From our reading assignment, I made strong connections with chapter 3 in our textbook. Being a first grade teacher, I was able to relate to the information presented in this chapter. As of now, in my classroom we are focusing on letter recognition and letter sounds. Every day, we discuss which letters are vowels and which letters are consonants. As a class we practice saying each letter name and sound of the alphabet (even the long and short vowel sounds). During the school year, my students learn how to find syllables, digraphs, blends, diphthongs in several words. Last year my grade level used StoryTown for our phonics component and weekly spelling words lists. This year in grades K-2 we will begin implementing Saxon Phonics with our students. I had never heard or taught Saxon Phonics before in my teaching career. Last week, we had an all day training on how to implement the program in our daily routine. I'm actually excited about using this program and hope to see wonderful growth for my students.
I was looking at one video from the resource page called "Letters and Sounds". The teacher had the students sitting on the carpet and they were about to practice with a specific letter sound. The teacher picked up his stuffed lion and called him "Leo". He was telling the students that Leo had a problem and he needed help with recognizing a letter sound. I made a connection and realized the teacher was also using Saxon Phonics with his students as well. Another video I watched was called "Parents as Partners". I loved how the principal explained how important it was for parents to be a part of their child's education. My school does a great job with trying to invite parents to our school for several occasions. The problem is we only have a small amount of parents who will show up for anything. I have 29 students in my class and I've only met 13 students' parents this year. My goal/intention is to get in touch with all of my parents. The challenge is when the phone numbers are cut off or an incorrect number is given. I've learned to send home parent letters and newsletters to try to reach all of my parents. I do believe that if we can have parental involvement at the school level every child can have the opportunity to reach success.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI am sure it is a struggle when you don’t know the backgrounds of your students because you haven’t been given the opportunity to meet with parents. Is this a common issue within your school? Are you allowed to go knock on home doors, if needed?
Also, I would be interested to know how Saxon phonics works out for you and your students. I teach Pre-K and my students use a similar system called ZooPhonics. We as Pre-K teachers are working hard to be sure those students are ready for the elementary when they leave our school.
I also watched the “Parents as Partners” video and it was great to see how the principal explained how important it was for parents to be a part of their child's education. At the Pre-K level we have to complete 3 conferences a year and I love those times; because I feel a need to sit down with my parents and discuss their child’s accomplishments and struggles in my classroom. Are conferences required in the 1st grade at your school?
Great Post!
Hey Camellia!
ReplyDeleteActually we have specific people at our school who will do home visits such as the counselor and the Parent Facilitator. For safety reasons, I try not to go to any of my students' homes. But school wide we do have a hard time getting parents to become involved in our school. For example, we had curriculum night about 3 weeks ago. We only had 10 parents to show up for the whole entire first grade. It's very sad to see the results but hopefully one day parents will become more involved. Also we are required to have conferences once a semester. But just like you, I try to stay involved with my parents and keep them updated on their child's status. Sometimes my conferences are usually held over the phone because of transportation reasons.