Well Jan Richardson did it again (along with Michele Dufresne, this time)! Jan's guided reading books really helped me to tighten and strengthen my small group instruction. And her new book "The Next Step Forward in Word Study and Phonics" is already helping me to plan for my phonics instruction this year!
One section addresses children reading at a pre-A stage. Yes, please!! I jumped right to this and got started. To begin with, students need to be able to recognize their name. This is where I started with a couple of my readers. Two different colored sentence strips were used. One had the child's name printed on it. The second strip had the child's name printed on it but then I cut out each letter. My student worked to match the letters in her name by placing the cut up letters on top of the first sentence strip.
Once this task could be completed without prompting, I provided letter tiles and asked her to build the name. For many of the sessions, the original sentence strip was used to help with the building process. But after time, she could build the name independently.
A Little Opinion from Maria:
This book is jam packed with ideas and lessons for readers at all levels. I liked how this book is set up. It's easy to read and if I ever (hopefully never, though) had to teach reading again, this book would be right by my side, every step of the way.
One thing that stands out to me in this book are the ideas on how to weave word study into your guided reading lessons. While I'm not teaching those types of lessons, my brain started mulling over how I could use these ideas in my writing classroom. For spelling practice/phonics work, I would love to add in the magnetic letters on a tray. This kind of activity really scares me, but I know it would be beneficial to my firsties. Another activity I'd like to try is sorting. I've noticed, especially in the past few days, that our firsties have trouble sorting. It's challenging for them to come up with grouping ideas and actually sorting. We are also in need of learning how to work in groups, but it's okay, we've got time and sorting our words is the perfect way to practice.
In this book, you will also find a list of word study focus and activities by level! WOW!
Another thing I loved about this book is the video links. SUPER HELPFUL for teachers young and old. :) You will also have access to downloads and resources on the Scholastic Website, BONUS! Anytime I can get my hands on a book that provides this much support, I'm in!
One final gem in this book are the Lesson Plans. You will find lessons plans that are specific and all laid out for you with ideas that follow. These easy to read plans will help you feel confident in your small group instruction.
Does this book sound like a perfect fit for you? For your team? Someone you know? We'd love to put a copy in your hands! Enter for your chance to win this AWESOME resource below!
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I would love to have a resource to help me with teaching phonics in a more concrete way. This would be fabulous and appreciated!
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