Building Relationships

As i settle into the start of a new year my main focus is getting to know my students. What better way than to ask the people that know them the best - their parents and/or carers.
At the start of the year i sent home a questionnaire asking the following questions...

What activities does your child enjoy (this could include TV shows, songs, places to visit, iPad apps )
What are you child's strengths?
What skills would you like your child to learn?
What concerns / challenges do you have (if any)?
Do you have computer access at home? Would you like to see information on a school blog?
is there any other important information you would like me to know?

While i work out which students will be part of my focus group i am working on developing their ability to manage themselves in the classroom.
The responses from the questionnaire has provided me with valuable information which i have used to help settle them into school. For one student i made a peppa pig laminated card for him to hold while sitting at circle time so that he could join the class group. Another student enjoys sensory play so i made sure there were plenty of sensory activities on our choosing board. 

The information i have collected has enabled me to better know my students so i can plan for the needs. 

Reading Readiness

I am 3 weeks into teaching my new class. I have 8 students with varied strengths and abilities which is a change from the 5 older students i had for the last 2 years. I have been spending time building relationships, observing what they can do and where they are at.
One of the biggest learning challenges I face is, "how do I know they are ready to read?."
When speaking to a friend of mine who teaches a mainstream new entrant class I understood that most students start school and start on a Magenta reader straight away. This was certainly what i observed when I was out on practicum many years ago.
When i look at my group of students, only a handful would be able to attend to a story or sit at a table long enough to engage.
I came across a blog that has been helpful when deciding on who i was going to start on individual readers. The blog mentions 5 key signs that a child is ready to read with the first one being "engagement" which i believe is key to a successful reading journey as well as concepts about print. This year i want to become more familiar with the assessment tool "concepts about print" which is used widely across our school.

 https://thisreadingmama.com/ready-to-read-reading-readiness/

Transition to school

I have 8 new entrant learners with a variety of special needs. They are all transitioning from daycare or kindergarten where there was limited routine and frequent free play where they could explore their surroundings on their own accord.
School is a very different place and can be a huge adjustment for any learner. While I am getting to know my students and what my programme will look like I have ensured that I am setting up routines that will encourage their independence while they settle.

Here are some of the routines and strategies i have set up over the first 2 weeks to increase the key competency "managing self". Most teachers at our school would have these strategies set up in their classes as they are key components of any special education classroom however these strategies may also be helpful to other teachers who have students with additional needs in the classroom.

• using a timer to finish an activity - this assists with their independence so they can pack up the activity on their own. It also prepares them that an activity is going to finish which is particularly helpful when they have to leave a preferred activity
• individual timetables - this also assists with their independence so they know where they need to be in the classroom so that you don't have to tell them. Timetables are especially helpful for children who are non-verbal and cannot ask what is happening throughout the day.
• first - then visual sequence (see previous post for more information http://ssslaurencol.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/using-first-then-visual-sequence.html)

I have already seen a shift with their independence, compliance and willingness to join the class for group activities.  

New Year - New Class - New Challenges

2018 is going to be a big year...

I have been given the opportunity to move to our base school to set up a new entrant class. I am excited for the challenge that this will bring; not knowing what skills my learners will come to school with but also being given the chance to provide them with the skills they need to become enthusiastic, motivated and independent young people.

My inquiry this year will remain the same as last years, "will increasing managing self skills improve their reading?"

My blog however will look quite different. Why? My students last year came to my class with existing reading skills that we built upon.
This year I will have to work on building foundation reading skills that all pre-readers need before they are ready to read.
My students will need to learn how to attend to a task, sit for longer periods of time, focus on a activity and engage before they start reading. Many mainstream new entrant classes focus on "reading readiness" which will be a huge focus on my blog this year.
I am looking forward to seeing if i have the same positive results that I had in my inquiry last year.

Reflecting on 2017

I am so incredibly proud of how all my students have improved this year. When i was writing my student reports i realised just how much progress they have made. Especially for those students in my class who had remained on the same reading level for many years. 

At the end of every year we celebrate our students success with an end of year outing. I am looking forward to what 2018 will bring. 

Thank you all for being part of our journey. 

Make a deal ...

As the year winds down so does the structure of many classrooms. The classroom can often be louder and less predictable at the end of the year.

While i try my best to kept the class routine the same my students have begun to notice that the end of year is looming. One of my students has started to become anxious about school finishing and his behavior has escalated over the last two weeks. 

I have planned a class trip this week. To encourage good behavior for the week I have made a reward chart to work towards being allowed to go on the trip. 

Before setting up a reward system I ensure that i follow these guidelines:

- Be clear about what behavior you are trying to change

- Make it achievable and realistic (not too many stickers needed)

- Identify the prize ahead of time

- Be consistent with giving stickers

- Link the sticker with the desired behavior to encourage positive behavior

- Use as a reward NOT a bribe, do not threaten to remove stickers.

Making Words - Update

For the past two terms i have been using a programme called "making words" which was suggested by Dr Sally Clendon. At Sommerville we are fortunate enough to get regular professional development by Sally who focuses on a "balanced literacy curriculum".

I have blogged about this programme previously which you can find here and here.

I have been using this programme with one of my students who struggles with decoding and spelling who is currently reading at level 17/18.

I have noticed huge changes in Evan since using this programme daily. There are mini-lessons which use specific letters and a "special" word that they have to build up to spelling. The lessons start off by spelling small letters like "as". The teacher gives specific instructions to help them to build more complex words, eg; add a letter to the start of the word "at" to spell the word "pat". The student has to use their sound knowledge to word out where the letters have to go. Evan's confidence with spelling has grown so much that now he doesn't need as specific prompts, now we say to him "use three letters to spell the word cat". The managing self skills that Evan has gained has transferred to his writing. Previously he was unable to write a sentence without adult support, this week Evan wrote a story about his cow puppet independently.