Instructional Procedures and Activities

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Name: Unlock the Letter's Sound 

 

URL:https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2014/02/letter-sounds-activity.html

 

Addressing: This activity addresses phonological awareness, letter sound association, and letter recognition.

 

Summary: The students have the chance to explore phonics in a hands-on ways as they investigate and explore letters.

 

Materials Needed:

-keys marked with the letters A-Z

-locks marked with images of words A-Z 

 

Directions: The teacher will gather a variety of keys and matching locks. The teacher will mark each key with a letter. For example, one key will be marked, "A". The matching lock to this key will be marked with an image of a word beginning with the /a/ sound. For example, the lock might have an image of an apple on it. If the student suggests that this lock belongs with this key, then he or she can test it out by seeing whether or not the key unlocks the lock. This activity can be adapted in a variety of ways.

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Name: Morning Message

 

URL: https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/doing-language-arts-in-morning-meeting/:

 

Addressing: Morning Messages can address any English Language Arts skill! Some specific skills that can easily be incorporated include: parts of speech, synonyms and antonyms, prepositions, vocabulary, punctuation, and homonyms - although the options are endless!

 

Summary: Morning Messages can be written by the teacher each morning, or the students can take part in writing them. These messages can consist of any information that is relevant to the students. Within the messages, the teacher can incorporate a limitless amount of literacy skills.

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Materials Needed:

-Whiteboard or SmartBoard

 

Directions: The teacher will select which English Language Arts skills to focus on. Once chosen, a Morning Message that incorporates these skills will be created. The teacher can use tools such as highlighting, underlining, or circling to emphasize key points and skills within the message. Depending on the abilities of the students, morning messages can either range anywhere from a couple of sentences to multiple paragraphs. Ultimately, it is up to the teacher and the students to personalize Morning Messages that best fit everyone's needs. Creativity is encouraged.

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Name: Fish Bowl

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URL:https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/fishbowl

 

Addressing: This activity addresses reading comprehension and character analyzation.

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Summary: The students will be given the opportunity to act as characters from a work of literature. This is a collaborative activity that requires the students to have a strong understanding of the characters they have been reading about. Additionally, this activity incorporates many higher-level thinking skills from Bloom's Taxonomy such as understanding, applying, analyzing, and evaluating.

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Materials Needed:

-Text the whole-class is familiar with

-Optional costumes/props

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Directions: A select number of students will be seated in the center of the classroom. The remainder of the class will form a circle around them. The students seated in the center will role-play as the characters from the work of literature currently being focused on by the whole-class. The students will interact with each other as if they were really the characters from the text. To make sure that everyone is engaged, the students not in the center can tap enter into the fishbowl at any time. They can do this by tapping one of the students who is currently in the fishbowl on the shoulder and thus swapping places. Additionally, the students who are not currently in the fishbowl can also prompt those who are with topics of conversations and/or questions. To make this extra fun, the students can come wear character costumes.

 

 

Name: Left Side - Right Side

 

URL: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/speaking-listening-techniques/

 

Addressing: This activity addresses a variety of skills including reading comprehension, collaboration, and discussion strategies.

 

Summary: The students will express their feelings on topics concerning a work of literature the class has read or is currently reading.

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Materials Needed:

-"I Agree" Sign

-"I Disagree" Sign

- Statements about the text

 

Directions: The teacher will designate one side of the room as the "I Agree" side and the other side of the room as the "I Disagree" side. Then, the teacher will make statements about the text, and the students will move to whichever side of the room is representative   of their response. After each statement is read and the students have moved to either side of the room, the students will have the chance to have a discussion. For instance, a student who agrees with the statement might ask a student on the side of the room why they disagree. 

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Name: Picture Carousel 

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URL:https://shelleygrayteaching.com/carousel/

 

Addressing: Picture carousels address pre-reading.

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Summary:Before reading a work of literature, the students have the opportunity to explore images connected to the reading. Hopefully, this will make them feel excited for what they are about to read as well as provide them with background knowledge.

Children who are learning how to read also benefit from picture carousels because the images help them get a general idea of what the story is about. Images are particularly beneficial for new readers.

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Materials Needed:

-Images from or relating to a text

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Directions: Images that are related to a work of literature are displayed around the classroom. The students walk from image to image and write down any thoughts, feelings, or connections they think of. After this, the students come together in a whole-class setting and share any remarks. Once the picture carousel is completed, the reading may begin.

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Name: Anticipation Guide

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URL:https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/anticipation_guide

 

Addressing: This is both a pre-reading and post-reading strategy.

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Summary: The students anonymously voice their opinions on statements related to a work of literature. This process occurs both before and after the initial reading. 

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Materials Needed:

-Statements about a text

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Directions: The teacher presents the class with various statements relating to a work of literature the students are not familiar with. The students anonymously vote on whether they agree or disagree with the statements. The statements are re-visited after the students complete the reading. A second anonymous vote takes place. It is noted whether or not the students' opinions seemed to have shifted from before and after the reading. A discussion may follow after this activity.