Friday, August 1, 2014

Back to School Firstie Friends Giveaway!!

Hello friends! Are you ready for a HUGE giveaway? I have gathered together with some AMAZING teacher bloggers and we have put together a fantastic set of prizes for you. We have 42 bloggers participating, so we are giving away a prize pack of 14 products each to 3 winners! :) You can enter on the Firstie Friends Facebook Page, and you can earn a LOT of entries. Go to the tabs under the header picture and click the tab that says "Giveaway". The giveaway will end on Sunday, August 4th at 8pm CST. At the bottom of this post you will also find links to ALL of my Firstie Friends' stores! :)


 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Thank you so much for reading! Good luck in the giveaway!

On a side note friends, I am finally recovering from my move although I still have a few boxes to unpack.  Phonic Friday will return next Friday and look for a special back to school freebie from me next week.  Best of luck winning a great prize pack!!!

 

Friday, July 11, 2014

PHONICS FRIDAY: It's Video Time Friends!


I can't believe that it is Friday already!!  Summer is just whizzing by.  Next Friday my husband and I are officially moving to the Chicago burbs.  It is going to be a little bit of a culture shock because I am a small town Ohio girl but it should be an adventure.  So next week Phonics Friday will be taking a little vacation:) but it should return the last Friday in July.

Today's focus is PHONICS VIDEOS!!  One of the best ways to reinforce phonics concepts is using catchy tunes.  Here are five of my top favorites.  I like to use them in Smartboard activities but they can be used in a variety of ways.















 
 
 
 
 
 
Until next time friends!! 

Friday, July 4, 2014

Phonics Friday: Letter & Sound Sorts




Happy 4th of July friends!!!
Today's post will focus on:
Letter and Sound Sorts



Why sort use letter and sound sorts?

Initial sound sorting is the very first step of phonemic awareness.  It's goal is to help students learn phoneme isolation, identification, and categorization. Students are taught to state whole words and then isolate the beginning consonant sound and then match it to other words that have a matching sound.



What are the first steps? 
Model, Model, Model for the students.
Demonstrate how to state a word and isolate the beginning sound.
(especially the at risk kiddos)

 

Then have the students practice sorting with their own cards or objects. Below are some cool examples on using objects for beginning sound sorts.




The next step is independent practice and assessment. 
Students need to be able to isolate the beginning sound without support.  This can be assessed in a variety of ways.  

Here are a few examples:

The I Spy sheets were created by Deanna Jump.  She has a few sheets available for free from her Alphapalooza pack.  

Click the picture to download.
  
This is a Facebook freebie from Creating and Teaching.  I love that  laminate and velcro can be used to make this great resource reusable.
Click the picture to download.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creating-and-Teaching/168308569909674



What do you do if a student is just not getting it?
The Florida Center of Reading Research has wonderful materials to use as intervention tools for at risk students.  They have a large variety of activities available for FREE.  Click here for materials that target beginning sounds.


Last week I promised you a little freebie.  So here it is friends:)   A sort for sounds /m/ and /n/.  This is the middle version of my latest differentiating alphabet sort packs.  

This sort can be used to assess whether a student can independently differentiate the sounds m & n.  Click the picture below to download your goodie.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v3sxssofdukrh67/mnsortfreebie.pdf



Also snag my differentiated BTF sorts for 50% off this weekend.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Differentiated-Letter-Sorts-B-T-F-1302763

That's all for today folks!!  I hope your fourth is full of food, fireworks and family!!  If you have posts you would like to see in the coming weeks please leave a comment below.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Phonics Friday: Anchor Charts


This weeks edition is going to focus on anchor charts that support phonics instruction.  If you have followed me for a while then you know I am big on using multisensory techniques when teaching.  I wholeheartedly believe that visuals increase student understanding and connection to material.  It is also beneficial to post the chart somewhere in the classroom so that kids can refer to it as needed.


This chart is not only adorable but practical.  Visually showing the kids that CVC words contain a consonant vowel consonant will aid in the decoding process and lays the foundation for the introduction of closed syllables.  (The only change I might do is make the vowel stand out by writing it in a different color than the consonants.)




One concept that can be tricky for kids to learn is when to use the letters K and C when spelling.  I thought this chart was a great visual reminder for students.



FLIP THE SOUND is one strategy that students can use when stuck on a word.  I love all the different ways this chart shows flipping the sound.  The title is flipped, the vowels in the pan are flipped, and then there are words that have examples of long and short vowels.



Syllable division can be tricky for students.  This chart clearly shows students syllable division rules.  I love that the vowels were marked with a "v".



Last but not least!  A little freebie that I discovered on Pinterest during my anchor chart search.  These are portable long vowel anchor charts that students can use anywhere!!  I know!! Awesome...right?? Click the picture to snag your copy.


That is all for this week folks!!  I hope you enjoyed this weeks Phonics Friday!!  Leave me a comment below and share how you use anchor charts to teach phonics.  I would love to know!!

Stay tuned for next week....the focus will be letter and sound sorts.  I hope to have a little freebie finished up for ya!