5 Houses of Guild Point Collection

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October 18 Session:Mike Shoulders

NCRA is so excited to be having Michael Shoulders John us for our October session. I had the pleasure of seeing him present "Bringing Boys Back to Books" at ILA 16. It was such a fun filled, book list-filled session that I just knew our NCRA members had to experience it! Hope we see you there!

Good-bye Summer! Hello Guided Reading Greatness!

A new school year is just around the corner. I am greatly looking forward to getting this year started. I spent a great deal of time this summer focusing on my "craft" as a Reading Specialist by relying on the great works of Guided Reading Guru-Jan Richardson. At the ILA conference, I had the pleasure of attending all 3 of her sessions and then having a great follow-up chat in the exhibit hall. What a perfect compliment to all my summer studies! I learned so many effective strategies and guided reading structures that have proven to accelerate the reading progress of struggling readers. I am eager to put these into action and watch the growth soar!

New Year-New Blogging Goal

A change is needed! Since I took to Twitter in September, we have a "Tweeter of the Day" and are sharing our learning each day! This has caused me to get behind on blog postings...I don't like to be behind! So, my solution is to just post a monthly review of all our exciting learning. Be sure to check back at the end of January to see what has been happening in the REACH room!

Goodbye 2015-Hello 2016

As the clock ticks down so does the final day of winter break. One of my goals was to update the blog with our learning from December. With only a few hours left, I am happy that I was able to accomplish this goal. Our December was filled with lots of holiday themed learning, a successful Starbooks Cafe event, and GES Music program! Enjoy the pics of all the festive fun and learning...

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Hope King inspired Headbandz

During my visit to RCA Academy, Hope King had us play Headbandz! This is a fun, interactive learning game that can be used in so, so many ways. I have used it sight words, vocabulary and even letter names/sounds with my kindergartners. This has become a weekly activity in all of my classes. Initially, many struggled to even know what to say or how to communicate their clues and thoughts. As a bonus, I  have seen a drastic improvement in their ability to communicate thoughts and ideas.

Mini-Monsters+Re-Reading=Improved Fluency

This year I have incorporating mini-monsters into our text re-reading. What used to seem more like a chore to them instantly became more of a treat! They can't wait to select their monster reading partner and find a cozy spot to re-read. I have seen their fluency improve greatly just by adding this simple little touch to re-reading!