Ms. Schmitt's 1st Grade Classroom by Tori Schmitt

Science of Reading

torischmitt15 — 2025-01-20 14:41:46 UTC

I will focus on explicitly teaching the five key components of reading by providing systematic and sequential instruction in each area. These are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Incorporating activities like sound manipulation exercises and decoding practice will strengthen my students' understanding of each tier.

Read-Aloud Books

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 19:16:38 UTC

This book is great for 1st graders. Read-alouds are great for spelling resources. I will use this book in one of my read-alouds to strengthen my students' language, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. "The Rainbow Fish" is a heartwarming story that teaches students the benefits of sharing and the happiness sharing can bring yourself and others.

Fictional Text for 1st Grade

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 19:24:10 UTC

I chose "Diary of a Worm" for a fictional book because it is great for first graders, and it features a humorous and relatable story told from a worm's perspective, with simple language, engaging illustrations, and a diary format that young readers find appealing. All while also providing opportunities to learn basic facts about worms and their environment.

Sound Wall

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 19:37:40 UTC

A sound wall in my classroom will be used to visually represent different phonemes (sounds) of the English language. This will allow students to reference the correct mouth position and letter combinations for each sound while helping them decode words while reading and spelling accurately while writing.

Reading Assessment- Letter Identification

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 19:51:54 UTC

I selected letter identification for my reading assessment because it's a great tool to use when first graders are learning how to read and recognize different letters. Children's knowledge of letter names and shapes is a strong predictor of their success in learning to read. I will show the students each letter of the alphabet individually, and the students will respond by saying the letter's name. Then, I will record each student’s response. The assessment will include both upper and lowercase letters for effective learning.

Reading Instruction- Explicit Phonics Instruction

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 20:02:57 UTC

Explicit phonics instruction is a great way to introduce reading instruction in first grade. It involves directly teaching students the relationship between letters and their corresponding sounds. This typically starts with teaching simple CVC words like "cat". In my classroom, I will identify spelling patterns as consonant-vowel-consonants.

Interactive Digital Books with Audio Narration

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 20:15:00 UTC

Interactive digital books with audio narration for first graders enhance engagement and comprehension by allowing children to actively follow along with a story while listening to a voice read the text. This can be beneficial for early readers by supporting their vocabulary development, fluency, and overall understanding of the story through visual and auditory cues. When doing silent reading time, I will allow these students to listen and follow along with a book to strengthen their engagement and comprehension while reading.

Short Story Writing

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 20:49:09 UTC

In my future classroom, I will incorporate drawing a picture and then writing a short story about the picture. This instructional strategy is a great way for 1st graders to work on their writing. It is a fundamental way in which children learn to think critically, organize and communicate ideas, and make thinking visible and permanent. Learning to write well also helps children to be better readers.

Nonfictional Text for 1st Grade

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 20:59:36 UTC

This story about lions is great for 1st graders. I will use this nonfiction book for my students because it offers knowledge, practical insights, and factual information, which helps readers expand their understanding of real-world topics and develop critical thinking skills. It's great and goes hand-in-hand with science because it has vibrant pictures and engaging facts about lions!

Picture of a Great Reading Space I Would Use in My Classroom

torischmitt15 — 2025-02-24 21:12:49 UTC

This reading space is great for all students because it is very engaging and comfortable. A designated reading space in a classroom encourages independent reading, promotes a love of books, and helps develop literacy skills. I would designate the time after recess for independent reading. Designating a number for each student will help control who gets to sit in the reading space each day.

Video Demonstration

torischmitt15 — 2025-03-05 20:12:47 UTC

I chose this video as an explicit teaching strategy for first grade because it focused on phoneme blending. The lesson included playing "Simon Says" and the student trying to figure out what Simon was saying. Blending and segmenting phonemes are the two phonemic awareness skills most useful for the acquisition of decoding skills. Phoneme blending requires students to listen to a sequence of separately spoken sounds and then to combine them to form a word.

A Text To Use In The Classroom To Celebrate Various Cultures

torischmitt15 — 2025-03-05 20:25:54 UTC

Holiday Celebrations are a great way to include various cultures in your classroom. I will create a calendar that highlights celebrations worldwide so that my students can learn/celebrate their unique cultures. When a holiday comes up, I will take time to discuss what it's about and find simple ways to celebrate such as making crafts, serving a treat from that culture, or reading a book associated with that holiday.

Picture Book For 1st Grade

torischmitt15 — 2025-03-05 20:31:11 UTC

I chose "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" as my picture book because it teaches important early literacy skills like sequencing, cause and effect, and prediction, all while being engaging and humorous with its repetitive "if-then" structure. Making it perfect for young readers to follow along and discuss the story's progression. The repetitive phrase "if you give a mouse a cookie..." makes it easy for young readers to anticipate what will happen next, encouraging engagement and participation. The story can also lead to discussions about responsibility, considering the consequences of actions, and understanding different perspectives.

Reading Comprehension Tool

torischmitt15 — 2025-03-05 20:44:49 UTC

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a great reading comprehension tool I will use in my classroom. AR allows students to meet a certain goal every 9-weeks in school. To meet your goal, you need to read a certain amount of books and then take a test and pass on them. Every book has a certain amount of points you will receive if you pass the reading test. With Accelerated Reader, students read widely to build word recognition, independent reading, and language comprehension skills.

Research-Backed Literacy Resource

torischmitt15 — 2025-03-05 20:51:59 UTC

"Reading Eggs" is considered a research-backed literacy resource that helps students learn to read. It utilizes a structured phonics approach, aligns with key early reading skills, and has been shown to effectively improve reading abilities in young children through its interactive lessons and decodable readers. This makes it a strong choice for foundational literacy development in first grade. Teachers and parents can also track a student's progress through detailed reports, which allows for informed interventions if needed.

Research Article

torischmitt15 — 2025-03-05 21:04:09 UTC

"Catch Them Before They Fall: Identification and Assessment to Prevent Reading Failure in Young Children" is a great article that has two goals. First is describing procedures that will allow educators to identify children who need extra help in reading before they experience serious failure. The second goal is to monitor the early development of reading skills to identify children who may require extra help as reading instruction proceeds through elementary school. Early identification of reading difficulties is important because it allows for timely intervention. It prevents a child from falling further behind academically and can address the issue before it becomes deeply ingrained by the student.