A New Year with New Reading Goals

Heading back to school after the holiday break reminds me of how I felt back at the beginning of the school year.  I am filled with a renewed sense of ambition, energy and excitement.  It's amazing how some family time and Christmas cookies can quickly make you forget how nutty the last week of school had been.  

Now is the time to prepare for the long haul toward the end of the year and I am looking forward to hitting the ground running. I love to set goals for the year, both personally and professionally.  Having a clear visual of what I want to accomplish really helps to guide me throughout the year.  I think it is important for our students to have goals as well, especially in the classroom.  

When we return to school this coming week I am looking forward to helping my students set their reading goals for the rest of the school year.  In kindergarten these goals can vary from mastering letter recognition to reading a level G fluently.  Regardless of the child's ability level, we will be setting attainable goals that will help them on their reading journey.

These reading goals recording sheets are a great tool to use with students to help them focus in on a goal that will lead them to reading success.  I like to set goals with my students 1:1 to make sure they have a clear understanding of their goal.  I fill out the form for them and have them write in places they are capable of filling out, such as their name.  I really enjoy this bonding time with each student, we keep it fun and light with a clear focus.  Here are two examples of completed forms:

Once our goals are completed, I send home a parent letter with a copy of each goal plan so that parents are aware of their child’s reading goal and can help them to practice at home.

I review these goals with students several times throughout the year to make sure they are on track.  A good time to meet is after assessments are given and you can update their progress together.  When goals are accomplished, students can create new goals.  I like to reward students for their hard work with recognition in class, a certificate of accomplishment or a letter home to their family.

I hope you have an amazing 2016 and that this resource helps you and your students accomplish great things.  You can find this FREE resource by clicking on any of the pictures above or check it out here: 
FREE Reading Goals Recording Sheets

If you love goal setting with your students, be sure to check out the math and writing versions of these recording sheets.
                                      
                                      

Math Goals Recording Sheets
Writing Goals Recording Sheets

Teaching Story Elements and a Princess and the Frog FREEBIE

Story elements are super important for students to understand, as they help to improve reading comprehension.  Reading comprehension is vital in reading development so it is beneficial for students to have a good grasp on story elements from a young age.  I love starting in Kindergarten with a focus on characters, setting, BME (beginning, middle and end), conflict and resolution.  I think it important to introduce these concepts early on so that as students grow, they will put these building blocks together to better understand plot, theme, main idea, author's purpose and more.

There are so many ways to teach story elements, but I always find that students show the highest level of interest and success when they are hands-on and interacting with the story.  I love anchor charts!  We work together to create big ones as a class but we also use smaller versions for reference around the room once the large ones come down.

* Note that the story used in each of these anchor charts is The Princess and the Frog.  They will go perfectly with the FREE resource below. *

Graphic organizers are another great visual for students to record their findings from the stories they read.  I love this flappy foldable because it can be used for any story and it shows student understanding of the text. Bonus: it is fun to create and complete!

This and other fun resources are included in my Story Elements pack, which you can find here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Story-Elements-1774955

I love teaching through music, so I created 3 short songs to help my students remember how to find the setting, characters, conflict and resolution in a story.  They pick the songs up quickly and they really help as a quick mental reference.  These songs, as well as numerous other materials including 11 short story passages can be found in my story elements pack.  This pack has everything you need to get your little ones engaged in the key elements of a story.

Now on to the FREEBIE!  I pulled some of my favorite graphic organizers and pages from this story elements pack and made them specific to the tale of The Princess and the Frog or The Frog Prince.  It includes a short story with comprehension questions and other ways for the students to identify the story elements from this tale.  Click on the picture below, or this link to grab your FREEBIE: http://tinyurl.com/pge6nus
I hope you enjoy them!  Thank you for stopping by!

Pom Pom Power! Having fuzzy fun in math centers! **Fun Freebie**

What math manipulative is colorful, quiet, inexpensive, easy to clean up and oodles of fun?  Pom Poms!  I love working with pom poms, whether it is for a fun craft or a quick game, they are the perfect tool.  My love of pom poms was quickly shared by my students when I introduced them to pom poms in their math centers.   This inspired me to create my 12 Pom Pom Math Centers and this FREE extra decomposing math center using those fuzzy little friends.

You can use pom poms to teach several different math topics.  My students have used them for number sense, shapes, sorting, patterns, addition and subtraction, measurement and so much more!

These centers are so easy to set up and take down that it makes prepping math centers a breeze.  And with all of the teaching options, from beginner to advanced, they come in handy throughout the school year.

This FREE decomposing with pom poms math center is not included in my original pack.  I created it for my friends here at Keeping it Cool at School so that you can see just how fun, easy and effective working with pom poms can be.

Download this FREEBIE here:  FREE Decomposing Numbers Pom Pom Math Center   and be sure to let me know how much you and your students enjoy the fun and festive feel that pom poms bring to your classroom.