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Friday Freebie – Reading Logs
Happy Friday! Many of you are in full back to school mode, so I wanted to share a great idea for keeping track of all if the books little ones read. I am all about encouraging readers, I created this reading log last year, when the children I was working with were participating in our local library's summer reading program. Don't get me wrong, I love any program that promotes reading, but keeping track of all of the books they read was not fun. This log is one that even preschoolers can complete independently - they just color in one of the pictures each time they finish a book.August is…
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Encouraging Preschoolers to Read Aloud
One of my favorite things to do with preschoolers is to have them read to me, and by read I mean look at the illustrations in a book and make up the story to go with them. It's fun to see which part of the story they remember, and what kinds of things they come up with to fill in the gaps. I also love to see how they interpret the illustrations. I've noticed that toddlers and young preschoolers are happy to read to me, but as those same children get older, they become more reluctant. They understand that the words have meaning, and they know that they can't read those…
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Tips for reading wordless books
Some of my favorite books to read have no words, on the other hand, some of my least favorite books to read have no words. The illustrations in a wordless book make all of the difference, and my personal comfort level with the book helps too. If I know that I’m going to read a book with no words to the class, there are a couple of things that I like to do to prepare; Flip through the book and familiarize myself with it. I pay attention to the sequence of events, the characters, and the ending. This way, I will be able to use my verbal and nonverbal communication…
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Dealing with difficult behaviors during read alouds
Preschoolers are smart! They know that when you are sitting in front of the group reading a story, you are less likely to stop what you’re doing to address their ridiculous behavior. Every group usually has at least one who will take advantage of this, and that can make any teacher dread read alouds. I’ve been there. You desperately want to ignore the behavior, you try, but it gets worse and then the other children are beginning to notice, and all of a sudden no one is paying attention to the story anymore. So I thought I’d share some behavior management ideas that have worked for me, hopefully these will…
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Read Alouds that keep them interested
I have always loved to read stories to children, I can capture their attention and keep it for twenty minutes or more just by using a few very easy strategies. These strategies have nothing to do with cute props, or even the story itself, they are all about how I read the book. Know the story – I don’t just mean “oh yeah, I’ve read that book before” it is so helpful to know the story inside and out. You want to know what is on the next page before you turn to it. It’s also helpful to be familiar with the rhythm of the story, this will carry the…
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August Currently!
It’s August, can you believe it – I’m still in denial – but it’s here, so I’m linking up with Farley over at Oh Boy 4th Grade to let you in on what I’m up to. Listening: I’m desperately trying to finish my laundry so I can pack for our week at the Fair, my house is completely silent so that I can hear the alarm the minute it goes off. Loving: My new job has me doing a lot of driving and I have been loving driving around in the sunshine with the windows down, it finally feels like summer (now that it’s almost over). Thinking: This is my favorite…
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Friday Freebie – Positive Behaviors
I have found the cutest freebie ever! I can’t even wait to share these with you – these are Beehavior Beads (they all have a bee theme). The idea is that you print a bunch of them, laminate them, and punch a hole in the corner of each one, then each child gets a necklace (a ribbon, lanyard, or piece of yarn) and they can collect them as you catch them “bee-ing” helpful. Such a great idea! Go download your set from Double Trouble.
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My lesson plans for the first week of preschool
I’m not in the classroom every day anymore, and one of the things that I miss the most is lesson planning (I know, I’m kind of a nerd), so I thought I’d put together some plans anyway and share them with you! I try to keep things simple for the first week, instead of planned activities we spend a lot of time exploring classroom centers, and I might pull one or two items from each center for the children to explore at the table. I also incorporate classroom routines into activities so that I can give the children more opportunities to practice these throughout the day. Here is my lesson…
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Preschool Activities that Promote Fluency
It’s Wednesday, and here at Preschool Ponderings, that means time to focus on the standards. Every Wednesday I choose an Early Learning Standard and share a number of activities that can be aligned with that particular standard. Remember, the Standards that I use every day, and am most comfortable with are Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards – you can review them here, however I’ve found that even if your State’s standards differ, many of these activities can still be aligned similarly. I’ve rounded up some great ideas today! Domain: Language and LiteracyStrand: ReadingTopic: FluencyIn preschool, fluency means that children use intonation and phrasing when they participate in shared reading, chants, rhymes,…
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First Day of Preschool Freebie
The first days of school can be a little difficult for everyone. Children are nervous, parents want your attention, and you desperately want to start your routines off right. I’m hoping I’ve got something that will make you end that first day just a little less exhausted! I put together a freebie to help make the first day run a little more smoothly. It is designed so that parents can complete the simple activities with their child, giving them something to do while they wait for an opportunity to talk to you one-on-one. The freebie includes: A sign and keepsake photo mat. Parents can take a photo of their child…
