Chapter Two: Book Study - Guided Reading

Sharing Kindergarten - Chapter Two Hostess with the Mostess

Things to consider when reading Chapter Two:

What do you use for your assessments:

Letter Identification? 

Sight Words?

Dictated Sentences?

Writing Samples?

Running Records?

 

I use a packet of assessments given to us by our district.  We also do AIMS web four times a year and we do the CAP assessments as well.  Those are the ones we HAVE to use, but I use many other things as well.  I love these packets from Kindergarten Kiosk.

 

   

I use these all year long and they are really useful during parent/teacher conferences.  They also really help me bump up my curriculum using the common core standards.  I can find trends in my class that guide me toward what I need to spend time on teaching, what the class already knows and what they just aren't getting yet.  The packets are only $5 each and they cover everything.

 

I also start off my year using a combination of these two assessment packets and I use them as a basis for my student portfolios.  The parents LOVE this and it really tracks their progress on basic skills such as numbers, writing and illustration skills.

 

   This one is also by Kindergarten Kiosk

 

 

  This one is by Growing Kinders

 

We use popcorn words at our school.  Everyone seems to call them something else, but our sight words are known as popcorn words to our students.  I created all of the words on cute little popcorn kids graphics I found at Scrappin' Doodles.

 

  You can get them at my store at Kindergarten Cafeteria

 

We place the popcorn onto rings for the kids to use in their reading bag.  We also have a giant popcorn bag on the bulletin board so when the kids master their words we place their name on a big piece of paper popcorn and they earn lunch with the teacher.  We also have a big popcorn party at the end of the school year for all of the kids that master all of their words. 

 

For running records we are big into The New York Teachers College Reading and Writing Project forms and assessments.  I just spent a week at one of their trainings really learning about running records and how to analyze them to create teaching points for my students.  It was life changing!  I encourage you to go to their sight and prowl around.  Warning, you could get lost for hours!  I could go on and on about using M (meaning), S (syntax) and V (visual) for analyzing running records but you would get board reading the rest of this post.  If you ever get a chance to go to one of their amazing trainings, run, don't walk to get there.

 

That is about all I have for assessments.  I am still growing in this area.  I am still a big fan of using plain old post-it notes to observe and take down antidotal  notes.  I am a picture freak and take lots of pictures to document growth and understanding.  I love to record my kiddos reading and play it back for them to assess fluency.  I also just stand back and watch a lot.  I learn so much that way about their thinking, problem solving and understanding of a concepts.  I really believe sometimes the best assessments just can't be captured on a form or document, but you have to listen and truly hear them to assess their understanding.  That being said, I am a big believer in giving them time to "play" to see how they use the skills and apply them to new situations.  That is when I really know if they "got it" and can "use it" or not. 

 

I also keep a classroom blog.  Yes, for me that is an assessment.  It is a picture and written documentation of their learning process.  To see more go to Our classroom blog at Fun in F16.  This gives me a visual and audio picture of how the kids are synthesizing information.

 

I hope you enjoyed this blog post.  If so please consider following me.  I would like to hit 100 followers this summer.  I feel silly asking, but hey, if you don't ask you don't get.  Leave me a comment so I can follow you back.  Can't wait to read all of your responses.  I learn so much from all of you!