Daily Five

For reading, my first graders participate in the Daily Five. This consists of independent reading, partner reading, writing, word work, and listening to reading.

Here are some pictures of the kiddos at work:

Partner Reading / Independent Reading

Listening to Reading

Writing

 Now we come to my biggest challenge: Word Work. I think Word Work can be a challenge for a lot of teachers simply because there are so many different ways to implement it and you have to find the right combination for your group of students.

After trying MANY different word work activities and techniques, this week I have settled on one that seems to be working the best out of all. I placed this pocket chart on a filing cabinet in my sink/nook area. In the chart, I have placed several words focusing on our spelling pattern for the week, as well as a couple which focus on our past spelling patterns. The children have the choice of building any of these words throughout the week using several different activities: tile writing, rainbow writing, magnet writing, and puzzle magnets. I plan on adding more activities and organizing a little more over the weekend, but I am enjoying the new routine so far.

One thing that I had not been using much was the magnet letters, since I am using all of the magnetic boards with my small groups. I love that now they can use the magnets on the filing cabinet and the words they have to build are right there in front of them! The students use the bottom as well as the side with the drawers. They are really seeming to enjoy it so far. They also are doing a great job at staying on task, which is always a difficulty with word work.

The children build with magnet letters on the filing cabinet.

Another example, where the children used some magnetic puzzle letters to build their words.

I liked how they used other magnetic letters when they ran out of the puzzle pieces. :)

All in all, I am excited and optimistic about our new word work station. I will keep you updated on how it continues to grow! :)