We have all started school.
Laura and and I are at our same schools.
But Lisa has changed schools, districts and grade levels!
Lisa is now officially a PreK teacher.
She has so many wonderful ideas to share this year, but she is feeling sick right now.
Sure hope she feels better soon!
Maybe she needs Blue Bell Ice Cream?
It is back on store shelves this week.
Whoo-hoo!
But for today, Laura and I are talking back to school.
One thing Laura and I like to focus on is oral language.
That's right.
We like to get kids talking.
I know!
Call us crazy.
Laura's strength is working with kids to communicate.
One of her favorite sayings is:
If they can't understand it, they can't read it.
If they can't say it, they can't write it.
Understanding leads to all the comprehension questions. If students can't answer questions about their life, stories are going to go over their heads. Make a lot of text-to-self connections with
language-disordered children.
Did you know that a child should roughly be able to express as many words as their age?
A 1-year-old says single words - Mama, go, juice.
A 2-year-old combines words - I go, big doggie.
Kg students should be able to combine 5-6 words - My favorite color is blue.
And by the time a child hits 12 and is using more complex sentences,
that sets the stage for their teen and adult speech.
A child may have written sentences that are a couple of words shorter than spoken sentences.
Good oral language is very much tied to future academic growth.
Books are a great way to model language.
This week I read to students a hilarious book called
Rufus Goes to School written by Kim Griswell.
We talked about why pigs do not belong in our school.
The sweeties had fun announcing all of the crazy things they suspected
Rufus would do at our school.
But Rufus really wants to learn to read.
And he is not interested in causing havoc.
Next, we talked about what they wanted to learn in school this year.
Finally, it was time to get to know each other a little better.
So, it was the perfect time for our Ask a Friend Activity.
We hope you enjoy this freebie!
Have a wonderful day,
No comments