.

Serve as an example by limiting the amount of TV you yourself watch. Have time when the TV set is off and the entire family reads something. You may want to watch TV only for special shows. Before the TV set is turned on, encourage your child to select the programs he or she wishes to watch. Ask your child to give you the reason for the choices made.

In addition, watch some of the same TV programs your child watches. This helps you as a parent share in some of your child's daily activities.

What you'll need:

What to do:

Ask your child to tell you about favorite TV characters using different kinds of words.

As your child watches commercials on television, ask him or her to invent a product and write slogans or an ad for it.

Encourage your child to watch such programs as Reading Rainbow. Urge older children to watch such programs as 60 Minutes and selected documentaries. These programs are informative. Discuss interesting ideas covered in the programs and direct your child to maps, encyclopedias, fiction, or popular children's magazines for more information.

Have your child name 10 of his or her favorite shows. Ask your child to put them into categories according to the type of show they are, such as family shows, cartoons, situation comedies, sports, science fiction, or news and information. If you find the selection is not varied enough, you might suggest a few others that would broaden experiences.

Prepare a monthly calendar with symbols such as a picture of the sun to represent an outdoor activity or a picture of a book to represent reading. Each time your child engages in a daily free time activity, encourage him or her to paste a symbol on the correct calendar date. This will give you an idea of how your child spends his or her free time. It also encourages a varied schedule.

Ask each child in your family to pick a different color. Using the TV listing, have each child use this color to circle one TV program that he or she wants to watch each day. Alternate who gets first choice. This serves two purposes. It limits the amount of time watching TV and it encourages discriminating viewing.

Devise a rating scale from 1 to 5. Ask your child to give a number to a certain TV program and to explain why such a rating was given.

Have your child keep a weekly TV log and write down five unfamiliar words heard or seen each week. Encourage your child to look up the meanings of these words in the dictionary or talk about them with you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 Activities for Reading and Writing Fun

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These activities have been developed by national reading experts for you to use with children, ages birth to Grade 6. The activities are meant to be used in addition to reading with children every day. In using these activities, your main goal will be to develop great enthusiasm in the reader for reading and writing.

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1:Definition: "is a process by which people acquire words. Babbling shifts towards meaningful speech as infants grow and produce their first words around the age of one year. In early word learning, infants build their vocabulary slowly." (Wikipedia)

Artifact #2:Providing multiple ways to teach vocabulary in Kindergarten support Howard Gardner's theory of students being taught in a variety of ways.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary in Kindergarten | Scholastic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find an assortment of lesson ideas for helping young students build vocabulary skills.

# data[].attributes.body
Definiton: "means just that-reading aloud. When we read to students, we take advantage of the fact that until about the eighth grade, young people have a "listening level" that significantly surpasses their reading level. When we read aloudto students, we engage them in texts that they might not be able to read."(teacher vision.com)

Artifact #2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our lesson plans are written and reviewed by educators using current research and the best instructional practices and are aligned to state and national standards. Choose from hundreds of topics and strategies.

Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

Teacher Resources by Grade

Home › Professional Development › Strategy Guides

Strategy Guide
Research Basis Strategy in Practice Related Resources
Teacher read-alouds demonstrate the power of stories. By showing students the ways that involvement with text engages us, we give them energy for learning how reading works. By showing them how to search for meaning, we introduce strategies of understanding we can reinforce in shared, guided, and independent reading.

Marie Clay (1991) writes that when teachers read aloud to students "meanings can be negotiated in discussion before, during, and after the story reading" (p.171). Reading aloud to students should include think-aloud or interactive elements and focus intentionally on the meaning "within the text," "about the text," and "beyond the text" (Fountas & Pinnell, 2006, p.33). Read aloud, as part of the gradual release of responsibility, feeds naturally into shared, guided, and independent reading as teachers demonstrate for students the ways the reading process works (Burkins & Croft, 2010).

Among the many benefits of read aloud, Rog (2001) lists the following:

building vocabulary

developing understandings of story structures

supporting developing connections between print elements

encouraging high levels of understanding

teaching the reading process in a meaningful context

modeling fluency

motivating students to read

Burkins, J.M., & Croft, M.M. (2010). Preventing misguided reading: New strategies for guided reading teachers. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Patterson, Nancy. "Becoming Literate in the Ways of the Web: Evaluating Internet Resources." Voices from the Middle 10.3 (March 2003): 58-59.

Fountas, I.C., & Pinnell, G.S. (2006). Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking, talking, and writing about reading, K-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Rog, L.J. (2001). Early literacy instruction in kindergarten. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Part 1: Before Reading Aloud

Consider the speaking vocabulary of the class. A read aloud text should engage students at the edge of their speaking vocabulary, usually a grade or two above their grade-level.

Among text options, select based on relevant criteria below:

Will students enjoy it?

Is there a big idea or theme to explore?

Are there opportunities for thinking deeply?

Do students have necessary background knowledge?

What are the vocabulary demands?

Are the illustrations compelling?

Do the story and the illustrations present cultural diversity?

Consider the deep understandings you want to support students in reaching through discussion. What is a "big idea" you want students to explore?

Working backward from your big idea, write open-ended questions on sticky notes or in the margins in the places you want students to discuss them. Develop questions that will support student discussion and depth of thought as they move in the direction of this big idea. This isn't a search for "right answers," nor does it eliminate the possibility of other ideas surfacing during discussion. This guiding idea is simply a plan for supporting thoughtful discussion.

Examine the vocabulary in the text. Are there words that students must know in order to arrive at understandings around the "big idea"? Develop a plan for introducing words quickly before or during reading.

Practice reading the text aloud.

Part 2: During & After Reading (four parts)

Introduce preliminary vocabulary. Don't spend too much time on this.

Read the text aloud fluently, stopping to ask the questions you wrote during planning. Allow students to discuss them with partners and then share out with the group. Continue this process until you reach the end of the story.

After reading, support deeper conversation in the direction of the big idea. Support students as they mine for connections and push for deep thought, particularly around the big idea.

Make the text available for shared, guided, and independent reading opportunities. Locate related texts for sharing with students.

For further reading:
Anderson, N.P. (2007). What should I read aloud? A guide to 200 best-selling picture books. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Burkins, J.M., & Croft, M.M. (2010). Preventing misguided reading: New strategies for guided reading teachers. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Hickman, P., & Pollard-Durodola, S.D. (2009). Dynamic read-aloud strategies for English learners: Building language and literacy in the primary grades. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Digging Deeper: Developing Comprehension Using Thank You, Mr. Falker
A read-aloud of Patricia Polacco's Thank You, Mr. Falker helps promote deeper comprehension through questioning to achieve personal connections and discussions of character and theme.
Catching the Bug for Reading Through Interactive Read-Alouds
Students learn about story structure, new vocabulary, and a variety of reading strategies by participating in an interactive read-aloud of Miss Bindergarten Stays Home From Kindergarten by Joseph Slate.
Shhh! Bear's Sleeping: Learning About Nonfiction and Fiction Using Read-Alouds
Students explore the distinction between the fiction story Bear Snores On and the nonfiction book Every Autumn Comes the Bear.
Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: Critical Discussion of Social Issues
Through a series of picture book read-alouds, students engage in critical discussion of complex issues of race, class, and gender.
Literature as a Catalyst for Social Action: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges
Students are invited to confront and discuss issues of injustice and intolerance in response to reading a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts.
Writing Acrostic Poems with Thematically Related Texts in the Content Areas
Students read thematically related texts, scaffolded from simple to complex, to help them gather necessary concept vocabulary and background knowledge in a content area. They then write acrostic poems to organize and present their learning in a creative way.
Thundering Tall Tales: Using Read-Aloud as a Springboard to Writing
Imagination and application are key to this tall tale lesson in which students take what they know about tall tales to spin a yarn of their own.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teacher Read-Aloud That Models Reading for Deep Understanding - ReadWriteThink

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our lesson plans are written and reviewed by educators using current research and the best instructional practices and are aligned to state and national standards. Choose from hundreds of topics and strategies. Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1:Definition: " component of the shared reading block during which the teacher provides support for small, flexible groups of beginning readers." (scholastics.com)

Artifact #2:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guided Reading is meeting in small flexible homogenous grouping to work on a reading passage or skills. Students meet in small groups (if possible, 6 or less) and tackle common text or skill. These groups are not static and children move within these groups based on their reading level or needs.

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1: Definition:"an interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of a book or other text while guided and supported by a teacher. The teacher explicitly models the skills of proficient readers, including reading with fluency and expression."(reading rockets.org)

Artifact#2:

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1:Defintion: "a term used in educational settings, where students are involved in choosing and reading material (fiction books, non-fiction, magazine, other media) for their independent consumption and enjoyment. People choose to read independently." (Wikipedia)

Artifact#2: Independent reading provides students the opportunity to learn to enjoy reading and supports the theorist Louise Rosenblatt who believed it is best to encourage students to read for pleasure then simply to interpret the text and find the "right" answer.

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1: Definition: "Comprehension strategies are conscious plans — sets of steps that good readers use to make sense of text. Comprehension strategyinstruction helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own reading comprehension." (reading rockets.org)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fun Lesson Ideas for First Grade Vocabulary

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Make your first grade vocabulary lessons more fun and meaningful with these interactive classroom tasks.

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1: Definition: " a teaching method in which the goal is to teach students strategies for reading and comprehension. The workshop model allows teachers to differentiate and meet the needs of all their students." (busyteacherscafe.com)

Artifact#2: -Performing centers and readers workshop in a classroom supports the theorist John Dewey who stated that a curriculum should be interesting and an experience for students. Thru making the learning hands-on students will continue to be interested in learning more.

Centers

Artifact #3: Definition: "A learning center is a self-contained section of the classroom in which students engage in independent and self-directed learning activities. Get information on learning centers and how to incorporate them in to your instructional routine using this advice."(teacher vision.com)

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact#1: Definition: "a method of writing instruction that developed from the early work of Donald Graves, Donald Murray, and other teacher/researchers who found that coaching students to write for a variety of audiences and purposes was more effective than traditional writing instruction." (Wikipedia)

Artifact#2:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tips for Teaching Writers Workshop in Pre-K and Kindergarten

What is Writing Workshop?

Writing workshop is another of the key components in a balanced literacy program.

Writing Workshop is a teaching technique that invites students to write by making the process a meaningful part of the classroom curriculum. Writing is an expected activity on a daily basis. Students are exposed to the organization and thought required to create a story or write about a favorite topic. Because they are allowed to choose the topic, students are motivated to create and complete writing to share with classmates.

For the youngest students, whose skills vary greatly, the goal is to elicit a story from a drawing, recording the student's words in dictation form on the drawing and encouraging the student to move from drawing to writing by guiding the student in the use of phonics to sound out words. Eventually, students become empowered and will become more independent and fluent writers. When combined with reading activities Writing Workshop can create a powerful and motivating tool for teaching literacy.

Writing workshop is not just journals, it's a lesson sequence that if followed can help achieve the goals listed above. See the lesson sequence below.

How is Writing Workshop structured?

The lesson sequence for writing workshop is as follows:

Mini-Lesson (5-15 minutes depending on the lesson, some may run longer, some shorter- it depends on the lesson)

Independent writing/Conferencing (the bulk of your time is spent here, 30 minutes or more, but shorter in the beginning of the year)

Share Time (5-10 minutes)

What is a mini-lesson?

A mini-lesson is a brief, focused, teacher directed activity done in a whole group setting.

Teaches specific strategies through demonstration and modeling, such as selecting a topic to write about.

Can you give me an example of what a mini-lesson looks like?

It depends on the time of the year you are doing the mini-lesson. In the beginning of the year you need to teach "procedural" mini-lessons to teach the children how writing workshop works, then, after they have learned the procedures you can move into more content.

An example of a procedural mini-lesson you might teach in the beginning of the year would be one about how to use crayons and pencils properly.

An example of a regular lesson would be one about how good writers put spaces between their words. Again, it depends on the time of the year you are teaching the lesson, and the ages and ability levels of your students.

What do the students do during independent writing time? During independent reading time students are writing/drawing in their writers notebooks or booklets. They are incorporating what they learned from the mini-lesson into their writing.
What does the teacher do during independent writing time?

The teacher will be looking for evidence of students who are incorporating what they learned from the mini-lesson into their independent writing and observing their actions as writers.

The teacher will be conferencing with students.

Teachers will spend more time circulating and reinforcing good writing behaviors in the beginning of the year and more time conferencing later in the year after the students have learned the procedures.

What does share time look like? During share time the teacher may select a few students that he/she noticed were incorporating strategies learned during the mini-lesson into their writing. Those students then share their writing and strategies with the class. Teachers may have to ask guiding questions to elicit desired responses. It is also beneficial to ask students questions about who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Writing Workshop Resources:

More Literacy Resources from Pre-K Pages

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tips for Teaching Writers Workshop in Pre-K and Kindergarten Writing workshop is another of the key components in a balanced literacy program. Writing Workshop is a teaching technique that invites students to write by making the process a meaningful part of the classroom curriculum. Writing is an expected activity on a daily basis.

# data[].attributes.body
Artifact #1 Definition: "is a process that involves at least four distinct steps: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. It is known as a recursive process. While you are revising, you might have to return to the prewriting step to develop and expand your ideas."

Artifact#2: These sources are both great examples of the work of Donald Graves.

Artifact#3:
(http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/resources/writers/writing-process/)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Writing Process

Dahlia is a teacher who loves writing and is very knowledgeable in proper composition techniques. She also wants her students to learn to be skilled writers. When Dahlia is writing, she follows a certain set of steps that aid her in her thought process. She believes if she teaches her students those steps, it will help build their confidence while honing their abilities.

Writing is a process and that process is not intuitive. In other words, children must be taught the steps in the writing process because they won't figure them out on their own. Though the steps of the writing process are taught and practiced from a very young age, they are applicable to all types of writing and can be used throughout adulthood.

To help Dahlia plan her writing instruction, let's look closer at the writing process and sample activities that she can assign her students at each step of the process.

Prewriting

When Dahlia wants to write something, she doesn't just sit down and write. Instead, she starts with an idea and nurtures it through different prewriting activities. Her students need to learn how prewriting can help them.

The first stage in the writing process is prewriting, or activities done before starting a first draft. These activities in the prewriting stage are designed to help a writer clarify his or her thoughts and make a plan for the first draft.

Brainstorming and outlining are two popular forms of prewriting. Dahlia can give her students graphic organizers to help them brainstorm or outline their pieces. For example, the popular Venn diagram can help students brainstorm how two things are alike and different when they are writing a piece comparing and contrasting two things.

Free writing, when students just write whatever comes to their mind, is also a good brainstorming activity. In this way, students can get some ideas down on paper without worrying about whether they are any good. Later, they can sort through what they've brainstormed and separate the good ideas from the not-good ideas.

Outlining is particularly useful for nonfiction pieces. Students can use a graphic organizer to help them outline their main ideas and supporting details as they plan what to write.

Writing & Revising

Dahlia thinks prewriting is a very important stage in writing, but it's not the only stage. The writing stage comes after prewriting and involves composing a first draft. During this stage, students can use the graphic organizers they used during prewriting to help them organize their ideas on paper. For example, if Dahlia has her students make an outline, they can use that outline to help guide them as they write. Each main idea and its supporting details can serve as a new paragraph.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
the writing process: stages & activities - video & lesson transcript | study.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Writing Process: Stages & Activities - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dahlia is a teacher who loves writing and is very knowledgeable in proper composition techniques. She also wants her students to learn to be skilled writers. When Dahlia is writing, she follows a certain set of steps that aid her in her thought process.

# data[].attributes.body
These activities are great demonstration of Erik Erikson's theory of children being given the opportunity to explore and discover.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
My oldest, who is almost 5, recently started attending a wonderful church preschool. At school, he is asked to trace his name as well as other letters they are working on. When I watch him write, I notice he is upset when he can't follow the lines perfectly. (I think he got this perfectionist trait from me...sorry!) I also notice that it is hard for him to control the writing utensil. Because I saw this lack of confidence in his writing skills and I decided to help him with this. I realized the best place to start is with building up hand strength and to practice fine motor skills. Kids need to build up their hand strength through fine motor skills before actually writing. So today, I'm sharing 10 pre-writing activities we've been doing at home to build strength in my preschooler's hands.

Playdough

Just playing with playdough is great for building strength in hands. Practice making balls, rolling playdough into snakes, or create fun designs.

Q-tip painting

Practice the pincer grip by painting with a q-tip. Kids love this activity and you get to make beautiful art!

Lacing

You can buy lacing cards or create your own from foam sheets or card stock, like we did in lacing hearts or lacing crowns. It's really great practice for fine motor skills!

Beads & Pipe Cleaners

Use the pincer grip to slide beads onto pipe cleaners.

Cutting Practice

Using scissors is a great way to build hand strength. If paper is too hard to cut, try cutting playdough.

Write in Corn Meal

This is so much fun! Just pour corn meal, sugar, or flour onto a tray. Then let your child write with their finger to make letters or designs.

After using fingers to write, try using a writing utensil. Encourage using the tripod grip on the utensil.

Tweezers

An easy fine motor activity is using tweezers or tongs to transfer objects. Even toddlers can try this one out! I love this skunk tweezer we found at a local education store. (Sorry I can't find it on the web!)

Clothespins

Opening a clothespin takes a lot of strength. I love using count and clip cards to practice using clothespins. The child simply counts the objects on the card and then puts a clothespin on the correct number. You can download a free copy of our desert animals clip cards here or kite clip cards here.

Scrunching Paper

Just scrunching paper into a ball is great for building hand strength! You could use newspaper, tissue paper, wrapping paper, or regular paper. And what kid doesn't love throwing paper balls?!

Droppers

Simply take a glass of water and have your child practice using a water dropper. I colored our water with food coloring and had him transfer all the water from one cup to the other. The squeezing motion will help build strength in the child's hand.

While it's important to do fine motor activities, also give your child opportunities to practice using writing utensils. Let them use markers, crayons, colored pencils, dry erase markers, etc. Another tip is to break crayons in half so it's easier to write with.

The key to good handwriting is continual practice with fine motor skills. If your child has poor handwriting, it may be they need more practice with fine motor skills. To read more on this subject, I recommend reading this article on teaching handwriting written by my OT blogging friend.

After a couple weeks of doing these pre-writing activities, I've noticed an improvement of strength in his hands and better handwriting! And he feels much more confident in writing. We'll continue to work on this!

What prewriting activity would you add to this list?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Pre-Writing Activities for Preschoolers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
My oldest, who is almost 5, recently started attending a wonderful church preschool. At school, he is asked to trace his name as well as other letters they are working on. When I watch him write, I notice he is upset when he can't follow the lines perfectly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Differentiated instruction, also called differentiation, is a process through which teachers enhance learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment. Writing instruction can be differentiated to allow students varying amounts of time to complete assignments, to give students different writing product options, and to teach skills related to the writing process.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When I first started teaching it was a goal of mine to integrate technology into the classroom as much as I could. I began my teaching career after being a graphic designer and working for a textbook publisher. That experience taught me how important technology is in the real world. Over the years I have continued to try to find new ways to use technology and changed how my students learn. I love discovering new ideas and trying out different ways to best reach my students, regardless of their learning needs. Technology integration not only engages my students but it also gives me the opportunity to differentiate their learning in a variety of mediums. At times, this can feel somewhat overwhelming but there are many creative ways to bring technology into everyday lessons. Here are 10 creative ways I integrate technology into my own classroom.
Morning Check In Using a Interactive whiteboard
Morning check in allows teachers to know which students are present and what their plans are for lunch. Having them raise their hands and check a seating chart can be time consuming and not always easy to fit in at the beginning of the day. Using a template on the interactive whiteboard makes each child responsible for his/her own check in. The first week of school take a picture of every student. Use these pictures in a Notebook file that states their lunch choices as well as, a morning activity. Each morning students drag their pictures to show they are present. This allows students to practice using the interactive whiteboard touch daily and helps them be accountable.
Recording student Reading
When students read they don't always realize what their voice sounds like. Talking about fluency and expression with students can be a hard concept for them to grasp. Using an iPod or iPad you can easily record their reading to play back for them. Using Voice Memos or other similar apps you can record a student reading aloud. Catching them using expression in their reading gets them excited to read aloud. When you record them more than once they can hear the difference in their own voice and learn to recognize what it means to read with expression.
Sharing examples of student work
When students get the chance to see what their peers are doing it is a great way to set expectations and boost confidence. However, it is not always easy to hold up an example and expect the rest of the class to clearly see it. If you have access to an Apple T.V. or an application such as Reflections you can use your iPad and projector to show work. This magnifies the student work and clearly lets every child see what you see.
Taking a movie of your students
There are times when I catch my students doing something I want to show to the rest of my class. Reading to another student, or listening intently to someone else are some examples. Recording these moments provides you with an opportunity to model behavior and learning for other students. After making sure the role model is comfortable with their image being on the projector send the movie to the computer or use the Apple TV to show it to the entire class.
Displaying student writing
When it comes time to teach students about editing and revising it is always beneficial to use some of their own writing. I select a few examples ahead of time and scan them. Once those files are digital they can be displayed on the interactive whiteboard. It gives students the chance to be an interactive participant. They are able to see and understand what is being changed and why. Editing their peers work makes it more meaningful.
Digital Newsletters
Digital Newsletters allow parents to be more engaged in their child's learning. Links can be inserted into the newsletters allowing parents access the same technology their child is using at school. Pictures and videos can also be inserted so parents can more clearly see what happens in the classroom. These newsletters can be shared in a variety of ways. They can be emailed, posted to a website, or even shared via social media.
Student Slideshows
Students love sharing their ideas and learning with others. A great way for students to share about a book they've read or other information they have learned is by creating a slideshow. A reading group might want to share a book they've read with the class. I have my students collaborate on slideshows using the Keynote app on the iPad or using the interactive whiteboard. Keynote and Power Point are both slide show programs that are easy to use. Setting up the expectations and parameters ahead of time help them determine what to include in their presentations. They can use bullets to tell important facts, insert images, and take pictures. When students are first starting out it's a good idea to make the format of the slideshow in advance. That way students focus on inputting information and adding elements.
Reading Groups
Technology has become a larger part of my reading group instruction. When a group is reading an informational book they often have questions or want to know more about the topic. Using the Internet either independently or as a group we are able to research and find out more information. This can really help engage students. Students are able to feel more like experts on a topic. Using a dictionary app also teaches them how to search for and find new vocabulary. Their reading group books aren't just something they read once and then move onto the next one.
Digital Books
Digital books are becoming more popular in general. Many of my students tell me about books they are reading on their tablets at home. Using digital books in the classroom allow students to relate their learning at home with what they do at school. Interactive books can be on the computer or a tablet. Not only do these books allow students to read in a digital format, they can also be interactive. Students can play games, answer questions, and even listen to others read the story. Many libraries now offer ebooks to be borrowed at no cost. Overdrive is an app that allows you to check out books from the library at no cost.
Listening to books
Listening to books has always been an important part of my classroom. When students listen to someone else read it models the behaviors good readers need. Using an iPod gives you the opportunity to use a variety of books in a much more efficient way. Downloading audio book files into iTunes you can create playlists for students. Even if the book you want students to listen to is not already an audio file you can make a recording of yourself reading the book. Using an app such as Voice Memo you can record your reading of a title and then send the recording to iTunes. Students are able to take the iPod to a place in the classroom they chose and listen on their own or with a friend. Using an iPod makes listening to books much more accessible.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Ways to Integrate Technology into your Classroom - Early Childhood Education Zone

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When I first started teaching it was a goal of mine to integrate technology into the classroom as much as I could. I began my teaching career after being a graphic designer and working for a textbook publisher. That experience taught me how important technology is in the real world.

# data[].attributes.headline
Integrating Technology: New Literacies (Artifact 1)

# data[].attributes.subject
Integrating Technology: New Literacies (Artifact 1)

# data[].attributes.body
Definition: "Technology integration is the use of technology tools [citation needed] in general content areas in education in order to allow students to apply computer and technology skills to learning and problem-solving. Generally speaking, the curriculum drives the use of technology and not vice versa." (Wikipedia)

Artifact #2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.