Sep. 22, 2007 - Day Two
September 6, 2007
According to the Scope & Sequence in SWR, before students begin work in the WISE List, they are to complete Steps #1-11. I still have some work to do before we can start in WISE List N.
Lesson 2, Part 2 (S&S Steps 5 & part of 10)
We reviewed the 70 basic phonograms by reading the cards, including full spelling dialogue. The children were certainly rusty on some of these. In addition to reviewing the phonograms, we worked on staying together in a rhythm while I flashed the cards. We are working as a group, and training them how to work effectively in a group will be part of our lessons for these first days/weeks.
Side Note: Prior to School Starting
Because we are working at the "Advanced" level with SWR this year, I had to figure out how I was going to teach the Reference Pages with my children. As part of my school year preparations, I made some pages in my computer that had a left-hand vertical margin line and the correct number of horizontal lines to match their Logs. The pages also had either a faint line that ran vertically down the middle of the page (simulating a half-fold) or two faint lines that were 1/3 of the page apart (simulating the third-fold pages). I had enlarged copies made, traced the left-hand margin line with a red pencil to simulate the "pink" margin line in their Logs, and then laminated these charts so I can write on them with a Vis-a-Vis pen. This way I can clean them off and reuse them next year. These charts will be stored in an art portfolio I purchased at the local craft store. I am using a white board that is on a stand and has a clip at the top to hold charts. So far I have been able to keep up to 10 of these charts in the clip without a problem. This way I can flip between frequently used charts during lessons.
Pros to using these enlarged charts:
1. The kids can easily see what I'm writing from across the table. They're about 7-10' from the charts.
2. I can hold several of the charts on my board at a time, making them available when we need to quickly refer to one or another.
3. My charts look like their books, so the model/example is consistent.
4. The white board and charts stay in place during the week; yes, our dining room is also a school room, so we walk around the white board during the day/evening. Whatever we've been working on is displayed at any given time, so the children can be looking at it even while they're eating a meal. What better image to "zone out" on than a Reference Page!
5. The charts will be with us all year. Once we've done some work on a page, I can pull it out again when we add some words to it in the future, and my "page" will still look just like the kids'.
Cons to using these charts:
1. They were expensive to make. Enlarged copies at the copy center are expensive, although my copier gave me an excellent price since I was making 32 of them! Then the laminating added on top of that. If money is an option for you, don't try this at your home. I plan to use these for several years, so I'm calculating the cost divided by several years.
2. I should have checked into storage options BEFORE I enlarged them as I had to look at several stores before I could find a portfolio large enough for the charts. As it is, I still have to trim the pages to get them to fit into the portfolio. It'll work, but it's been a hassle.
3. As mentioned already, the white board is a permanent fixture in our common area now, so I need to be careful that the charts do not get damaged in the flow of traffic and the busyness of our family.
Suggestions if enlarged, laminated charts are not an option:
1. Use a white/chalk board for your teaching model and just be done with it when the lesson is over. This works! The kids can adjust very easily.
2. If you're teaching at either the "Beginning" level or the "Advanced" level for the first year, make copies of the Chart Masters published by Back Home Industries, laminate them, and use those. Put them on rings to make a flip chart, or just post them in your school area so the kids can look at them regularly.
Lesson 2, Part 2 (S&S Step 9)
We started the Consonant/Vowel page today, completing the line of consonants, reviewing the C & G rules, writing in all the sample words for the usual sounds of C & G, and the sample words for when C & G are in front of the E, I, and Y (the words which are in red in the Log, and which are in bold in SWR (pp 52 & 212). We also worked on a C & G rule worksheet I share with my students in my seminars.
Lesson 2, Part 3 (S&S Steps 4 & 31)
The children took another test in the McCall-Crabbs book.
This entire session took approximately 60 minutes. As mentioned before, we are working on learning to work together as a group. Today, I pulled out my token chips, and the children started working to earn chips for appropriate behaviors during our session. As they answered questions correctly, as they practiced saying the words out loud as they wrote them, as they worked cooperatively with one another, they earned chips. At the end of the session, they counted their chips, and we wrote their totals on our white board. Each day, they will add the new day's total to their accumulating total. My daughter will work on adding these for us, as that is a math skill she needs to practice.
Comments
Sep. 25, 2007 - Enlarging & Laminating the SWR Charts
Posted by mrsbmomof3
I just wanted to let others know that, at least in my area, Office Max offered teachers free laminating--no limit--on a certain day this year before school started. It might be helpful to check into your local office supply stores before going to laminate. It was certainly a blessing for us! :-)
