Math RTI Resources: Do They Add Up?

Math seems to be the new focus of many RTI programs. Previously, there weren't many resources available. Tennessee has several resources listed on their RTI website. Head on over to http://www.tnspdg.com/math/.   what have you found to be helpful? Are you finding the resources you need to help students?

Generating Rhymes: Developing Phonemic Awareness from www.readwritethink.org

A great website to use as a resource is www.readwritethink.org.  I was looking for some information on activities for phonemic awareness in the classroom today and came across the following lesson plan: Generating Rhymes: Developing Phonemic Awareness.  The best part is that this lesson plan is free!

The overview says: "Learning to recognize rhyming patterns in language is an essential skill for emergent readers. As students manipulate words and sounds to create simple rhymes, they become aware of word and letter patterns that will help them develop decoding skills. In this lesson, students become familiar with 12 rhyming pairs of one-syllable words as they create rhyming lyrics to known songs ("Down by the Bay"), give rhyming words for a given keyword in a poem, and interact with their peers to find rhyming pairs of word cards. Students then demonstrate their knowledge through an individual assessment exercise."

Rhyming words are a great way to help children with phonemic awareness.  Many children who struggle in this area will respond to music or song.  Head over to http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/generating-rhymes-developing-phonemic-121.html and check out the lesson plan!

Fall Fluency for RTI

Looking for some fall-themed fluency activities for RTI?  Head on over to http://arlenesandberg.blogspot.com/2014/09/building-fluency-with-fall-fluency.html.  They have a free pack of fall-themed fluency activities for you to try with students.  I loved them so much that I bought the entire pack of activities.  It was only $4!!!

Tier 1 RTI reading interventions

I was looking around the internet and came across this website:  http://www.pavilioncsd.org/webpages/mnoble/index.cfm.  It has TONS of reading interventions for Tier 1 reading support.  All of the files are free to download.  Take a look and let me know what you think!

Free Halloween Brain Breaks!

I'm a big believer in using brain breaks with students.  Sometimes they get stuck and can't move on, sometimes they have the wiggles and can't focus on learning until we move.  There are all kinds of reasons to use them.  I found these FREE Halloween brain breaks over on Facebook.  

 So go on over to http://www.secondstorywindow.net/home/2014/10/brain-breaks-for-halloween-freebie.html and get your free copy!  Do you have a favorite brain break that you use with your class?  

Share in the comments!

Looking for some grammar help? Head over to ChompChomp!

My oldest child has long had difficulty naming parts of speech.  He just finds that type of work boring.  Well now I have found a great website that offers videos, downloads, games and more!  Theses free resources all revolve around the topic of grammar.  So head on over to ChompChomp and give it a try. Just click on the link at the bottom of the page and then dive into all of the resources available. :)

Fractions, Fractions, Who can add or subtract fractions?

My 4th grader is drowning in the world of fractions lately.  Denominators, reduce to the lowest form; he doesn't know which way to turn.  I spent some time looking on Teachers Notebook and found this great FREE resource!  Click on the link and it will take you to a free set of items to help students practice adding and subtracting fractions.  If you aren't a member (have to in order to download!) then it is easy to sign up.  It is free to register for the site.  You can even search the site for just free items.  I've been looking for two days and still haven't gotten through it all.  So head on over and download your free Adding and Subtracting Fractions item and let me know what you think about it.

Free printables!

It's summer time!!  School is out and the heat is spreading everywhere.  To celebrate, today's note is about a great website that has some free printables that you can download for personal use.  Just head on over to a blog named "Anything But Perfect" and download some fun!  Do you know of any great free printables?

A great Reading and Math resource!

I love collecting new resources for teachers.  I mean I really LOVE finding them!  You might say I am obsessed with collecting things I can share with teachers.  I visited a new site today and could not wait to get to this post and reccommend it to everyonoe!  Go on over to http://www.readtennessee.org/.  It is a fantstic resource of reading, math, and social/emotional resources for early grades.  The Common Core Standards are also available on this site.  There are lots of things for parents and educators to look at and a great section on community resources.  So take a look and let me know what you think. :)

Digital Learning

Someone forwarded me some fantastic information about a Digital Learning Day.  If you visit http://www.digitallearningday.org/ you can learn all about it.  The website also offers toolkits for free to download and many wonderful websites as resources.  February 1st is Digital Learning Day; are you going to participate?

Fun free printable activities with Post-it!

I found a fun site in one of my teaching magazines run by the Post-it company.  It is a great place to find free printables for parents and teachers.  Just head on over to http://www.post-it.com/teachers.  Have some fun!

Reading Rockets: Helping Struggling Readers

Reading Rockets is a fantastic resource for parents and teachers for the area of reading. Below is an article I found under struggling readers. Please take a moment to take a look and check out some of the links.

Helping Struggling Readers

Did you know that learning to read is a challenge for almost 40 percent of kids? The good news is that with early help, most reading problems can be prevented. The bad news is that 44 percent of parents who notice their child having trouble wait a year or more before getting help.

Unfortunately, the older a child is, the more difficult it is to teach him or her to read. The window of opportunity closes early for most kids. If a child can't read well by the end of third grade, odds are that he or she will never catch up. And the effects of falling behind and feeling like a failure can be devastating.

Click below to find information on:

• FAQs – Find answers to real questions from real parents about reading and learning disabilities
• Q&A with nationally known experts – A new monthly feature covering topics such as assessment, cognition and learning, and educational technology
• Why They Struggle – Learn why some kids struggle with reading
• Target the Problem! – Pinpoint the problem a struggling reader is having and discover ways to help
• Assessment Process – Find out how to get your child evaluated
• Parent as Advocate – Why you need to toughen up and stand up for your child
• Finding Help – Where to get extra help for your struggling reader
• Self-Esteem and Reading Difficulties – What else suffers when kids struggle in school and what they can do to help themselves
• Struggling Readers – Find more Reading Rockets resources, including inside the classroom video, webcasts, articles, and related research

Early identification is crucial. Please, if you suspect a problem, don't hesitate. Learn about reading difficulties, get your child assessed, find out what you can do to help your struggling reader, and don't give up!

Related articles

Early Signs of a Reading Difficulty
By: Susan Hall (2009)

Parents are often the first to suspect their child has a reading problem. An expert alerts parents to some of the earliest indicators of a reading difficulty.

Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: Seven Steps for Teachers
By: Joanne Meier and Karen Freck (2005)

Children come to our classrooms from so many different ability levels and backgrounds. As a teacher, it's important to recognize and know what to do to help a struggling reader.

About Reading Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, and Reading Difficulties
By: Kathryn Drummond (2005)

Reading difficulties likely occur on a continuum, meaning that there is a wide range of students who experience reading difficulties. There are those students who are diagnosed with a learning disability. There is also an even larger group of students who do not have diagnoses but who need targeted reading assistance.

Waiting Rarely Works: Late Bloomers Usually Just Wilt
By: American Federation of Teachers (2004)

A look at three pivotal longitudinal studies that clearly show: Late bloomers are rare; skill deficits are almost always what prevent children from blooming as readers.

Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: 8 Steps for Parents
By: Reading Rockets (2004)

What should you do if you think your child is having trouble with reading? Sometimes children just need more time, but sometimes they need extra help. Trust your instincts! You know your child best. If you think there's a problem, there probably is.

What to do over the summer????

If your district is like ours, you are winding up for the year about now. The countdown has begun for teachers and students in a happy way and sadly for parents! The question we hear most from parents is "What do we do over the summer to keep my child's skills fresh?". Usually parents are looking for something inexpensive and easy to access. I don't blame them.

Teachers are the kings and queens of finding items and activities on the cheap. Typically I like to recommend our public library as a resource. They usually will have some type of a reading program for the children to encourage reading over the summer. Our public library even offers the children incentives of prizes for a certain number of books read over the summer. Barnes & Nobel has a similar summer reading program available nation-wide.

The next question we hear is "What should my child read?". Luckily our district has what we call Championship Playbooks for each grade level. Within each playbook is a recommended reading list for the summer. I am posting our list for first grade going to second.

Suggested Summer Reading List for First Graders

Moving Up to Second Grade

Level Name of Book

E All By Myself by Mercer Mayer

O Bats by Gail Gibbons

M Berenstain Bears by Jan and Stan Berenstain

I Big Dog, Little Dog by PD Eastman

G Carrot Seed by Robert Kraus

G Curious George by H.A. Rey

J Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

K Franklin and the Tooth Fairy by Paulette Bourgeois

K Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

K Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crock Johnson

G Just Grandpa and Me by Mercer Mayer

L Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

J Little Bear (series) by Elise Minarik

P Magic School Bus (series) by Joanna Cole

M Mitten, The by Jan Brett

O Moon Book, the by Gail Gibbons

J Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel

J Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel

J Mr. Putter and Tabby (series) by Cynthia Rylant

K Nate the Great... (series) by Marjorie Sharmat

J One Fish, Two Fish by Dr. Seuss

G Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel

J Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert

J There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer

I There's An Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer

M Three Names by Patricia McLaughlin

M Thunder Cake by Patricia Pollaco

J Very Hungry Catapillar by Eric Carle

H We Are Best Friends by Aliki

M When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant

F Who Will Be My Friends? By Syd Hoff

We use the Rigby reading levels to rank books from A-Z (easy to more difficult). This list gives a variety of levels to choose from for your child. You can find our Championship Playbooks at : http://www.cityschools.net/instruction/instruction_news/championship_playbook.php. You can find the first grade list on page 26 of the first grade playbook.

Remember: if you ask the children what they need to do over the summer they will tell you that they need to be swimming in the pool. But children cannot live by chlorinated water alone! They need to stretch those brains and continue reading over the summer. So check out your local library and see what type of summer program they offer.

See you in August!

Using iTunes apps in reading

My district is a Mac district. All of the computers are Macs and we love it. I have been the owner of iPods since the beginning and have adored seeing how they have changed and grown through the years in capability. As someone who works with students who struggle academically I have struggled to find different ways to approach students so that I engage their interest in addition to helping them overcome learning difficulties. Today I hit the jackpot! I love iTunes apps. I'll admit it, I'm an app addict. I adore my iTouch and think every child could use one in the classroom in a variety of ways academically. Today I found 153 FREE APPS using materials from Reading A-Z.com!! These free apps allow students to use the reader books on their reading level on the iTouch (or if you are lucky, iPad). The list of apps can be found at http://books.readsmart.com/LAZ/free.html. The apps are through Language Technologies, Inc. So take a moment and go check them out. Don't just use the iPod for audiobooks, look into how an iTouch could be used with apps to work on reading skills. I know I will be looking into what else is in the app store!

A new resource I found online......

Today I found a new resource that I just have to share with everyone. It arrived in a newsletter. I try to check out links that come in my newsletters but don't always find that they suit my needs. But today was different; I found a blog that is chock full of information and resources. Go take a look at LeadScape. This blog deals with a large array of issues that surround the subject of inclusion. Professional development is available if you take a look at the bar to the left side of the blog. I found information on RTI that is available for free to download! Woo hoo! I know teachers love free resources. Take a look and leave a comment about what you found to be helpful.

Looking towards this summer.....

It is April and items are already coming out about what to do over the summer. I wanted to share with you the 2010 Barnes and Noble Passport to Summer Reading information that I just received. Barnes and Noble is partnering with author Rick Riordan on summer reading. This summer reading program encourages first through sixth graders to read during the summer.

Each child picks books they wish to read and fills the titles in their Summer Passport form. After they have read eight books they can return their book passport to their local Barnes and Noble store and receive a FREE book! Completed forms may be turned in between May 25 and September 7, 2010. Children choose a free book from the list on the passport of available titles.

If you would like your book passport form, visit your local Barnes and Noble store to request one. If you live in the Murfreesboro, TN area, just send us an email and we can get the form to you.

Encourage your children to participate in this great adventure!