I will provide many opportunities to practice strategies, develop good reading habits, and measure progress! I believe in a balanced approach to reading and writing; the two go hand in hand! My kindergartners participate in literacy stations everyday and engage in writing workshop activities several times throughout the week. The children will meet with me as individuals and in small groups, to become more fluent in reading. They will also build stamina and establish a love for reading as they read to themselves and to others. In Writer's Workshop, we become published authors as we write our own stories. From the first day of school, we explore story elements, illustration studies, and the mechanics of good writing!
Our Language Arts/Reading workbook--Bob Jones K5 Beginnings-- refers to sight words as "service words". These are words that can not be decoded in a phonetic way. K5 Beginnings also incorporates thirty-two mini books throughout the year. These books highlight the service words, as well as other conventions of reading.
Service Words (in order of appearance):Our Language Arts/Reading workbook--Bob Jones K5 Beginnings-- refers to sight words as "service words". These are words that can not be decoded in a phonetic way. K5 Beginnings also incorporates thirty-two mini books throughout the year. These books highlight the service words, as well as other conventions of reading.
I, here, is, mother, the, a, this, my, love, orange, his, has, come, are, father, for, Jesus, to, put, what, said, good, where, give, of, off, Bible, purple, you, they, two, there, want, some, do, who, one (We will also read color words, number words, and the Dolch Pre-Primer/Primer words.)
In kindergarten, we become more aware of words, their meanings, and how they connect to our lives. The kindergartners are introduced to new power words/vocabulary each week. We discover words each day: in theme units, literature, math, and the Bible.
Power Words:
stamina, illustration, serendipity, topic, clever,
imagination, prevent, transport, serious, aroma, community, strategy, hibernation, migration, decompose, dwell, vast, fable, camouflage, nocturnal, schema, estimate, election, symbol, voyage, buouancy, worship, splendid, delicious, tradition, scrumptious, posture, perimeter, circumference, expand, solidify, lavish, gravity, orbit, proclaim, devoted, honor, currency, nonsense, celebrate, whirling, evaporation, stillness, savior, resurrect, compassion, oviparous, metamorphosis, nectar, photosynthesis, biome
"Why is vocabulary s-o-o important?stamina, illustration, serendipity, topic, clever,
imagination, prevent, transport, serious, aroma, community, strategy, hibernation, migration, decompose, dwell, vast, fable, camouflage, nocturnal, schema, estimate, election, symbol, voyage, buouancy, worship, splendid, delicious, tradition, scrumptious, posture, perimeter, circumference, expand, solidify, lavish, gravity, orbit, proclaim, devoted, honor, currency, nonsense, celebrate, whirling, evaporation, stillness, savior, resurrect, compassion, oviparous, metamorphosis, nectar, photosynthesis, biome
See this link at Scholastic for more info.
Vocabulary is critical to reading success for three reasons:
- Comprehension improves when you know what the words mean. Since comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading, you cannot overestimate the importance of vocabulary development.
- Words are the currency of communication. A robust vocabulary improves all areas of communication — listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- How many times have you asked your students or your own children to “use your words"? When children and adolescents improve their vocabulary, their academic and social confidence and competence improve, too."
