Self Assessments in Kindergarten?

Using Self Assessments in Kindergarten

As you know, I teach K.  I adore my kinders and I look forward to all of my lessons and watching them gradually grow as independent writers.  This year our school has been undergoing accreditation.  YUCK. One area of current discussion is: 

Student Self Assessment.  

At first, I hide my head at our staff meeting. I place it on the table and close my eyes. 
Really?  

Self Assessment in kindergarten?  

We have enough assessments! 

NOW I have to have them judging themselves?  

Great. 

After pondering a couple of ideas, I thought to myself.  

Wait!!!  

Brain FART~! 

I DO this! I DO? 

REWIND….  In addition to teaching k all year, I teach summer school for the kiddos that need extra help as they transition into the first grade.  During our summer session we do a lot of independent writing, moving from “with support” to working towards writing independence.  

During this intervention, I provide my students with CHECK LISTS copied or stapled to their papers.  These checklists give them ways for the students to CHECK THEIR OWN WORK during and after they complete their writing.  

Many students that have difficulty transitioning into the first grade, have trouble remembering all of the RULES FOR WRITING.  They have sporadic capital letters, no punctuation, or inadequate letter/word spacing.

  

So what should we do?  REMIND THEM PEOPLE!

So... I created simple, yet effective self-assessments that can be attached or copied right onto their writing projects/journals in order to assist them with all of these kinder writing rules. 

These are GREAT self assessments and they eliminate me saying 
“Don’t forget your spaces!  How do you stop a sentence?  What do you need to start a sentence?” 

To be honest, I still say this.  

But… maybe a little less. 

By adding a quick checklist- with PICTURES, students can use this to check their writing! Genius right?  

Hey, I know I didn’t invent this but I do use it and 
IT WORKS.

Good luck making your own CHECK LIST Self Assessments.  If you are interested in these, check them out at my TPT store. I have editable and non-editable forms.

UNTIL NEXT TIME LOVIES!

Until Next Time LOVIES!

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Developing Young Readers

Good Afternoon EVERYONE!  

Lately, I've been guest blogging at Who's Who and Who's New, which you should check out because it is an AWESOME blog with great tips and amazing teachers.  

Well... in November I wrote a post entitled 

Nurturing Young Readers.  

I had some really great feedback so I thought I'd share my post here too!

As a kinder-teacher I find it difficult to find developmentally appropriate guided reading texts. I find there are a plethora of “ A leveled readers” but do they nurture young readers? Do they offer interaction with print concepts? Can they keep the book and reread it for fluency practice or sight word retention? In most cases, no they don’t. 

As another option, I want to share what I use and how I support developing readers in my classroom.

I LOVE using Interactive Emergent Readers with my kinders as part of their guided reading curriculum especially as they develop into confident readers and writers.  By using these texts, kinders are able to develop into self-assured readers with valuable literacy tools that promote and assist them as growing readers.

I’ve found that kinder learners learn best with a GUIDED, Supportive and interactive approach to reading.  There is a reason that “with support” is within our standards!!    Everything we do as instructors is meant to guide and develop our young kinders into self-sustained, confident readers.

This is my simple approach.  I focus on three things.

#1  Identify Conventions

#2  Identify Sight Words

#3  Touch Read and Echoing

In our small group I use a booklet emergent reader.  I make sure that the reader does not have more than 4-5 words per page and all words are appropriate for my reading group.  I am not too picky with the emergent reader, I just want to make sure that we can write on it and that they can take it home.  Many times I make my own booklet.  For this post, I am sharing my weather reader that I used during my weather week.

#1 Identify Conventions

 These are the RULES for writing.  I LOVE to color-code.  (Can you tell?)

 I thoroughly believe that color-coding assists students with skill retention and maintains consistency when working with standard specific skills.

I ask my kinders to use colored pencils or crayons to underline the capital letters green and circle the end marks red.  

I don’t know where or why I thought of this? 

I think it came to me on one of those AMAZING teacher waves that just hits you!  

Smack in the face.  

Utter teacher genius.  

Well, at least for me. 

Also, I am not sure why it works…but it DOES WORK, and it looks great!  Lastly, I would have to agree that it helps my kinders 100% remember the WHY in the rules when writing and developing sentences.

Green Capital Letters (I use green because green means GO!)

Red End Marks (I use red because red means STOP!)

#2 Identify Sight Words

I l-o-v-e to use color-coding! Did I tell you that already?  Well, in addition to the red and green, I allow my students to circle their sight words. I am let them use MARKERS.  

I never let them use markers, why? 

Because I don’t like markers, that’s why.  

They are fat, they don’t allow for detailed drawings, and lastly, because they bleed through the paper. 

So when we read in guided reading and they can use a marker to circle their words, it’s like the yellow marker is GOLD.  

Literally, it is a piece of GOLD in my room!!

#3 Touch Read and Echoing

This is something that I am sure that you use when you are guiding and supporting young readers.  In our small group each student is required to touch each word and we either read it or tap it out.  After each of the words are read on the page, most likely from one of my readers, we ALL echo the entire sentences ONCE, or TWICE, or however many times we might need. 

This 3-Step Approach supports, guides, and assists readers in their quest and journey to become 

successful, confident, and sustainable readers and writers. 

I hope these ideas help you nurture our dearest and developing kinders.  Watching young readers and writers begin to read is a priceless gift that we are given as teachers.  There is nothing better than watching a kinder read for the first time. 

Enjoy your kinders.

UNTIL NEXT TIME LOVIES!

These Emergent Readers are part of my weather unit.

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Pick 3 Linky~ January Inspiration

In January, (brrr, I instantly got cold), 
I {HEART} Snowflakes!  
I adore them.  
I love them.  
I might be AM slightly obsessed with them.  
That is why I wanted to dedicate my 
ENTIRE Pick 3 Linky 
to Pinterest Pins about what else?...  
SNOWFLAKES
Thanks to 
Pawsitively Teaching & Inspired Owls Corner 
for the Linky! 

 

Another thing I love, SLIME!  

SNOWFLAKE SLIME?  

Come! on! People!

click on the picture to view original Pinterest link

 Kindergarten standard - Symmetry.  
DONE.

click on the picture to view original Pinterest link

 I'm thinking ART CENTER?...

click on the picture to view original Pinterest link
Link up to share your Favorite Pinterest Pins that inspire you for JANUARY!

Until Next Time LOVIES!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Currently in January

Currently ~  well... January started. 

Yep. It started. 

Without my blessing. 

I just want it to be like December 28th for a couple more days.  I could use a couple more days.

Well since it came faster than I wanted it to, why not link up with Farley and see whats going down!

So here goes. 

This is what I am currently up to.

* Go Ducks! Please beat Flordia State!  Pretty please! 

* Ok, by the time I write this all two of my kiddos left the sofa already but for about 12 minutes they both sat next to me.  (ahhhhh!) 

When you have a 14 yr old and an 8 year old you treasure those moments.

* ReAlLy?//  3 days?  Someone betta slap me! Kick me?! Or push me to do something other than sit, blog, surf Pinterest, and watch the Today Show!  I gotta get my act together.

* Read above and that pretty much summarizes what I don't want Christmas Break to end.

* Yeah, I do need to do my newsletter + my week in pictures from December.  My parents are gonna be after me if I don't send them those cutie patootie pics of their kiddos.

* So yeah, I want a NEW house more than I want just about anything at this point.  My house is too small for all of us and + I found the house I want. I just gotta sell this house!

Until Next Time Lovies.

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