Links for Week 32 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 31st Week of School - I’ll repeat the links here just in case you didn’t see them last week.
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.
Week 32 of School - New Links and Descriptions
Video: Continuous Text in Small Group Instruction Mid-April (originally posted 4/20/23) - A quick video with some valuable commentary about the use of continuous text and reading folders and how to make them work best for you and your students.
Video: Fun End-of-the-Year Activities (originally posted 4/21/23) - May is a time of celebration after months of focused teaching and learning. It can also seem a little ho-hum without the continued concentrated effort and introduction of new skills. To spice things up, we do an annual alphabet countdown. Each of the last 26 days of school has a special activity (or activities) associated with one letter, starting with a and ending with z. These activities do not disrupt learning; in fact, students tend to work harder than they might otherwise to ensure their participation. The activities give the kindergartners--and the teachers--something to look forward to. The alphabet countdown video is full of kindergarten happiness!
Video: Improving CVC and WWR Fluency (originally posted 4/17/23) - New footage of how to move students along in improving their fluency.
What’s the Buzz - Sentence Writing (originally posted 4/20/22) - Some valuable back and forth dialogue with a new (at the time) subscriber about how to teach sentence writing.
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