By now you have probably heard from your child about a new program we have been using in class called “Daily 5”. It is a program that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing, and working independently that will lead to a lifetime of literacy independence.
While the students are completing their literacy tasks, I meet with small groups and conference with individual students allowing me to differentiate instruction using appropriate tools that are fair, flexible, challenging, and engaging to students in a meaningful way. Differentiation is individually student centered. Students may vary in readiness levels.
One choice during Daily 5 is “Word Work”, where students work on spelling and vocabulary. I will be using a spelling program called “Words Their Way” which identifies each child’s spelling stage and tailors activities to each individual. Spelling tests will continue to be on Fridays, however not everyone will have the same words or same number of words. A spelling lesson will be given to your child every Monday, and your child will continue to print their words in their agenda. Classtime to work on their lesson will be provided. The lesson will be sent home on Thursday to complete if they did not finish it in class, as well it can be used as a study sheet. Students can practice at home online at SpellingCity.com. http://www.spellingcity.com/Find-A-Spelling-List.html Click on “Find a Teacher” and search for my name (Kim Mason) to find the word list to practice.
Your child will move up a level if they demonstrate a clear understanding of the spelling pattern on their Friday test. Depending upon the skill being practiced, some students will not be tested on the entire word, rather they may only be tested on the first 2 letters. This is because the words are tailored to fit the skill, for example, the lesson might be practicing the "tr" & "dr" blends, the student needs to recognize the blend that the word starts with, but will not have to know how to spell the entire word. This is not the norm for all lessons, only the ones practicing initial consonants, blends and digraphs, otherwise they are expected to know how to spell all the words. I hope this isn't too confusing, I will put a note in your child's agenda letting you know if they just need to know the first 2 letters or the whole word.
While the students are completing their literacy tasks, I meet with small groups and conference with individual students allowing me to differentiate instruction using appropriate tools that are fair, flexible, challenging, and engaging to students in a meaningful way. Differentiation is individually student centered. Students may vary in readiness levels.
One choice during Daily 5 is “Word Work”, where students work on spelling and vocabulary. I will be using a spelling program called “Words Their Way” which identifies each child’s spelling stage and tailors activities to each individual. Spelling tests will continue to be on Fridays, however not everyone will have the same words or same number of words. A spelling lesson will be given to your child every Monday, and your child will continue to print their words in their agenda. Classtime to work on their lesson will be provided. The lesson will be sent home on Thursday to complete if they did not finish it in class, as well it can be used as a study sheet. Students can practice at home online at SpellingCity.com. http://www.spellingcity.com/Find-A-Spelling-List.html Click on “Find a Teacher” and search for my name (Kim Mason) to find the word list to practice.
Your child will move up a level if they demonstrate a clear understanding of the spelling pattern on their Friday test. Depending upon the skill being practiced, some students will not be tested on the entire word, rather they may only be tested on the first 2 letters. This is because the words are tailored to fit the skill, for example, the lesson might be practicing the "tr" & "dr" blends, the student needs to recognize the blend that the word starts with, but will not have to know how to spell the entire word. This is not the norm for all lessons, only the ones practicing initial consonants, blends and digraphs, otherwise they are expected to know how to spell all the words. I hope this isn't too confusing, I will put a note in your child's agenda letting you know if they just need to know the first 2 letters or the whole word.
Thanks so much for your amazing support, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Kim Mason
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