What have the Zakar's been up to?.....

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at Beal School.  I cannot believe that it is already mid October.  Let me tell you about a few things we have been up to.  Daily 5 is off and running and the kids are really starting to understand how to choose books that are just right for them.  We have learned the IPICK song (ask your child to sing it to you), which helps us remember how to choose a just right book.  I- I choose my books?, P- Purpose: Why am I reading this book?, I- Interest: Do I enjoy the book I am reading?, C- Comprehend: Do I understand what I am reading?, and K- Know: Do I know most of the words?  The kids really enjoy this song and I will post a video of them singing it soon, so stay tuned!

Last week I decided that it was time to revamp my library.  I wanted all my books out and have them sorted by genre.  I have been teaching for 7 years, so you can imagine the amount of books I have.  This was a big job, so one afternoon, we decided to do the Great Book Sort.  I had all the kids help me sort our books so it would be easier to find books we are interested in.  I also added a brand new shelf to allow more books to be displayed.  Here are some pics of the process and the final product!

 All my literacy assessments are done and I am off and running with the Cafe.  This is what I base my mini-lessons on and how I keep record of my students progress.  My goal is to see 2-3 guided reading groups a day and to have 4-5 one-to-one reading conferences a day.  We will see how that works out.  Here are the strategies that I have already taught.  They are already constantly using these strategies while they are reading!  Soon they will have a tool belt of strategies to help them become better readers. 

Here is my new interactive Daily 5 Check in board.  They just drag their picture to their choice and if all the spaces are taken, they will know they have to make a new choice!  This is working extremely well and we talk a lot about making sure they get to every daily 5 choice by the end of the week!

Doesn't it look fantastic?  I love it and so do the kids.

For fun Friday last week, Miss Goulet read us the story "Fletcher and the Falling Leaves"  We used many strategies during this story.  We made mental images to better understand the story. We stopped in the middle of reading and checked for understanding.  We made predictions and made connections.  After the story we used the mental images we made about the fall trees and the winter trees to make beautiful pictures.  Take a look at some of their wonderful work.

That's all for now. Have a great week!