Motivating Reluctant Readers

It's mid September and schools around here are finally getting out of their beginning of the year craziness and settling into a routine.  You may be noticing who your high fliers are and who needs a little kick out of the nest.  When it comes to reading, it's a mixed bag.  Every year you get some kids who absolutely love reading and some kids who require bribery a little motivation. There are tons of ways to get these kids excited about reading -- book clubs, reading incentives, sticker charts, I'm sure you've tried countless ways.  Today, let's talk about the goodies. 

So many little goodies that I like to use to trick the kids into reading get kids excited about reading!  I rotate these in and out of my Read to Self station! 

Use toy cards to have kids track while they're reading. 

 Let them choose  a stuffed animal for a reading buddy.  They will practice fluency by reading to their friend! 

 I got these amazing googly eyes at Michaels.  They are great for tracking and keeping their "eyes" on each word! 

You're going to need a plethora of pointers.  As you can see, I'm quite partial to star shaped pointers.  My kids also loved using silly straws and flyswatters to point to words and pictures as they read!

Magnifying glasses are fun for reluctant readers.  You could challenge them to find certain letters or words using their magnifying glasses!

 SO FUN!  Love these little witchy fingers.  Throw in some fluency practice by telling your kiddos to read with their best witch voice!

Give them something to read into like a fake microphone or phonics phones!

Tell the kids to put on their "reading glasses" and give them some goofy cartoon glasses or giant sunglasses to wear. 

Motivate them by giving them a special place to read like a reading chair, reading rug, or... *GASP* your TEACHER CHAIR!

What kind of goodies do you use in your classroom to get those reluctant readers excited about reading time? 

FAVORITE 10 Minute Time Filler! {freebie}

Last Tuesday,  I blogged about being mindfully cross-curricular to make the most out of our limited time as teachers.  Today, I want to share another way to squeeze every spare moment out of your day.

One of my struggles as a teacher has been estimating how much time different activities will take.  Please tell me this happens to you, too?  I'm sure you've tried to fit a craftivity into a 20 minute time slot only to have to stop for specials... leaving a mess of glue and paper scraps for later.   You've probably been on the other boat, too, right?  You know... where you block out a half hour activity for something that only takes 20 minutes?  Many times, I fill that time with a read aloud or some independent reading.  Both of these work just great, they really do.  But every now and then, I get to surprise my kids with one of their FAVORITE activities. And, you guys, it's educational AND FUN!  Wee!  Fun... in kindergarten.  Those words should go together.  

I introduce to you today, your new favorite time filler.  Trust me, your kids will LOVE it and you will get some great review in of skills you've taught or are currently teaching.  I call this little ditty Mingle and Match. 

Here are 3 reasons why I *LOVE* Mingle and Match. 

Here's the premise.  I have created a BUNCH of match games to use as review or reinforcement of Kindergarten skills in your classroom.  They range from matching capital to lowercase letters all the way to matching ten frames to teen numbers.  You could certainly use these as station activities and just have students make matches at tables, but I [and the kids] enjoy it much more when you play it as a whole class game.  Each student will get a card and be expected to find the person with their matching card.  They can travel the whole room (safely, of course) searching for their match buddy.  They should be talking and moving/dancing throughout.  SO, not only does this activity give them great review, but it gives them a chance to unwind a little at the same time!  Here's how to play Mingle and Match in your classroom... step by step! 

Here's a few of my sweeties sharing their match around the rug {before I fancied up the cards!} 

My kids absolutely LOVE this game and it's so easy for a quick filler between activities.  Try it for FREE in your classroom.  Click below to download a capital/lowercase match to use at the beginning of your kinder year! 

What's your Number? {freebie}

I'm back again with another time-saving tip for smooth sailing this school year!  This one is tried and true, but I thought I'd take a moment to let you know the plethora of ways I use it in my classroom.  Save yourself time setting up your classroom each year AND during transitions by assigning classroom numbers. 

I can't believe I'm saying this already, but it's nearly time to get back into the classroom and start setting up for the year.  We all  know how long and grueling this process can be.  This process can be made easier by labeling things with classroom numbers instead of names.  Cubbies, mailboxes, assigned seats, center rotation cards, you name it.  Anything that will be assigned to a person, can be labeled with a number instead of a name.  This way, you don't have to change these items out year to year.  

How do I assign numbers?  I typically put my class list in alphabetical order and number them from top to bottom.  As people move in/out, I either give them someone's old-no-longer-being-used number or add them to the end of the list. Because I work in a very transient population, by the end of the year, my number order isn't quite alphabetical, but it's established and it's easy.

So, I know I'm not sharing anything too creative here.  Classroom numbers... not a novel idea, but it is a huge time saver and will definitely help you to get organized in your classroom.  Here are some ideas for different places and ways you can use classroom numbers. 

Go ahead and get started labeling and numbering away!  Click below to pick up a little freebie!  These are the numbers I use on my classroom cubbies.  I am including two versions, one with bright colors, and one in just black and white! Click either image below to download.

Check back next week for another time and sanity saving tip! 

Leave it to the TABLE LEADERS!

As I sit on my couch enjoying a little summertime relaxation, I can't help but to hear that little voice in the back of my head.  You know the one -- the teacher voice -- the one that never shuts off.  As teachers we are CONSTANTLY thinking about our students and our teaching, and let's be honest ... there just isn't enough time in the day.  

I decided to dedicate Tuesdays to blogging about ways to take advantage of every second of your day. As you prepare your classrooms for students, I'd love to share some ideas for using time wisely and working smarter, not harder.  Today, let's chat about letting your kids do the work. 

Last year was my first year teaching Kindergarten and I have to admit, I spent the first 6 weeks doing WAY too much for my kids.  As Kindergarten teachers, it's our job to ease them into school and responsibilities but it is also our job to make our kiddos independent!  One way you can do this is by letting the kids handle the supplies/paper pass out/collection of materials.  Cue: Table leaders.  

I have 5 tables in my classroom.  They are labeled with the vowels: a, e, i, o, and u.  Starting very early in the year, I assign table leaders to each of these tables.  Each student at the table will get an opportunity to be table leader for a week at a time, and seriously y'all, they L-O-V-E it.  You would think you've invited them on an all-expense paid trip to Disney.  Below is my ugly Table Leaders chart from last year.  Ugly but functional... definitely will be updating! 

The table leader's number 1 responsibility is to retrieve supplies.  I CAN NOT tell you enough how much time this will save you in the course of your day/week/month/YEAR.  Do not waste another second passing out supplies individually or by table.  In my classroom, we use community supplies.  After explaining an activity, I will tell students what supplies they will need to complete the activity and then, this is the magical part you guys, I don't touch a single supply!!  I simply say "Table leaders, please go get the supplies for your table!" 

They go here.  Our center shelves house the caddies for each table.  You can see that they are labeled a,e,i,o, and u to correspond with each of the tables.  The table leader may only take supplies from their table's caddy.

They see this.  Depending on the activity, they might just grab the cup of pencils.  They might grab pencils and crayons.  There are times when they will pick up the whole caddy and take it to their tables. 

In a matter of 10 seconds, all the supplies are at the table and ready to be used.  I haven't moved from the whole group setting and I'm ready to dismiss the rest of the students to begin.  

 Having table leaders and relying on them for distribution, collection, and even answering their peers' questions frees me up to do what I should be doing: teaching!  I'm no longer the distributor or collector... I'm the teacher!  The kids love the responsibility and the *high honor* of being the table leader. 

Be sure to check back next Tuesday for another time and sanity saving tip!