First Grade Reading Interventions & More

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I hope everyone is enjoying the fun that is mid-December!  I certainly am but am also looking forward to next week! 🙂
You might remember me mentioning awhile back that I would be working with some First Grade kiddos a few times a week on reading/sight word interventions during part of their reading block.  We met for a few minutes last week to get to know each other, and this week I will start assessing.  The goal is to start jumping into interventions in January.  Here’s what I’ve put together so far:

With First Graders, it’s easiest for me to go to them.  I use my Thirty One Organizing Utility Tote.  (Oh my gosh, I love these bags!)

Here is a look at what is inside:
Starting with the top left and moving right:
*Intervention Binder (will explain below)
*Individual Student Data Folders (will explain in a future post, but these will hold student work, student data graphs, etc.)
*Four In A Row Sight Word Game Boards (will explain below)
Starting with the bottom left and moving right:
*Game Board Markers (Handmade by laminating circles)
*Christmas Erasers Used as Game Board Markers (I bought the small box for $1 at Staples) 
*Dice Eraser (I bought this at Staples for 50 cents.  They come in a pack of two and also in blue and purple!)
*Books (For the first week, I just picked some fun reads incase I need books to refer to, read, or have the students use.  Also included are Bob Books and Scholastic Readers for students to use and practice with.)
Front:
In the front pocket, I have copies and assessment pages for the First Two Hundred Fry Words.  You can find the downloads here.

First in the back pocket are copies of the Primary Spelling Inventory.  Click here to read my previous post about the Spelling Inventory and how I use it.
Also in the back pocket are copies from The Moffatt Girls’ Ready2Read Program for each student.
Future posts will go more in-depth into how I use each tool, student data folders, and the intervention binder, but for this week, I plan to asses each of my First Grade friends.  I’m going to do the Two Hundred Fry Words, Primary Spelling Inventory, Foundational Literacy Assessments, and a reading sample.  During the last few minutes of our sessions, we will explore some sight word games mentioned in this post.  We will only have time for a quick game or two, but they will help the kiddos ease into intervention group as well as practice their sight word recognition!

Also included is a brand new Christmas-themed Four In A Row Sight Word Game I put together.  Four In A Row plays just like Connect Four. Students must first read a word correctly to place one of their chips on the word. The first student to get four words in a row (diagonal, vertical, horizontal) wins. Students should work to block their opponent! For chips, I use either seasonal erasers, bingo chips, handmade chips (paper circles laminated), or plastic counting chips.
I use both the Dolch and Fry Sight Word Lists.  I find both lists to contain many of the same words and don’t think it hurts students to learn words from both. In creating these board games, I had an end of First Grade learner in mind, so only the Dolch Pre-Primer – First Grade Sight Words and Fry First Two Hundred Sight Words are included. Words from both lists are mixed on the boards, and I tried to arrange them from least difficult to most difficult. I created these game boards with my students in mind but hope you might be able to use them with yours as well!
DOWNLOAD HERE! *(Please click on “File” then “Download”.)*
Also, I just want to pass along two other recent finds of mine.  I scored this awesome Melissa & Doug Wooden Alphabet Stamp Set during Black Friday week for only $10 bucks!  I plan to use it in intervention groups and Daily 5 stations!  I also found the set of dollar bills (50 are included, I think!) at Staples last week for 50 cents.  $1-$100 bills are included.  As of now, I plan to laminate these and attach magnets to the back.  I’ll use them on a magnetic board during our whole group lessons, morning reviews, etc.  Can’t wait!
Finally, I want to share an AMAZING deal with you!  Between now and December 24, Samson’s Classroom (www.samsonsclassroom.com) is offering a one-year subscription at $15 off (a 50% discount on the single-user plan) AND a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate to go with the subscription!  Enter the promo code AMAZON12 at checkout. After placing your order (using the promo code), you will receive an email containing your Amazon gift card plus a printable holiday card to present to the child. 

If you are unfamiliar with Samson’s Classroom, please click here to read a review I wrote about the program earlier this year. This amazing program combines sight words, spelling, and reading comprehension, and is a wonderful resource for both the classroom and home. I would HIGHLY recommend passing along this information and code to parents in your weekly newsletters. Samson’s Classroom would make a great Christmas gift, and with this deal, it’s hard to pass up!  Please check it out!

*Also, I’m working on a very exciting update to my Christmas Around The World Unit.  I’m trying to get it finished ASAP and will have it up in the next day or two. Stay tuned!*