Links for Week 29 of Busy Bee Kindergarten
So as not to overwhelm you, I will send you fewer emails, but at least one email each week will have several links to different things you might want to read about or view. This way, you can stay apprised of everything that’s available to you but you won’t necessarily be “bothered” with anything you don’t currently have an interest in or don’t have time for. And, if you save your emails, you can access everything whenever it’s convenient for you.
The 28th Week of School - I’ll repeat the links here just in case you didn’t see them last week.
Video: Reading and Writing with Opposites (originally posted 3/13/22) - Opposites are an easy concept for kindergarten students but not one that they've necessarily been taught about or thought about before. There are many opposites that are easy to read (on/off, in/out, hot/cold, etc.) and write about so they lend themselves to these activities nicely.
Video: Monday Small Group Instruction and Centers (originally posted 3/14/23) - Students are reading decodable books, some with more advanced phonics so those students who are ready can practice applying the advanced phonics I’ve introduced to the class. Check out the video to see how I manage to listen to each student for at least a couple minutes (while keeping half an ear on everyone else’s reading) as well as what the rest of the class was doing.
Video: Continuous Text and Wednesday Centers (originally posted 3/16/23) - Just a peek at what was happening this day during my power hour (small group instruction and the other centers). I love, love, love this time of the school year when things really start to come together for the students.
Week 29 of School - New Links and Descriptions
Video: Focusing on Writing Goals (originally posted 3/20/22) - I noticed--during January and February--that we had lost focus on student writing goals. When I realized this, I made a commitment to getting myself and my students more focused on their writing goals during the month of March. In this video, you'll see how I 1) give the students one star for telling me their writing goal(s) and 2) give another star when I see evidence that they have worked on their goal(s). Being this focused on writing goals two or three times a week will really move students along in learning to write.
Video: Circling Back to CVC Words (originally posted 3/23/22) - If my students were proficient at reading CVC words on their mid-year testing, then they should be even better at it now, three months later, right? Nope. Not right.
Video: All Set for Fourth Quarter Interventions (originally posted 3/24/23) - All of my students are “green” in the skills we systematically track. But that doesn’t mean I’m kicking back for the last two months of school. There are still weak areas to be addressed and ongoing practice of certain skills that have to happen. In the video, you’ll see what my 4th Quarter interventions will consist of.
Video: Assessing and Encouraging Whole Word Reading (originally posted 3/26/22) - Earlier in the school year, we are thrilled when our students start learning and saying sounds and then even more so when they begin to blend the sounds together and figure out words. But by springtime, we definitely have some students who are capable of reading CVC words as whole words, without having to say each sound individually and then blend the sounds together.
Video: Continuous Text and Other Centers End of March (originally posted 4/2/23) - See small group instruction in action with continuous text using opposites.
Paid subscribers, any materials you see in use in these videos can be requested. Just email me at missbusybeekindergarten@gmail.com and I’ll get the links to you. Also, paid subscribers should be on the lookout for weekly lesson plans that include a video of me summarizing the plans and talking about what’s included and WHY.
As always, let me know what you’re thinking and what you need.
Randee