Reading and Writing Workshop

Sorry I didn't get this posted last week.  I got to meet my new niece so I spent this weekend with family.  I have three blog posts to do tonight!  I hope you guys enjoy them.

First let me start by telling you what a great job the kids are starting to do in Reading and Writing Workshop.  I have never seen a group of children that love to write like this Kindergarten Class.  It is amazing.  They are starting to get the hang of Reading Workshop as well.  They are great at independent reading and they are learning about being good reading partners.  We were also able to start our Guided Reading Groups and many of the children have read their first book independently in class!  Way to go Kindergarten.  I get to meet with a small group of readers at the umbrella table each day and teach a new reading strategy.  We are learning about reading with an Eagle Eye (using the pictures in a book to decode unknown words and to "read" the story).  Ask your child about reading with an Eagle Eye at the end of the week.  Here is a glimpse of what Guided Reading looks like.

Children use their "reading finger" to follow each word as they read it.  This is a very important strategy.  Please model it and practice with your child at home when you are reading with them or they are reading to you.  Let them read familiar books to you.  This is great practice for them.

The children used their Eagle Eye during Guided Reading to decode words like Bananas and Pizza by using the pictures and the beginning letter to figure out the unknown word.  The words I and Like were the same on every page so the children became comfortable with the reading pattern.  They were so proud when they read the book independently after we read it together several times.

Next we worked on reading with our reading partners.  This is what reading with a partner should look like. 

These two children are sitting EEKK (elbow to elbow, knee to knee) during partner reading time.  They share the book between them by placing it in their lap between them.  This team had a plan to read one book and they each took turns reading the book to their partner.  They are reading a familiar book so they sound like they are actually telling the story.

These reading partners are retelling a favorite story.  You can see how engaged they both are in the book.  They did such a nice job they served as our model for partner reading for the class.  It was fun listening to them use character voices for the little letters that fell out of the coconut tree!

 

Next we started creating our very own books during our Writing Workshop.  Each child is so into creating their books.  I took plain paper and stapled it together to create their books.  You can do this at home as well.  You will be amazed at how creative they are.



This child worked all week on his one book.  I love the detail in his characters and setting.

I love how this child used his alphabet to add words to his story.

Look at all the characters this child placed into her story.  I can already see so much growth in their fine motor, creativity and stamina in their writing process.  It is so exciting to watch.

Look at the concentration and dedication this child is showing during writing workshop.

The children are starting to use lots of color in their illustrations, adding detail to their drawings as they become more aware of how illustrators create their stories in their favorite books.

Many of the children are writing stories about themselves and their families.  These are the things they are most familiar with so it is a great place to start a story!  They are writing their autobiography!

This child is still inspired by the Pigeon books and you can see their use of a single word on the second page to help the reader understand the story.

This child told me that she was writing a story about her and her cat.  I love the tail on the cat!

This child is working hard to create the cover of his book.

This child tried to spell airplane on his own.  That is the title of his book.  Great job trying to spell.

This child wanted to write "No, David" and understood the No and that David had a D, an A and another D at the end.  This is how your child becomes a reader and a writer.

 

I hope you enjoyed this little view into our Reading and Writing Workshop.  It will be fun to follow their growth as readers and writers this year!