Fluency Pictures and Tip, Tip, Tell, Re-ask

Since I wasn't able to upload the video of us doing our fluency practice, I took a few pictures the other day of kids reading with each other.  They are doing a GREAT job of whisper reading and recording errors and correct words per minute for their partner.

This morning we also spent some time learning a strategy for helping each other figure out answers without just TELLING the answer right away.  I thought I would share it with you as parents so you could use it at home when you are helping your child with homework!  It is called Tip, Tip, Tell, Re-ask....

If they don't answer a question correctly, give them a tip. "Think of what sound that letter makes..." (or whatever applies to what you are doing)

If they don't answer correctly again, give them another hint or tip.

If they are still stuck, just tell them.  That's ok!  Sometimes you just have to be told what the right answer is.  But, here is the most important part:

Re-ask!!!

Always ask them to repeat the answer back to you, now that they know it.  It's the repeating that helps them cement the information in their brain. :)

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Lafferty

Getting into the swing of things...

We have spent the first days of school learning all the routines that will carry us through the year.  One of the things that we have spent some serious time learning is how to practice our fluency!  This little video shows our class doing an awesome job of using whisper voices and reading to a partner.  One person is the "recorder" and the other person is the "reader".  Partner A reads for one minute while partner B listens carefully for accuracy, marking any works that are not correct.  Then, we switch jobs.  Partners read the same story all week.  The goal is to read more words correctly each day.  We are graphing and recording our progress.  It has been fun to see how quickly they picked up this routine!

****Rats!  For some reason Blogger doesn't want to cooperate and upload my video tonight.  I will try again another night.  Sorry!!!*****

I took this picture to help remind me where all my kiddos sit when we gather at the rug.  I thought it would be fun for you to see where your child sits!

And, last but not least for tonight (since tonight is the first night reading logs went home).  My kids laugh every time I say "researchers say..." BUT IT'S TRUE!  Researchers say that the best way to become a better reader is to just plain READ!  Here is a little visual that I found on Pinterest.  This pretty much sums it all up!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Lafferty

Trying new things

I am excited to be trying something new...a class blog!  I have been thinking about doing this for a while now, but just hadn't taken the time to set one up and figure out how it all works.  I want this to be an easy way for you as parents to see what is happening in our 3rd grade classroom.  I hope the posts that I share will also be a conversation starter for you and your child about their day and what they are learning!  

I'm looking forward to an exciting year!
Mrs. Lafferty