Friday Thoughts - Comprehension

I love teaching little children...

It is fantastic to see littlies grow in all aspects - in their confidence, in their independence and academically. Little children are like little sponges and seem to 'soak' up information and learning at such a fast rate. It is one of the rewards of teaching.

At the beginning of the year, you teach these little ones sounds of the alphabet and by the end of the year they can read sentences, even mini-novels for themselves. However, one draw back of being able to read more complex words, is that these little ones don't necessarily 'think' about what they are reading. Comprehension is a vital skill in reading, otherwise why read?? It is a skill to comprehend what is read and then respond to it, be it a form, a letter or a story.

One such idea to help with comprehension, is this fun activity (that unfortunately I can't source the original creator of this idea - I do apologise). The idea is to find a piece of short text that is age appropriate for the child(ren). I chose a simple poem about a boat that was blue, that had two red sails and oars. After reading the text, the child(ren) paint a picture of what the text depicts. Not only is this a fun activity (as painting always is for children) but it shows whether the child(ren) have understood what was in the text and their thinking about the imagery of the text. This activity could be used with children from a range of ages, not necessarily little children.

Have a lovely weekend :)

Wonderful Wednesday - Reading

At work, we have been celebrating 'Book Week'. This is one of my favourite times of the year as we focus on the latest stories (in my case picture books) and do some different Art/Craft, language and literacy focused activities.

I am really pleased that the books that have been chosen this year have wonderful and fun themes for children, including gardening, growth, family, love, bravery, pets, thankfulness, fantasy and imagination. Hence 'reading' is my inspiration for this week...

Magnetic Bookmark by 'Sparrowhawk Designs'

Of course, when you think of books, you think of bookmarks and this is such a cute design. This simply folds over the page of your book and is held together by two magnets. I also love the two tone pink flower design. A perfect little gift to pop in with a card.

Kindle case by 'Ambette'

For those that are a bit more technological when it comes to reading, 'Ambette' creates these gorgeous, felt kindle cases. A simple design, but eye catching. 'Ambette' makes these covers in a range of colour combinations, however, this one would be perfect to give to a father, husband or brother.

Felt Baby Book by 'You Make Me...Me'

What a great item to foster reading in the most youngest of readers. This item is a bright, colourful, felt book that contains a lot of sea creatures, words and their pictures. I love the bright colour combinations on each page and the cute little characters. An educational and fun gift for a little one.

Outer space bookends by 'Turtle Velocity'

To hold all of your lovely books up, check out these gorgeous bookends. This one features a space theme, but there are others including rockets, fish, dinosaurs, lighthouses, etc. The characters are so fun and cute - perfect for a little ones library or bedroom.

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration!

Friday thoughts - Reading and Writing

I love teaching little ones. Not only are they eager to learn and you can sing fun songs, make crafty items and read picture books, but you see so much growth, educationally, in such a short space of time.

People who deal with older children often say to me "I wouldn't know where to start teaching young children to read and write". Well...(as the 'Sound of Music' song says) start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start.

Words, sentences, texts are all made up of building blocks - sounds/letters. Once you know these building blocks, it is easier then to decode words/texts or create your own. However, focus not only on  the 'name' the letter makes (eg. 'a' as in apricot), but also the sound the letter makes (eg. 'a' as in apple). Special emphasis should be placed on the 'sounds' as that is what we use to 'sound out'/decode or write out unfamiliar words. Think about what you do if you need to write down a word that you find difficult to spell.

Expose children to the different ways the same sound makes. For example, 'a' (as in apricot) can also be written down as 'ai', 'ay' or 'a-e' (as in 'made'). This provides the children with more reading cues when they are beginning to read. I have all of these sounds on 'flashcards' and everyday I get the children to say the sounds back to me when I hold up the cards. They are at the stage that they immediately know what sound/letter combinations make and are now applying that knowledge to their own reading.

Providing fun activities to do with the sounds also helps them to learn the sounds (eg. making 'c' cupcakes with currants on top). Spot a focus sound in books or newspapers (eg. cut out all the words with 'ee' and 'ea' in them. Have a number of words that have a common sound and sort them into groups (or 'post' them into boxes/containers), for example: bee, meat, deal, feed and sort them into 'ee' groups and 'ea' groups. Practice and repetition help children to remember the sounds.

I hope that you find some quiet time to sit down and read for a little bit over this weekend!