WORD OWNERSHIP

Did you know that 3 words make up 10% of what we read? (I, and, the)

Did you know that 13 words make up 25% of what we read?

Did you know that 100 words make up 50% of what we read?

It just makes sense that if children memorize these words, then reading fluency and comprehension will be strengthened. Many of the high frequency words do not follow phonetic patterns and they cannot be sounded out. Additionally, these words tend to be abstract and have no visual connection. Children simply need to recognize them by sight. In fact, in the “olden days” we referred to these words as “sight words.” Now they are commonly called high frequency words or word wall words.

Memorization of these words will be enhanced with repetition. I’ve heard it takes the average child 25-36 exposures/experiences with a word before it is saved in their brains. Rather than drill and kill, I’ve got some games, songs and activities to make learning these words a little more fun. I’ll be focusing on sight words, but these same strategies can be adapted for letters, shapes, numerals, vocabulary words, and so forth.

Note! In addition to teaching words in isolation, use these games with phrase cards. Phrase cards are groups of words that come up frequently when children read. If they are learned as a “chunk” they will improve fluency when children read.

Lifetime Words
Refer to high frequency words as “lifetime words.” Explain that if you put these words in your brain, you will be able to read with them the rest of your life!

Treasure Boxes
Make “treasure boxes” (Altoids tins) where children can save the words as they learn them.

Word Rings
Give each child a book ring. When she learns a word (or requests to learn a word), write it on an index card, punch a hole, and let her attach to the ring.



Word Study Booklet
Go to theschoolbell.com (practice booklets) and download directions to make this tool. Each child will need a pocket folder and can progress at her own rate as she masters lists of words.

Note! The word lists on this site are appropriate for first or second grade. I would make my own list for kindergarten students with 8-10 words on each list.

Word Wall Office
Make a personal office with high frequency words for each child. Tape two file folders together and staple copies of your class word wall inside. I suggest stapling so you can change the sheets as the word wall expands throughout the year. Children can set these up on their desks when they write to make a study carrel.

Here's a great (FREE) website called sightwords.com where you can get materials and activities for helping children learn sight words in a meaningful way. I'm sure you'll find useful information for your classroom, but it might also be a great resource for your parents.

WOULD YOU LIKE A CUP OF LETTERS?

How about adding these plastic cups to your phonics center?  

Materials:  plastic cups, permanent markers, letter stickers, E6000 glue

Note!  The good thing about using the bathroom size cups is that you can stack them and store them in Pringles cans.

 

Alphabet Cups
Write letters on the sides of the cups. Children can put these in alphabetical order or make words with the cups.
(I put the uppercase letter on one side and the lowercase letter on the side.)

                       

*Trace around the bottom of a cup and write uppercase letters in the circles. Have children match cups with lowercase letters.

                                            

*Glue pictures to cups and use them to match beginning sounds, ending sounds, vowels, etc.

                                                              

*Put letters together to make spelling words and word wall words. As a follow-up ask children to write the words.
                                                                               

*Write words on cups. Children can arrange them to make simple sentences.

                 

*Write word families on cups. Children can read the words as they stack the rimes.

*Glue pictures of opposites or write synonyms on cups to make a matching game.

                                            

PHONICS CENTER

Children can practice "building" words with some of these simple materials. These activities can be adapted for sight words, vocabulary words, or spelling words.

Alphabet Soup
Place magnetic letters in a bowl. Give children a large soup spoon to
scoop out some letters. Can they make a word with the letters? Have
them write the words that they make.

Letter Tin
Place magnetic letters inside a cookie tin. On the inside cover make three lines with a permanent marker. Have the children take out the letters and place them around the lid. Give children a list of CVC words to make and read.

Unifix Cubes
Place dot stickers on unifix cubes. Write letters on the dots. Children can use these for constructing words.

*Let children play this game with a friend. One child builds a word and the other friend must then read it.
                                   


Alphabet Beads
Give children alphabet beads and pipe cleaners so they can string on names, words, and so forth.



Clothespin Words
Write words on jumbo craft sticks. Write letters on spring clothespins. Children attach letters to the craft stick to make words.

Duplo Letters and Words
Here is a photo a teacher sent demonstrating how she integrates blocks with phonics and sight words. She said she asked the parents to donate the Duplo blocks and the children thought they were "playing" instead of "learning."

YOU'RE INVITED TO A SUPER BOWL PARTY

Another big event coming up soon is the Super Bowl. You can turn the football game into a LEARNING game with these activities.

Survey Says
Let children do surveys (classroom, at home, etc.) to find out which team others think will win the Super Bowl.

Vocabulary
“Offensive,” “Defensive,” “Penalty,” “Referee,” “Substitution,” “Huddle” …How many football terms can you think of that might be meaningful to learn?

Math
Let children choose their favorite player’s number and write it on a paper jersey. How many facts can they think of that equal that number.

Starting Line Up
At the beginning of the day let children make two lines facing each other. Introduce one child at a time and let them run through the two lines as their friends give them high five and cheer.

Good Job
At the end of the day make a huddle and say, “Good job, team!”

Math
How many players on each team? How many players in all?
How long is a football field?
How many points for a touchdown? Field goal? Safety?
How long is a quarter? How long is the entire game?
How many yards in a first down?

Estimation
Let children estimate what they think the total score will be. After the game determine who guessed more – less - the closest?

Art
Put out the scrap box and let children make pennants, hats, pompoms, and other paraphernalia.

Football Practice Game
Cut footballs out on the fold similar to the one shown. Write math facts on the front and the answer inside.
*These can be used for phonics, numerical order, question and answers, etc.

Training
Brainstorm what players have to do to get ready for the game. Emphasize the importance of good nutrition, exercise, and studying the playbook. These are all things that are important to good students as well!!!

Circuit Training
Here’s a super way to get some exercise when the weather is bad. Write exercises similar to the ones below on construction paper and tape them around the room. Divide children into groups of 2 or 3 and have them start at a station. Put on some music with a good beat. Time the children for one minute at each station and then say, “Switch!” Groups rotate in a circle around the room until they have completed each station.
*tire run (feet apart and arms out as you run in place)
*throw and catch (pretend to throw overhead and then catch a football)
*scissor jump (jump crossing legs right and then left)
*balance (stand on one leg)
*passing run (run in place as fast as you can)
*jump and catch (jump up in the air as you pretend to catch the ball)
*toe touch (touch toes and then hands in the air)
*squats (arms out front as you bend legs up and down)
*jumping jacks (jump out with arms up and then jump in with arms down)
*jump rope (pretend to jump rope in place)
*silent cheer leaders (jump and cheer without making any noise)

NFL
What does "NFL" stand for? Download a copy of the team logos (Mr. Google will help you) and make a visual matching game or memory game.

TEAM USA

Don’t you just LOVE the Olympics! The Olympics will be held February 4-20th, so let's join in the fun!

Kinder Olympics
We created "Kinder Olympics" in our classroom by setting up different stations where the children could mimic different events.

Figure Skating 

Give each child two paper plates and demonstrate how to put them on the floor and slide your feet. Can they skate backwards? Can they balance on one foot?

Ski and Count

Swing your arms from side to side as if skiing while you count by ones, fives, tens, etc.

Snowball Shoot 

Write sight words, math facts, sentences, letters, or other skills you want to practice on scrap pieces of paper. Wad them up like snowballs. Children open the snowball, identify the information, and then they get to throw it in a box several feet away.

Speed Skate Spell - Extend arms as you say the letters in a word. Raise arms at the end as if winning as you say the word.

You can probably think of some other great movement ideas where children have fun as they learn.

The highlight of our Kinder Olympics was the medal ceremony. The children got to make their own medals by wrapping aluminum foil around a circle, and we made a torch from a TP roll stuffed with red and yellow tissue paper. We played some patriotic music and passed the torch around. Then we invited each child to stand on a stool and seriously said, "This medal is presented to child's name for participating in the Kinder Olympics."

Note! This is a great time to talk about the characteristics of an Olympic athlete. Encourage the children to discuss what it takes to be an athlete - how they have to train, eat healthy, support their teammates, and have a positive attitude.


I found some other great ideas for celebrating the Olympics with kids on these websites:

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/firststeps/olympics.htm

www.activityvillage.co.uk/holding-your-own-olympic-games

http://www.preschool-plan-it.com/preschool-olympics-theme.html

http://www.dltk-kids.com/searchresults.html?q=winter%20olympics

https://www.teamusa.org/Beijing-Olympics-2022

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABE!

Who doesn't love Abraham Lincoln? His birthday is February 12 so here are some ideas to remember this famous man.

Abraham Lincoln
(Tune: “Pop Goes the Weasel”)
Abraham Lincoln, past President, (Point to a picture of Lincoln.)
Loved and honored by many.
To help us remember this famous man,
We put his face on a penny.

Hold a penny in your hand (Hold up a penny.)
And his face you’ll see.
He always tried to tell the truth.
He’s Honest Abe to me.

*Talk about what it means to be honest. Why did they call him Honest Abe?

You can download this book on my website.


Put Your Face on a Penny
Give children a sheet of paper cut in a circle. Draw what you would you look like if your face were on a coin?




Log Cabin Snack

This is an "engineering" activity that's good enough to eat! Give children pretzel twist sticks and a spoonful of peanut butter or cream cheese. Children try to build a log cabin by stacking the pretzels with the peanut butter.

Penny Inspection
Let children look at pennies with a magnifying glass.

Rubbings
Make rubbings of pennies.

Penny, Penny
Three children leave the classroom. The other children cup their hands as if holding a penny. The teacher hides the penny in one child’s hand. When the three children return to the room, they walk around the room and open their friends’ hands. The first one to find the penny gets to choose 3 new friends to leave the room and she gets to hide the penny.

Time Line
Give children a sentence strip. At the left write the year they were born. Write each additional year up until the present. Children take the time line home and try to find a penny with each year’s date.

Hint! Explain that’s it’s O.K. if they don’t find all of them.
 

Did you know? If you look closely at pennies minted from 1959 to 2008 you can see Lincoln's statue in the Memorial.

In 2009 they introduced four new designs celebrating the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth year.

Birth in Kentucky Formative Years in Indiana




Professional Life in Illinois Presidency in DC


In 2010 the shield design was coined.

SOMEBUNNY'S GHOUL FRIEND

Well, it’s not quite Valentine’s Day yet, but here are some jokes and riddles just perfect to share with your class next month. Wouldn't it be fun to put one of these on the board each day and read over it during morning meeting?

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Sherwood
Sherwood who?
Sherwood like to be your Valentine!

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Pooch
Pooch who?
Pooch your arms around me!

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Emma
Emma who?
Emma hoping you have a happy Valentine’s Day!

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Olive
Olive who?
Olive you!

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Atlas
Atlas who?
Atlas, it's Valentine’s Day!

What do you call a very small valentine?
A valentiny!

What do you call two birds in love?
Tweethearts!
                

What did one pickle say to the other?
"You mean a great dill to me."

What did the elephant say to his girlfriend?
"I love you a ton!"
                                  

What do farmers give their wives on Valentine's Day?
Hogs and kisses!

What did the pencil say to the paper?
"I dot my i's on you!"

What is a vampire's sweetheart called?
His ghoul-friend.

What did the boy cat say to the girl cat on Valentine's Day?
You're purrr-fect for me!

What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus?
Can I hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand?
              

What did the boy owl say to the girl owl on Valentine's Day?
Owl be yours!

What did the girl squirrel say to the boy squirrel on Valentine’s Day?
I’m nuts about you!

What did the drum say to the other drum on Valentine’s Day?
My heart beats for you!

What did the boy bee say to the girl bee on Valentine’s Day?
You are bee-utiful!
                                             
What did the whale say to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day?
Whale you be mine!

What did the boy bear say to the girl bear on Valentine’s Day?
I love you beary much!

                  

What did the rabbit say to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day?
Somebunny loves you!

AND THAT SOMEBUNNY IS ME!!!

King Kong
(This was always one of my favorite finger plays. The more dramatic you are, the better the kids will like it and get engaged! Say “King Kong” in a loud deep voice & “teeny tiny monkey” in a squeaky little voice.)
KING KONG (Flex arms.)
Was just a teeny tiny monkey (Hold up pinky.)
Compared to my love for you. (Cross arms over chest and then extend.)
KING KONG (Flex arms.)
Was just a teeny tiny monkey (Hold up pinky.)
Compared to my love for you. (Cross arms over chest and then extend.)
I love you day (Make circle with arms.)
And night. (Lay head on hands.)
My love is out of sight. (Hands in air.)
KING KONG (Flex arms.)
Was just a teeny
Tiny monkey (Hold up pinky.)
Compared to my love for you! (Softly say this line as you point to children.)