DAY 1 / WEEK 1

Over teaching vs personalised learning

Some of our beliefs about reading 

• children need to be taught to read, rather than be taught to read a book
• to begin with childen need to learn to point (one to one matching)
• they need four days instruction (Mon - Thurs)
• children learn to read by reading
• children learn in a structured programme
• children usually spend 2/3 weeks on one level

There are three ways to read a book.  During the first days of 2015 children need to be explicitly taught these.

• read the pictures (a book that I haven't read before and I can't read the words)
• read the words (a book that I have read before, or one that I am practising my reading strategies with)
• retell (a book that I have been read or read for myself)

Any struggling readers (at risk students) need to commence Rainbow Reading immediately.

Reading Activities - Daily 

• Read to Self (from guided or reading cafe box)
• Read to a Buddy (from guided reading or reading cafe box)
• Word Power (including handwriting) 
• Listen to Reading (Rainbow Reading for at risk students)

Reading Activities - Daily for some, but not for all (Trust You)

• Word Walk 
• Play dough letters and words 
• Pom Poms with tweezers 

Brunch and Lunch start 5 minutes earlier, giving children more time to eat.  They eat in the classroom. 

8.55 Drawing, name writing and oral language 

9.10 Roll and join classes for oral language, songs, ryhmes (non contact day about once we feel the children are ready)

9.30 Reading 

10.30 Writing (can we change this to the big book / poems here, to finish reading)

10.50 Brunch 

11.25 Reading (can we do writing here and that way the children can come in from brunch and get started on their writing - rather than reading again)

11.50 Maths 

12.30 CMIYC, Library ...

1.45 - Enjoying the classroom Library books 

During the first couple of weeks we will be doing a lot of assessment for learning and setting routines.  A letter to parents explaining this and that guided reading sessions will not start immediately for every child.  

Roll - name cards 

We will have a joint class blog and individual portfolio blogs for children.  We call our selves Tohora What about Tohora nui?

Elly has google docs for our individual blogs.  

NZ maths for independent maths activities.

On the first afternoon children will paint full portraits.  Ko _____ au.  I am good at ..., I like ..., I want to be able to ... (first thing on blog for parents to respond to).  

Discovery Monday and afternoon meetings.  

Statistics to be led by Sandi.

from the Daily Five - The Daily Five is the largest part of our literacy curriculum each day - it is the structure that allows all children to do meaningful work independently as we work in small groups and with individual children.  The first weeks of school are dedicated to launching the Daily Five and instilling literacy habits that will allow for independent work with little or no teacher supervision. 

One the Daily Five has become habit for students, we use instructional time to present daily focus lessons on comprehension strategies, writer's craft, phonics, and other components of our literacy curriculum to our whole class.