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Mrs. B's Reading Room

Welcome to Mrs. B's Reading Room! This is my first digital classroom. I wanted it to be fun, bright, and full of books! Each week I will switch out the books for my students to access over the summer. Because Distance Learning is going to have a major effect on our students' learning, I wanted to create something light that will keep them reading through the summer.

Creating this room was so much fun. I googled how to make a 'Bitmoji Classroom' and found a lot of great resources. I have to say, https://www.remove.bg/upload was my biggest find. You can put any image in and it will remove the background so you can insert it into your room. It made it so easy!

Check it out!

Sight Word Centers!!!!!

Hi everyone,
This post if for my fellow teachers who are gearing up for January in K! I have been working on a couple of things this month. The first is that I have finished my Primer Sight Word Centers. These centers include Lists 9-18 and are perfect for Kinders during the second half of the year. Check it out!

 These centers work with My Kindergarten Sight Words curriculum. This is the primary sight word curriculum in my classroom. Students learn 5 sight words a week, and these centers compliment the direct instruction lessons wonderfully.

 

 

Rainbow Word Match

 Fluency Strips

I am excited to have a full collection of sight word centers that correlate directly to my sight word lessons. As we know, the most fluent students are in the first 100 sight words, the more likely they will be at succeeding in their education overall.

I have also bundled all of my Sight Word Centers into one convenient download. My Kindergarten Sight Word Bundle has sight word centers for the entire year.

Core Word Readers

Yes, it is possible to get Kindergarteners to read the first month of school! Not only is it possible, but it sets them up for a very exciting year to come. Building the confidence that they need in the first few weeks of school, showing them that they are reading, is the best feeling in the world for a teacher. The faces of pride on a 5-year-old when they look at a book and UNDERSTAND the words on it, is what makes my job my passion. These are books I use the first 2 months of school, alongside my Core Sight Word Unit on TpT, that makes those moments possible. Take a look.

Core Words Centers

Creating a classroom that is excited and engaged in sight word work might be a little rough at first. My Kindergarten students come in my room fairly confident in their ABC knowledge and some know the sounds that go with these letters. But, then I start throwing words at them and asking them to remember how to read them!! Am I crazy?! Not really.

Getting students to understand what reading is is our job as early childhood educators. We introduce kids into the world of letters and words and stories. By exposing students to sight words early, we are creating an interest in words when their minds are still learning about what reading is. I never want my students to think that anything is too hard for them. What I want is for them to know that there is a big world of learning out there and I want to share it with them.

I will be posting a paper soon on sight word education, but thought I would share my Core Word Centers first. These center activities match my Sight Word Lists in my Kindergarten Core Sight Words unit on TpT. The Core Words unit is my FREE unit, so please stop by and take a took at it. During the Core Words unit, which takes place in the first quarter of Kindergarten, students will learn 3 new words a week. These centers will use those new words and review the old with fun games and activities. Take a look:

 Letter/Word Sort

Color Match

 Picture Match

 Can You Find? Word Hunt

 Roll and Write

 Posters for every week

Spin and Color

This unit also includes play dough mats for every word and Sight Word Uno. 

Primer Sight Word Readers

Finally, this little baby is ready! I have been working on my Primer Readers since Christmas. Yes, I'm slow. But, they were done in time for my Kinders this year. We have moved on from the Pre-Primer First 40 Words. Now, it is on to Primer. I am so amazed at how well my Kinders are reading. And I know that the reason they are reading is because they have a combination of sight word recognition instruction, phonics instruction, phonemic awareness instruction, and actual time to READ!

My goal is to have my Kinders not just reading by the end of the year, but for them to BELIEVE they are readers.

As you know, the growth mindset of a child is the most important thing you can teach. Be that to your students, your own children, and yourself. If they don't believe they can, then they wont.

I start off the year with telling them that in Kindergarten we don't say, "I cant." It's a bad word in my class. "Gimme" is also a bad word, but that's another story.

What I thinks makes students believe they can read is when they see that they are reading, over and over, every day. I just finished my Primer Readers and I hope you can check them out and get your students reading. They are great for Kinders and 1st grade. My school uses them as intervention stories in a separate program for struggling students. Here is a little preview:

These books are great for Guided Reading, tracking, sight words (obviously), and partner reads. I use one story every week. We read it in the class and the next week it goes home for homework.

My Kinders are reading, and I am so proud of them!

Starting the Year Off With Sight Words

Ok, you know it's coming. You are going to get a new batch of Kinders. No, they wont be able to sit down. No, they wont stop crying. No, they can't keep their hands to themselves. And yes, you will think you are not going to survive the first two weeks. But, you will! (Seriously, you will...)

So, how do you get your little babies reading? How do you get them to understand that letters make words and we READ words? I am going to share what I use. Many of you already use it and I am glad to read your comments that it is working. But, for those of you who don't, I have a FREE download of my Core Sight Words that my school district uses for Kindergarten starting the second week of school! (Yikes! The second week!)

 This is my free unit that comes before my other sight word units. These are the Core Words that your Kinders will need to start reading emergent readers and building an understanding what words really are. The activities are much simpler that my other units because it is designed for the beginning of Kindergarten. Take a look:

 I send this one home attached to their homework packet. Parents get into the habits of having words each week, which will continue for the entire school year.

 Read, Color, Write is simple and in all of my units. I do these every Monday. I choose a student from my name can. If their name is called they get to find the word in the room with my pointer, spell it for the class, and then tell us what color they want to color it. The kids love it and it keeps everyone engaged.

 Using the interactive whiteboard is great for this activity. Students really get the meaning of tall, small, and fall letters.

Color the sight words. These are in all of my units too. Reinforces color words and after a little while of practice can become a center for the year.

Remember teachers, this is FREE! Go download Core Sight Words at my TpT store and see what you think. If you like it and think it can be helpful in your class I hope you will look into my other units Pre-Primer and Primer.

Redesigned sight word units!

I finally got some time to sit down and redesign my units for teaching sight words in Kindergarten. My district has been using these units for Kindergarten sight word instruction for three years now. I have seen what works and what needed to be adjusted. The newly redesigned units are a little more visually pleasing, as well as having some of the words moved around in the lists. It is also better for a Kindergarten student's fine motor skill development. Check out my units for yourself and see if you like them. Here is a sample of each activity. There are 18 lists, 8 in the PrePrimer and 10 in the Primer.

 Preview of PrePrimer, Part 1 

 Preview of Primer, Part 2

 

This is a Primer activity in which students sort words that have different fonts. 

  

Color the Sight Word is in both PrePrimer and Primer. Primer is more advanced.

  

Weekly flashcards that can be sent home for homework or put on word rings.

 Read it, Colors it, Write it. I pick students out of my Name Can to find the word on a board in the room and read it to the class. Then he or she gets to tell the class what color the word will be. Keeps their attention while they do this activity. 

 Build a Word is challenging in the beginning, but once they get the hang of it they become experts. It also really helps their visual discrimination and processing skills when unscrambling the letters to make the words. 

 Trace and Write the word. I send this page home for homework, or you could put them in a sheet protector and have them practice in class at center time. 

 

Another Color the Sight Word. This one is a PrePrimer, with only three words to read. 

 Missing Letter is a great center activity. Students do really will with this activity once they learn how it works. 

Word Wall words or flashcards. Blue is PrePrimer and green in Primer

Kindergarten Sight Words Bundle

I have been using these units for three years now and have had a lot of success. If you want to have a good sight word supplement, this is it. Hope you enjoy!