No Worksheet Wednesday #2 and a FREEBIE!

Not only was today a BEAUTIFUL 65 degrees and sunny (this day last week we were getting about 7+ in. of snow) but I am linking up again with the Primary Chalkboard for No Worksheet Wednesday - Round Two!  

Click the picture below to head on over there and check out the other links and link up!

First off, we worked on vowel digraph long o; oa and ow.  I wanted a clever way to help the kids remember different words that are spelled with these patterns.  As with all new spelling patterns - EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE!  We spend so much time saying, "does it look right?!"  We did a little discussion then we did a write the room type activity to find the words.

  If you missed my similar activity for vowel digraph ee and ea you can go back by clicking here.  

If you want a FREE copy of these pages just click on the pictures below.

The cheers and "you're the best teacher ever"s are priceless when I announce that we will be writing on their desks.  Now if you have never done this I will give you some tips I have learned....it doesn't erase good (as if you couldn't tell by the picture) so a lot of writing, erasing, writing isn't good for this option... i.e. phonics.  I have found our math lessons seem to be easier to incorporate.

Anywho - today we were working on groups of 10s and 1s and identifying place value.  I had number cards in a bag and we picked a card then told how the number was created...basically what does each digit represent.  I was a stickler on word use.... 49 = 4 groups of ten and 9 ones etc.  Then I let the kids be the teacher!

I spent my first two years as a kindergarten teacher so now having over half of my class reading at a second grade reading level and very few kids struggling I had to make a decision.  Contemplating my precious small group time in kindergarten it was easy - THEY ALL NEED YOU!  So I made sure to see my groups multiple times a week and had been doing the same for these firsties until I realized I should have made a shift probably 2 months ago. Now, I am not saying the high readers have no room to grow but my few who are struggling need me more.  Literally they need more time to master these skills.  It was a hard decision to make but I have cut my three highest groups (F&P I and up) to only once a week.  That left my lowest group getting an extra 20 minutes!!  

First year firstie myself I had no idea what to do if I was only seeing the majority of my kids once a week?!  So each kid had a left over notebook I had been keeping for nothing the future.  I just picked a guided reading book from our book room and developed questions for each chapter.  The books that are not chapters I just divided up, like below.  The kids work with their group or maybe just one person from their group during daily five time.

I have learned that a composition notebook would be much better for this next year, especially for something that is being handled often!

I am hoping to get my act together and get pictures of all our Dr. Seuss fun so please check back soon if you are still looking around for National Reading Month ideas!