So, you’re seeing these new Literacy Contracts coming home from school – and you’re probably wondering what they are all about. I decided introduce them slowly, so I could work out the kinks before writing all about them. Each student receives a contract at the beginning of a new Reading Street week. Depending on their learning objectives, their contract may be individualized, but they all have many things in common.
The CAFÉ goal is the over-arching goal and strategy for that particular student, and they should be practicing daily. It will change periodically as the year progresses.
Each day, students should find time to read independently (Read to Self). They should keep an eye on the clock and log their time (20-minutes, minimum) as well as listing the name of the book they are reading. By now, students should be independently choosing Just-Right books which advance them on their reading journey. On test days, they are allowed to choose Fun Reads (yearbooks, magazines, I-Spy, etc.) – and those should be logged on the contract, as well.
Read to Others is usually offered 2 days during a 5-day contract. Students can read in pairs for 10 minutes to practice fluency or other reading skills and strategies.
The Word Work block tracks the work students are doing with spelling, phonics & vocabulary. The contracted amount is sometimes adjusted to reflect our schedules and student goals.
Students are assigned one block per week on the iPad, and so far we are using it to work on spelling and vocabulary at Spelling City. We’ll expand this option as the year progresses.
If students are absent, I ask them to mark the date on the contract, as I am old and forgetful ;). Students will learn to manage time, work independently, and ask for help when it comes to prioritizing. They are also learning, that the sharper their focus, the easier it is to complete their contractual obligations. Our Literacy block is currently running 90 minutes per day, so students should be able to squeeze in quite a bit of learning! As always, feel free to contact me with questions.
It’s official! We held our parent meeting, and if you have signed the BYOD Responsible Use form, you are welcome to send in a mobile device with your child on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Questions are welcome and encouraged, we’re on this journey together!
If you have any extra headphones or ear buds, feel free to send them in. The iPads get LOUD when all 16 students are using them. Headphones will be used only by the student who brings them in, please label them with their name.
So Excited!!
On tuesday i was so XCITED! because we finally had ipads WUhoo.But i did have to do alot of tiping and reccording it was a bumber!Today in wrighting we also used are ipads we first had to take a picture of are writing then we had to record are writing from are picture that was alot of work if you ever expierenced that before. That was my AWSOME weekend.