Wonders Reading and oh oh SO many resources....

And the conversation goes...."We just got Wonders and there are sooo many resources!"  I have heard this from many teachers who have just adopted the Wonders Reading program.  I agree that there is far more than one week's worth of material available.  Each teacher really doesn't have a choice, but to choose the aspects that are most crucial and beneficial to the students.  It is best to examine all the resources and choose the ones you think best fit your students' needs, but having some backbone to start with is also nice.  Here I am to share with you how we use the resources from Wonders, how I pull in other activities, and how we find time to also assess.

Like many classrooms there just isn't enough hours in the day to perfectly devote enough time to each subject.  I teach at a religious school, so we also teach religion.  When we first adopted Wonders I taught with a 10 day plan. This gave me the opportunity to really see what resources I found most useful.

Spelling Morning Work: Students write their words in cursive and in print on index cards. I use the pretest page and write the words in cursive on the lines.  Then I make enough copies for each child to use as a reference while writing. The cards go home and are used as practice for the Friday test. This is the only spelling homework kids have. 

Vocabulary: We begin our weekly vocabulary routine with a cloze activity. These are so fun and allow for some deep conversations about context clues.  All my vocabulary activities can be found in my TPT store! Click the pictures below to take you there!

Reading: Our reading routine begins with the Reading/Writing workshop book.  The students and I work through the shared read for the week using the accompanying skills sheet from Math Tech Connections.  I LOVE LOVE these sheets because they introduce all the skills for the week in a quick, kid-friendly way.

     

Spelling Morning Work: Students complete the word sort page from the Wonders sequence. 

Vocabulary: The second day we complete student led definitions.  The students and I have an in depth discussion on what they think appropriate definitions would be.  The vocabulary chart and cloze sentences from Monday are front to back so it helps to reference back to the way the word was used in context of a sentence. If we do not agree on something, then we always reference the dictionaries. Here is an example of a completed chart at the end of the week. 

Reading: Tuesday we continue working with through the shared read as a class and completing the skills sheet. 

Spelling Morning Work: Students complete the word meaning page from the Wonders sequence.

Vocabulary: The third day we work to complete the synonyms/examples and/or antonyms/non-examples. 

Reading: Wednesday we begin working in what we call our "BIG" book.  This is the main selection for the week that comes from the Anthology Reading Wonders book.  It usually takes us two days to get completely through the story.  Wednesday we also fill out the graphic organizer as we read.  Every single week in the series there is a graphic organizer for the main selection. 

Spelling Morning Work: Students complete the word proofreading and paragraph page from the Wonders sequence.

Vocabulary: The fourth day we continue to complete the synonyms/examples and/or antonyms/non-examples. 

Reading: Thursday's reading plan includes finishing up a bit of the graphic organizer if it wasn't complete from Wednesday as well as the entire anthology story.  As a class, we then complete my text dependent questions.  You can access these by clicking the image below.  It will take you to my TPT store for purchase. For the first semester or so we do this together.  I model complete sentences and using the questions in the answers.  Usually in the spring students are independent enough to complete it independently and/or with a partner. We also have designated chromebook time in the afternoons on Thursdays where the students take the Accelerated Reading test over the main selection anthology story and then work on the Connect Ed website and play Wonders Reading games. 

Spelling Morning Work: Students complete a word search from The Teacher's Guide.  We also assess on Fridays.  We use plain sheets of loose lief paper.  The kids write their name, date, and the unit/week as the heading.  I taught them to fold the paper in half vertically (hotdog style) and trace the line, creating two columns.  They number 1 to 10 in the left column and 11 to 20 in the second column.   The students receive one point for each of the 20 spelling words on the front.  We then complete 5 blind dictation sentences on the back.  Each word is a point that is at least 2 letters long for first semester and then 4 letters long for second semester.  By adding the words correct from the front and the back gives the total score for spelling.  Capitals and punctuation is also given credit as a grammar score from the dictation sentences. 

 Of course before completing the spelling test we play SPARKLE.  Kids LOVE this game!  It is so simple and gives them one last chance to hear the word right before the test.  The kids stand in a large circle facing inward.  One student is given a word, he/she must say the first letter, next student says the second letter, and so on until the word has been spelled.  The NEXT student says sparkle and therefore the NEXT student is out.  This child who is out sits down and play continues around the circle.  This is a fast-paced game that allows all children a chance to win, not just the good spellers. 

Vocabulary: The final day of the week we do one last vocabulary practice with a crossword and then complete the weekly assessment that is included in the Wonders series.

Reading: Friday is traditionally assessment day, so we also complete the Weekly Assessment Test from the Wonders series.  These tests are made up of two cold reads with 10 questions each.  With some of my class being below grade level, as in all classrooms, we can not get through two reads.  I just copy one of the cold reads with the 10 questions and then just adjust the written response from the back to only include information from that one story.  

Sight Words and FREEBIES

We all know how essential sight words are when it comes to reading.  Early-emergent (A-C) and emergent (D-J) readers need a good bank of words that they know automatically - in a snap, to help their fluency, confidence, and comprehension.  When I taught Kindergarten I think there was less than 30 words that were supposed to be MASTERED by the end of the year.  However, I am a firm believer in EXPOSURE....you know that whole nature vs. nurture thing.  Kids at this age are like sponges and many of them are at a critical age where they can benefit greatly from building that bank of sight words.
There are some approaches that I think are appropriate for K-1 and some that are not.  Here is what I believe helps kids learn best.  
1. PLAY ~ when children are having fun, their window for learning is wide open and everyone is having a much better experience (teachers included here) 2. CHOICE ~ now I know not everything can be their choice, but if there is an opportunity to let them choose, do it (remember from child development: limit choices, make sure they are appropriate, and that any choice is an acceptable one) 3. LOGICAL ~ sight words should make sense, kids need to understand why these words are so important.  
Kindergarten is essential for number 3 and if they have been given the proper background, by first grade they get it.  They have already seen that sight words pop up EVERYWHERE.  This is usually completed by finding sight words in books/emergent readers, incorporating sight words into writing, and integrating literacy in as many academic areas and avenues as possible.   
This post I am going to share some ways, in first grade, I address numbers 1 and 2.  Many of these activities are done during work on words for daily five and small groups but can be used whole group.  We did more whole group sight word work in K, but in first there just isn't as much time.

<-----This is a bang or crash type game I got from TPT from Lessons for Little Learners that correlates to our Treasures reading series. Click the picture to take you there.

Above is the kids working with whiteboards and writing sight words

        ....this kid is an overachiever!

 SMALL GROUPS:

We play roll a word and just read the word or sometimes we write them too.  We also play sight word bingo or sometimes use the bingo board and instead play four in a row! 

Battleship is a fun game that can really be played in a variety of ways.  Each player (2) get the same board and their boards are private.  Each player has 4 pawns (we use linking cubes) to place on any four words.  After being placed they may not be moved.  Each player takes turns trying to guess THE OTHER PLAYERS WORDS (this is the part that gets the kids). If they guess correct they claim that pawn from their opponent.  The person who claims all their opponents pawns is the winner!
Click on the picture to go to my Facebook page and download an editable version of this game in the     FAN FREEBIE section!

Highlight a Sight Word is another fun one that be played in a variety of ways.  We use this at the beginning of the year to also discuss proper use of the highlighters.  These correlate to my basal - Treasures and is FREE in my TPT store - - - - >>>> click here or on the pictures to take you there.

WHOLE GROUP: 

We read the sight words as a class everyday if we can and sometimes we spell them or say them with sight word sticks.  We also play a variety of group games such as I have, Who has or Around the World. 

                

DAILY FIVE - WORK ON WORDS:

A lot of our sight word practice choice is completed during daily five work on words.  The students have so many choices here.  Check out MY CLASSROOM post to see some pictures of our shelf.  Below the kids are working with the aqua doodle and play dough!  We also have a magnet board and a chalkboard table where the kids can practice words as well.  We also work on spelling words here too!

           

We also have a  variety of "paper products" that are choices during daily five.  You can find a lot of these in my packet on TPT - - - - >>>> click here or on the pictures to take you there.

     

We also use a digital photo frame as a choice to practice sight words.  The kids just use the recording sheet and record as many words as they can! I have these products in my TPT - - - - >>>> click here or on the pictures to take you there.

If you made it this far....Thank-you for taking so much time to visit and hope you have something to take back to your classroom.

But before you go:  here is how I manage sight words in K and first.  

In Kindergarten we had about 3-5 words a week depending on the words for two weeks and then the third week was review with no words.  The kids had each word on an index card in a pencil bag and that was their homework each night.  At the end of the two weeks, during the third review week, I would assess the kids and they had a sight word sticker book where the could add a sticker if they mastered the word(s).  

In First I knew coming from Kindergarten and having a few of the same kids that some of them would fly through the words and some would need more time. So I took all the sight words for the entire year and broke them into sets.  I then looked through the Dolch words up to 3rd grade and crossed off any already covered by our basal and phonics and then added words starting with pre-primer. I ended up with 15 sets of 25 words = 375 words for the entire year.  I colored coded each set differently and the kids work through the sets at their own pace, one set at a time.  I have an aide who comes in to assess the kids once a week.  I also make a white copy to send home for them to practice and they keep the colored, page protected copy in their desk folder.  As they master the sets they get a popcorn kernel with that number and we keep them up in our room all year! I have over half of my 19 kids who have mastered all 15 sets already.