Links for Week 31 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 30th Week of School - I’ll repeat the links here just in case you didn’t see them last week.
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.
Week 31 of School - New Links and Descriptions
Video: Fast Fact Factory Early April (originally posted 4/12/23) - See how I use the number charts and fact charts I rely on to appropriately challenge each student in math, let them progress at their own pace, and move beyond grade level standards as needed.
Video: Writing About Eagles/Information Writing in April (originally posted on 4/13/22) - Know your students’ zones of proximal development and respect them. That is, teach them just slightly above their independent level. That is the sweet spot where the greatest learning happens. That is why it’s so important to know our students on individual bases.
Video: Decodable Texts and Continuous Texts in April (originally posted on 4/14/22) - Continuous Texts are certainly a huge driver in the ongoing improvement of my students’ ability to read longer and longer decodable texts. Also included is a good follow-up to the introduction of decodable passages with comprehension questions that I introduced to the students last week.
Video: Read and Draw in April (originally posted on 4/14/22) - Because the students get to draw, they are motivated to read and to read correctly. A quick glance at their papers lets me know if they are decoding and comprehending or if they need a little help from me.
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