Readers' Rally

Hello Families! Its the return of "In-Person School Conferences!" Thank you to the parents and guardians that have booked a conference time to meet with me and have your child demonstrate evidence of their progress in reading. I'm happy to discuss any questions or provide suggestions that may be helpful during daily reading time at home. The hours I am available will be 4:30pm - 7:00pm on Thursday, March 9 and 8:00am - 11:15 am on Friday, March 10, 2023.   Conferences can be booked through CBE Power School.  I will likely be set up in the Literacy Room in the Library Office.  Your child can show you the way! Conference Link: https://sis.cbe.ab.ca/public/ I know the students are eager to show you the Flyleaf Decodable Book Series Online...  on Ipads, mobile devices, and laptops.  These Online Versions of the stories can provide children with another resource to utilize st home, while reinforcing skills practiced during guided reading.are provided at no-cost till the end o

Hello Families! March is nearly upon us!  Spring is just around the corner!  So are Parent/Student-Teacher Conferences.  If I am working with your child, I am happy to meet with you for 15 minutes to discuss your child's progress and have them highlight some of their learning for you. I will be available Thursday, March 9 from 4:30pm to 7:00pm and Friday, March 10th from 8:00am to 11:15am. In reading groups, we are continuing to delve deeper into the comprehension of stories read over the week.  Students comment on re-reading the same book for the week, but when they reflect back on their understanding after their first read, and compare it to their fourth read, the level of comprehension, the vocabulary development, decoding skills, the ability to clarify through predicting, questioning and investigating before, during and after reading strengthens with practice.  As we move through the Fab 4 Reciprocal Reading Roles with the students, they will have the opportunity to "Rol

  Hello Families! These past couple weeks our reading groups have been working on developing comprehension skills through questioning - both generating questions and answering questions. Learning Intentions: I can use question words  like  "Who?" “What?” "When?" "Where and “Why?” .  I can make sure I understand by asking simple questions. I can make sure I understand by asking specific questions. I can ask questions to learn more information. TIP :   When reading with your child,   you may encourage conversation and comprehension by asking "I wonder why the character......, or......"I wonder if......then......?    This gets your child thinking at a deeper level about the actions, events, and characters in the story.  It allows them to bring in personal experiences and prior knowledge to their reading to enhance and further develop their understanding of the text. Fun Fridays Ask your child what we do on Fun Fridays...ask them to tell you about a word

Hello Families!  It's been so rewarding to see the students' growth in reading over the last few months.   Report cards are available through PowerSchool as of Monday, January 30, 2023.  If I have worked with your child, and you have any questions or comments with regards to reading, or would like to chat about further supporting your child at home, please send me an email with your contact information so I can get back to you.                       kmgrant@cbe.ab.ca We've entered our next learning cycle and we have formed new groups according to students' targeted goals in reading.   With the New Year, students will be introduced to the "Fab 4: Reciprocal Reading Strategies".    Now that groups have a few different strategies for decoding, they will learn to focus   on 4 specific strategies to build their comprehension during reading and discussions that occur within  small groups .  More information wil

  Hi Everyone,  I just wanted to thank those of you that were able to schedule a short conference with me.  It was great to discuss your child's progress and what I've noticed and how you are helping at home. Learning Intention: I can read accurately and with expression and understand what I read. This past week, we've been focusing on fluency of reading. This includes things like rate, expression, and appropriate phrasing.  As students develop their knowledge of sounds and letters in decoding, and they increase their vocabulary and high frequency words, they can then begin to " smooth out the words in the sentence" rather than tracking word-by-word.  We notice punctuation and change our voice accordingly. Helpful Tip:  If you are reading with your child, model the phrasing first, followed by an "echo" read by your child. Have fun pretending the phrase is a question, or exclamation...or perhaps play with emotions..."Let's read it as if the cha

 Hello Grade 1 and 2 Families! The students in our reading groups are really getting into the swing of things and are enthusiastic about starting a new book each week to practice new sounds, and strategies we introduce.   Reminder: Conferences are coming up!! I'm happy to meet with you to discuss your child's progress or answer any questions. At the bottom of the page you will see info on how to set up an appointment. We will be meeting on line, but can make accommodations for in person if necessary. Learning Intentions: I can use my Eagle Eye to look at the pictures and search for meaning and help me to decode words by looking at the initial and final letter of a word. I can use my background knowledge and picture clues to make predictions about and connections to the text. I can point under the words and match one to one speech to print. I can manipulate sounds to create new words. Every few weeks, students are introduced to a targeted reading strategy and have opportu