Schedule Spotlight Series - #4 PHONICS

Hello! We have linked up again with Kelli for her Schedule Spotlight Series. This linky is so great because it is helping me get new ideas on how to arrange my day better.  This week's topic is Phonics.

 

For the past years, I have always taught phonics sometime in the morning with the reading.  We have the Treasures Reading Program and I have adapted it a little to try and keep those little ones attention.  It takes me about 10-15 minutes to complete the phonics lesson. 

 

I have made up little characters (they are just printed off on paper).  For example, for the short o I use Mr. Olive the Ostrich.  This is just a picture of a Ostrich on it.  Before I introduce our visitor, I will give the students clues of what they like and what their favorite things are.  For example, I would tell them that this visitor likes to swim in a pond.  His favorite animal is a dog.  He sleeps on a cot.  He loves odd numbers.

 

After giving them several clues, the students try to guess the sound that our visitor makes.  After they guess, I introduce the visitor to them (even though it is just a piece a paper, they always seem to get so excited-like it is a real visitor LOL!).  We then discuss the different ways to spell the sound and I write it on the board. 

 

Once the visitor has been introduced and we have discussed all the ways to spell this sound.  I tell them that the visitor has brought his/her favorite song with them.  This song comes from the CD's Funky Phonics.  I tell them that they will hear a lot of our visitors favorite sound in the song.  We then listen one time to the song and then on the second time they can sing the song. 

 

 

During our transition times, I will often play the song again for them and by the end they are supposed to have followed all my directions.  This just helps them to learn the song better and practice the sound that we are working on for the week.

 

Later on in the mornings, we break up into reading pathways groups.  We are lucky because we have Title teachers that come and help us during this time.  It is a 30 minute period where we have groups of about 5-6 students and we do our pathways reading program.  Each title teacher takes a group as well as myself. 

 

The pathways program is a phonics program that uses more hands on materials and visuals to help the kids learn various phonics sounds.  It helps them to learn the rules for the sounds and also provides them with practice of sounding out and spelling words. 

 

Last year, we started doing Daily 5 and being the first year, I felt like I didn't spend as much time on our visitors as I have in the past.  The kids really like it and I plan to try and take the time to do more of it again this coming year. 

 

Make sure you head over to Castles and Crayons and link up so I can see what you are doing for phonics.  

 

 

http://castlesandcrayons.blogspot.com/2013/07/schedule-spotlight-series-4-phonics.html