Links for Week 30 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 29th Week of School - I’ll repeat the links here just in case you didn’t see them last week.
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.
Week 30 of School - New Links and Descriptions
Video: Whole Group Phonics - Endings (originally posted 4/4/23) - One of the things we work on in Phonics during March is adding endings to words, specifically -s, -ing, -er, and -ed. My students are already seeing some of these in the continuous texts I provide to them and they are also having to use them while writing in their journals. Instead of learning about endings implicitly, it’s best to give them explicit instruction.
Video: One Day of Centers Beginning of April (originally posted 4/7/23) - Now that it’s the fourth quarter of school, I need to incorporate some reading comprehension work into my small group instruction. Using decodable passages with comprehension questions, students continue to work on decoding and practicing our heart words but also have to think a bit more about what they’re reading and demonstrate their thinking with a little writing.
Video: Learning to Write a Three-Part Story (originally posted 4/7/23) - See students thinking about the sequence of a story, thinking about the structure of sentences, thinking about phonics and spelling, and trying to use their best handwriting. This is different than our typical whole group writing as I give much more direct teaching and do a lot of modeling.
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