Classroom Takeaways Part #1

I recently had the opportunity to complete an in-situ experience at Gordon Terrace Elementary in a Grade 1 class. During my time there, I observed how the students engaged in literacy activities.

Sentence Writing!

When the students enter the classroom, they know they are to grab their writing journals and write a sentence about the picture displayed on the smart board. Once they’ve written their sentence, they then draw a picture related to the image. Students have creative freedom in both their writing and artwork, as long as it is appropriate and relevant to the picture on the smart board.

Once the students have finished, they bring their work to the teacher, who uses the Syntax Project (a system for identifying key parts of a sentence) to assess their writing. For example, students earn a sticker for each part of the sentence they complete: capital letter and period, subject and action, and where and when the action is taking place. If a student writes a well-structured sentence using these syntax guidelines, they will receive three stickers in total.

UFLI!

After completing their writing activities, the students move on to their UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Initiative) lesson for the day. The lesson begins with a read-aloud, followed by magnetic board work and writing words on individual sentence whiteboards. First, the students sound out how many syllables are in a word and mark this by drawing a small circle at the top of the board to indicate the number of syllables. Then, they write the word out on the board.

Once they’ve finished writing, the students use the acronym “CAPS” to self-assess their work:

C – Did I use a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence?

A – Is my writing neat, and did I leave finger spaces?

P – Do I have proper punctuation (such as periods)?

S – Did I follow spelling rules?

Heidi’s Songs!

After completing their UFLI lesson, the students move on to the website Heidi’s Songs, an online streaming service featuring fun and engaging educational videos focused on spelling, math, and reading. These videos are interactive and encourage the students to get moving. The class typically watches a literacy video related to the UFLI lesson, after which the VIP (student helper) selects a video of their choice. Danny Go was a popular choice among the students.

Rockin’ Reader Awards

The class also participated in the Rockin’ Reader Awards. After the literacy lesson, the teacher selected two or three students to receive an award, and they got to pick out a pencil as a prize. The class encouraged them and celebrated their achievements by saying, “Good job, _____!” Afterward, the Rockin’ Reader student chose a pencil and placed their award in their backpack.

I thought this was a fun addition to the lesson and a great way to celebrate students’ successes. I was also impressed by how none of the students seemed upset if they weren’t chosen; this was likely due to the clear understanding set from the start that everyone would get their turn eventually.

Conclusion!

Overall, this was an amazing experience, and I am extremely thankful to the teacher and the class for welcoming me with open arms. I’m walking away with many valuable tips and resources to incorporate into my teaching practices.