Putting a star under the letters printed correctly has been a game changer for me!! Wow! I can’t believe that just adding that to my routine is the little incentive that they needed. Thank you!!!
Huge! They thrive on that immediate feedback. And not only is it the positive reinforcement/reward so much as it is a signal to them that, okay, you can let your focus on this letter (or this part of any learning) go and move on to thinking about the next part. Putting stars on parts of student work is so helpful to me, on my end, too, as it helps me see what is remaining and needing feedback. It helps me focus. In October every year we move from drawing/writing together every day to writing “independently.” As writing time draws to a close, I go around the room and put a star on each child’s work if I see they’ve worked up to their potential and tried to do what I asked of them that day. Then I can say, “Who doesn’t have a star yet?” and focus in on the few remaining. Do they need to stay in for a few minutes of recess and work harder? Did they not understand when I talked to them about (for example) spaces between words and need more help? They learn quickly that they really do need to stay on task and try their best to get that star. Giving the stars makes sure that I get closure with all students every day during writing.
Any tips for getting students to say the cues aloud? My inclusion class is a little over 50% speech, and they just don’t sing songs or talk/answer questions!
Interesting! I've known a few kindergarten students with speech concerns who are hesitant to talk and sing but not many. :)
For this particular lesson you could just say that they HAVE to say it while drawing it in the air before they get to try it on paper. During whole group writing, when I model, I say, "Listen to my mouth when I write this letter," Then I say, "Now you say the words and write the letter." It's just expected because it's part of the lesson. There have been a couple kids who either don't want to say the cues or don't think they need them. If they don't try it, even after me saying they have to, I tell them, "You can say the words now or you can stay in at recess and practice saying them then." But most should do it because it's fun and empowering!
Putting a star under the letters printed correctly has been a game changer for me!! Wow! I can’t believe that just adding that to my routine is the little incentive that they needed. Thank you!!!
Huge! They thrive on that immediate feedback. And not only is it the positive reinforcement/reward so much as it is a signal to them that, okay, you can let your focus on this letter (or this part of any learning) go and move on to thinking about the next part. Putting stars on parts of student work is so helpful to me, on my end, too, as it helps me see what is remaining and needing feedback. It helps me focus. In October every year we move from drawing/writing together every day to writing “independently.” As writing time draws to a close, I go around the room and put a star on each child’s work if I see they’ve worked up to their potential and tried to do what I asked of them that day. Then I can say, “Who doesn’t have a star yet?” and focus in on the few remaining. Do they need to stay in for a few minutes of recess and work harder? Did they not understand when I talked to them about (for example) spaces between words and need more help? They learn quickly that they really do need to stay on task and try their best to get that star. Giving the stars makes sure that I get closure with all students every day during writing.
Any tips for getting students to say the cues aloud? My inclusion class is a little over 50% speech, and they just don’t sing songs or talk/answer questions!
Interesting! I've known a few kindergarten students with speech concerns who are hesitant to talk and sing but not many. :)
For this particular lesson you could just say that they HAVE to say it while drawing it in the air before they get to try it on paper. During whole group writing, when I model, I say, "Listen to my mouth when I write this letter," Then I say, "Now you say the words and write the letter." It's just expected because it's part of the lesson. There have been a couple kids who either don't want to say the cues or don't think they need them. If they don't try it, even after me saying they have to, I tell them, "You can say the words now or you can stay in at recess and practice saying them then." But most should do it because it's fun and empowering!
Thanks!