gdata.io.handleScriptLoaded({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-26T08:12:09.894-05:00"},"category":[{"term":"homeschooling"},{"term":"IEP"},{"term":"liquid watercolor art activities"},{"term":"children's books"},{"term":"siblings"},{"term":"curriculum"},{"term":"OT"},{"term":"busy book"},{"term":"Testy Shop"},{"term":"Testy Homeschool \u0026 Teacher Shop"},{"term":"crafts"},{"term":"CEU Challenge"},{"term":"review"},{"term":"cardsets"},{"term":"quiet book"},{"term":"light box"},{"term":"preschool"},{"term":"language"},{"term":"therapy"},{"term":"Michael"},{"term":"supplements"},{"term":"weeklyreview"},{"term":"daily life"},{"term":"tidbits"},{"term":"blogging"},{"term":"audiofiles"},{"term":"app"},{"term":"giveaway"},{"term":"reference"},{"term":"car ride activities"},{"term":"Apraxia"},{"term":"Ava"},{"term":"SLP"},{"term":"articulation"},{"term":"Dala"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Testy yet trying"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"A Speech Pathologist Mother and Her Daughter Diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/homeschooling?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/homeschooling?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/search/label/homeschooling"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/homeschooling/-/homeschooling?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d7\u0026max-results\u003d6"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"https://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"38"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"6"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-4860981687642878907"},"published":{"$t":"2013-10-02T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-10-02T05:00:01.412-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"daily life"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Pros and Cons of a Sick Homeschooling Household"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"We were all sick last week.  Ava came down with it first.  She was sniffly and slightly feverish.  She was achy with a sore throat.  She was irritable - for her.  This resulted in the children being snippy with each other.  They usually get along well and the lack of harmony really grated on my nerves.  If the children were in school I would have needed to keep her home.  Or send her in and feel guilty and worried about her all day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Instead we just kept to our usual routine.  I leaned a little more on Michael for answers and a little less on Ava.  We took more breaks.  But overall, school continued.  The kids like our school work and they get bored when just left on their own for too long.  Ava in particular likes to be with her loved ones and so she didn't complain at all.\u003cBr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Michael was also irritable all week.  He didn't seem to get the sore throat or fever, but he did get the runny nose and cough.  Again, we just kept to a slightly less cheerful and intense version of the usual routine.  The children being irritable was driving me crazy though.  I felt like I was intervening in some sort of squabble at least once every 30 minutes and it was killing me.  My mood was off and I was atypically grumpy and short tempered.  In retrospect, I should have known I was next.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Then it was my turn.  If the children felt even a fraction as miserable as I did, I am in awe of how well they had actually been doing all week.  I was taking two different types of over the counter pain killers and it still felt like my throat and Eustachian tubes were on fire with every breath.  This was keeping me from sleeping.  I was running the same low grade fever the children had been running.  The details aren't important.  Let's just say that if I weren't homeschooling I would have been spending my days in bed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Instead, I got up and got breakfast into the littles and got through our first two lessons of the day - circle time and math.  At that point, instead of transitioning to reading or Scholastic News I let the children have free time and informed them that I was going to read.  They could come find me when they were ready to do their reading lesson.  Admittedly, that was a bit pitiful, but it worked.  The children played independently for almost two hours while I dozed on the sofa.  Then Ava came to ask to do her reading lesson.  The rest gave me enough energy to get through Ava's reading lesson and lunch.  Then it was more free play for the children until Michael came to ask for his reading lesson.  At that point in the afternoon I typically read to the children for an hour or we do art, but there was no way my throat was going to participate in an hour of reading aloud so we watched a movie instead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It wasn't elegant, but it got done.  We repeated that same schedule the next day.  Even though the entire household was sick, we still managed circle time, word wall activities, math, and reading every day.  It wasn't as high energy, efficient, or on schedule, but it still all happened.  It was a workable solution.  I'm looking forward to being back to full energy and patience this week (I'm still shaking off the cold), but it was nice to see that we can work this homeschooling thing through a household illness."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/4860981687642878907/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/10/pros-and-cons-of-sick-homeschooling.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/4860981687642878907"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/4860981687642878907"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/10/pros-and-cons-of-sick-homeschooling.html","title":"Pros and Cons of a Sick Homeschooling Household"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-3004987378697414492"},"published":{"$t":"2013-09-30T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-09-30T05:00:02.196-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Interactive Word Wall - Refining and Differentiated Instruction"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":" \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQLihTMqftw/UkhOqNig49I/AAAAAAAAEkw/u_fZYlT6ejY/s1600/Word+Wall+In+Use.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQLihTMqftw/UkhOqNig49I/AAAAAAAAEkw/u_fZYlT6ejY/s400/Word+Wall+In+Use.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe have now been using our word wall in our Pre-Kindergarten / Kindergarten level homeschool for about six weeks.  I wrote about \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/interactive-word-wall-creating-and.html\"\u003eplanning and creating the word wall\u003c/a\u003e and my intentions for using it interactively several weeks ago.  I have learned a few things and refined my technique since then.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eChoosing and Introducing Word Wall Words\u003c/h3\u003eThere are many ways to use a word wall.  Some choose to use their word wall to highlight content area vocabulary or with themes.  My children are very young so I am using the word wall to facilitate the reading and spelling of early sight words.  I am pulling most of the words from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolch_word_list\"\u003eDolch lists\u003c/a\u003e.  I am introducing six new words each week.  Here's the key though.  I'm \u003cb\u003enot\u003c/b\u003e just going through those lists in order.  I make sure the six words I choose each week can be combined to make a sentence.  This is absolutely key!  I print the words on plain white paper and cut them out so that you can see the word shape.  Then I tape them each to a differently colored background and laminate the cards.  Finally I stick a magnet on the back of each word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eMonday -\u003c/b\u003e I introduce the words on Monday during circle time.  We clap and snap each word taking the time to discuss the word shape (small, tall, and fall letters - does the word look like a rectangle or squares - etc.) and how to decode the individual phonemes.  Then we build a sentence from the words.  We build one or two sentences that make sense and we build silly sentences that do not make sense.  The children love it.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eTuesday-Thursday -\u003c/b\u003e I display one word at a time and ask my preschooler to read the word.  If she has difficulty, I help her decode the word.  We then snap and clap the word and its spelling.  Then I have my kindergartner spell the word (he can read all the words easily, so this is how I differentiate instruction).  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003eAfter reviewing all six words, we continue to build sentences with the words.  I use a dry erase marker and show making the first letter of the sentence a capital and adding punctuation as appropriate.  The clapping and snapping the word, discussion of word shape, and decoding the words using phonics are all important, but it is using the words to build sentences that really cements them in the minds of the children.  Ava gets practice reading the words in a sentence context.  Michael gets to read with inflection and discuss capitalization and punctuation.  We get to work collaboratively and take turns composing and reading the sentences.  And we all get to laugh together at some of the nonsense sentences we create.  In five minutes or less the children have practiced reading the six words at least a dozen times each and they don't even realize it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mOziNWaFAa0/UkhPWd0zNtI/AAAAAAAAEk8/X3hjuU0y2To/s1600/Word+Wall+Sentence.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mOziNWaFAa0/UkhPWd0zNtI/AAAAAAAAEk8/X3hjuU0y2To/s320/Word+Wall+Sentence.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sp9uMTOj-Cs/UkhPWabaQ0I/AAAAAAAAEk4/XNWeuF1--Pw/s1600/Word+Wall+Question.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sp9uMTOj-Cs/UkhPWabaQ0I/AAAAAAAAEk4/XNWeuF1--Pw/s320/Word+Wall+Question.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eFriday -\u003c/b\u003e On Friday we repeat the same routine.  When we are finished, the children each take three of the words and put them in the appropriate spots on the word wall.  Now these words are integrated in with the words from previous weeks and we are ready to introduce six new words during circle time on the next Monday.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eUsing and Practicing Word Wall Words - Daily\u003c/h3\u003eEach day, immediately after circle time, we do a word wall game.  This can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes.  The children LOVE this time of day.  They remind me if I forget.  I made \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/interactive-word-wall-creating-and.html\"\u003ea printable list of 15 Word Wall Games\u003c/a\u003e, and you can find many more with a simple internet search.  I rotate through the games so we're never doing the same one twice a week.  The children particularly like Tall Towers, Word Wall Tic Tac Toe, and Word Wall Word Search.  Whenever appropriate, I differentiate instruction by asking Michael to spell the word while Ava only needs to read the word.  I also keep track informally of which words (from the wall) that they know well and which ones they still need practice on and try to rotate in the ones they need more practice with more often.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDoes it work?\u003c/h3\u003eLet's think of having a word wall in a classroom as a three stage process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart 1:\u003c/b\u003e  Teacher creates a word wall space, chooses words, and gets those words onto the wall alphabetically.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart 2:\u003c/b\u003e  Teacher chooses new words each week and devotes class time to introducing the words and reviewing them daily.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart 3:\u003c/b\u003e  Teacher devotes additional daily classroom time to having children work with the word wall words interactively in a game format.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Part one is something a teacher does when starting a word wall project.  In theory, the wall could be set up and a full year's worth of words could be prepared.  Then each week the teacher could throw up 4-6 new words and be done.  I devoted the time to setting up the word wall and making a couple of months worth of words.  If all I did was slap six new words on the wall, or have the children slap six new words on the wall, no one would learn them.  \u003cb\u003ePart 1 alone? - Not enough.\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e The children and I typically enjoy the word wall work we do during circle time.  We like the clap and snap and the building of the sentences.  A lot of learning takes place during this interaction.  One week, I simply forgot to do this two days in a row and noticed that my daughter struggled more with the words that week.  \u003cb\u003ePart 1 and Part 2?  Adequate for familiarity and some automaticity, but not for true mastery.\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Then there was the week I was going through a bit of a homeschooling teacher slump and decided to skip the word wall games.  I was a little bored with them and preferred to just skip straight to math.  I noticed a huge change.  Ava definitely lost ground with the old words.  As soon as I brought back in the word wall games and devoted those 5-15 extra minutes a day I saw huge change.  And the children LOVE this time.  Call it a \"break\" and stick it in between two more intense activities, but this time is worth it.  My four year old daughter can look at our word wall and read every word on it.  She's proud and she thinks it is fun. \u003cb\u003eAll 3 Parts?  This works!\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eWord Wall\u003dSight Words - But what about phonics?\u003c/h3\u003eI strongly support phonics instruction.  Research shows that phonics instruction is a critical component of reading instruction.  Our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html\"\u003eAll About Reading program\u003c/a\u003e is doing an amazing job of comprehensively teaching phonics to my children (and fluency and sight words - the program is extraordinarily comprehensive).  However, knowing some of the most common words encountered in reading the English language by sight is a huge boost to a beginning reader.  It helps them read more quickly and easily.  Also, many of the words on the Dolch lists are \"rule breakers\" that do not follow phonics rules and including them on a word wall gives a teacher the opportunity to talk about that.  I do talk about the phonics of these words during instruction time and about how and why the reading of the words break phonics rules when that is the case.   \u003c/ol\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/3004987378697414492/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/interactive-word-wall-refining-and.html#comment-form","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/3004987378697414492"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/3004987378697414492"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/interactive-word-wall-refining-and.html","title":"Interactive Word Wall - Refining and Differentiated Instruction"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQLihTMqftw/UkhOqNig49I/AAAAAAAAEkw/u_fZYlT6ejY/s72-c/Word+Wall+In+Use.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-3778731057693254622"},"published":{"$t":"2013-09-12T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-09-12T05:00:03.166-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"children's books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Super Reading and The Magic Tree House Books"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I'll admit it.  I was struggling in the afternoons.  Our mornings are fairly structured.  Time goes quickly.  We get a lot done.  \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/07/homeschool-circle-time.html\"\u003eCircle time\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/interactive-word-wall-creating-and.html\"\u003eword wall games\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2012/04/rightstart-mathematics-level-review-and.html\"\u003emath\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/scholastic-news-classroom-magazine-from.html\"\u003eScholastic News\u003c/a\u003e, and our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html\"\u003ereading program\u003c/a\u003e fill the morning.  Then, about 4 hours after we started, we are all ready for a significant break.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I let the kids watch some tv while I prepare lunch.  Then I let them eat lunch in front of the tv while I have some quiet time.  I know it isn't perfect, but I'm human and an introvert and my sanity is important too.  So we all have a mid-day break and I do use the television to make that happen.  The problem was that I was having trouble finding the motivation to pull us all back together afterwards.  I found excuses to delay... and delay... and delay.  Then I had an ephiphany.  I realized that we needed something truly fun to pull us all back together - something that made me glad to leave my little bit of solitude and something that made the children excited about turning off the television.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So now I read to the children in the afternoons.  It's not a lesson.  Michael isn't reading or taking turns reading.  They simply get to listen to me read.  I'm not feeling rushed like I often feel during the reading time that is part of our bedtime routine.  If we're all enjoying it we can just keep reading.  We often read for 60-90 minutes in the afternoon and we all love it.  Michael calls it \"Super Reading Time\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e One of the purchases I indulged in with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/scholastic-book-clubs-for-homeschool-too.html\"\u003emy first Scholastic Reading Club order\u003c/a\u003e was a Magic Tree House book set.  We now are the proud owners of books 1-45.  (If you want the full set, the best price per book by far is from the Scholastic Reading clubs.  Any library should have these books too.)  The main characters are an older brother and a younger sister who are only a year apart - just like my two.  The older boy is conservative and loves books and knowledge.  The younger girl is imaginative and adventurous and loves animals.  I think part of the reason the children love the books so much is because they identify with Jack and Annie.  Michael has even started using some of the phrases that Jack frequently uses in the books.  I'm not super fond of the phrase, \"Is she nuts?\" but hearing him imitate Jack is pretty cute.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The stories are about two children who discover a magic tree house in the woods near their house.  The tree house is filled with books.  When they point to a picture in the book and wish to travel there the tree house takes them to the location (and time) of the picture in the book.  So far, there are story arcs that bridge several books.  In each of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375813659/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0375813659\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003efirst four books\u003c/a\u003e they discover a clue about the owner of the tree house and they meet her at the end of the fourth book.  At the beginning of the fifth book they discover that the tree house's owner has a spell cast on her and they have to collect four things to break the spell.  They collect those four things over the course of their adventures in the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375822666/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0375822666\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003enext four books\u003c/a\u003e and then rescue her at the end of the eighth book.  We've just started it, but the story arc for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375825533/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0375825533\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003ebooks 9-12\u003c/a\u003e appears to be Jack and Annie answering four riddles in order to pass the test to become \"Master Librarians\".  The children enjoy the individual stories, but they also very much enjoy the story arcs as well and definitely keep track of the progress Jack and Annie are making towards the larger goal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Each book is 10 chapters.  In each story they travel to a new location in time or space and there is a lot of science and social studies content embedded in the books.  That is a great bonus while homeschooling.  We read half a book (5 chapters) each day so it takes us two days to read each book.  Many of the books also have a nonfiction companion book.  So, for example, the fictional story \"Mummies in the Morning\" has a nonfiction companion book \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375802983/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0375802983\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eMummies and Pyramids\u003c/a\u003e\".  The nonfiction books are fairly dense with a great deal of interesting information.  They are written from the perspective of Jack and Annie with the story being that when they got back from Ancient Egypt they wanted to know more about it.  So they went to the library, learned more about it, and wrote this book to share the information with other children.  I tried the Fact Trackers on a whim.  I was almost positive the reading level would just be too high for my 4 and 5 year old, but they seem to like them.  So each day we read 5 chapters of the next Magic Tree house book, and then a couple chapters of a Fact Tracker book about one of the fictional books we've already read.  So far we've done \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375802975/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0375802975\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eKnights and Castles\u003c/a\u003e\" and most of \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375802983/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0375802983\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eMummies and Pyramids\u003c/a\u003e.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Another great thing about reading this book as a series is the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.magictreehouse.com/\"\u003eMagic Tree House companion website\u003c/a\u003e.  There you can print out a passport.  Each time you finish a book you can earn a passport stamp by answering three questions about the story.  My children LOVE this.  You can also earn passports for the Fact Tracker nonfiction companion books.  The site also has a game where you can complete missions by answering questions about four different books (earning a clue for each answer) and then solving a puzzle at the end.  You earn a medallion for each successfully completed mission.  This part of the website fascinates my children and I would love to let them do it.  Unfortunately, the missions seem to choose randomly between ALL the books.  If they would limit it to just books the children have already read (ones they've earned passport stamps for) then you would be able to play the mission game and begin to earn medallions no matter how many of the books you've read.  As it is, we can't really play that game at all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \"Super reading\" and the Magic Tree House books have completely transformed our afternoons.  Now we all look forward to the time after lunch and we come back together for some snuggly reading time on the sofa together.  It has become a really special time of our homeschooling day.  "},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/3778731057693254622/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/super-reading-and-magic-tree-house-books.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/3778731057693254622"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/3778731057693254622"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/super-reading-and-magic-tree-house-books.html","title":"Super Reading and The Magic Tree House Books"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-7657480265215841570"},"published":{"$t":"2013-09-02T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-09-02T05:00:01.394-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Scholastic News Classroom Magazine: from a Homeschool Perspective"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I subscribed to the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN1/\"\u003efirst\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN2\"\u003esecond\u003c/a\u003e grade editions of the Scholastic News Magazine for this school year.  I added Science Spin on to the subscription for each.  Now, fair warning.  I thought I was going to be able to subscribe for the stated price of $4.49 per student + $0.99 cents for Science Spin.  I found out that you only get that price if you are ordering for 10 or more students.  When you want to order a single copy, you must call the 1-800 number and they charge significantly more.  I don't recall what the price was since I ordered 4 or 5 months ago, but I'm going to guess it was something like $15 or so per subscription.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e It was completely worth it.  If you subscribe to Scholastic News and Science spin, you get 5 magazines per month (one Scholastic News per week and 1 Science Spin per month).  The \"magazines\" are only 4 pages long.  You have the cover, a two page spread in the middle, and an activity/review on the back.  The topics are usually science or social studies oriented.  They are supposed to increase in complexity and language level over the course of the school year.  My kids LOVE them.  That's not even the best part though.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e As part of the subscription you get access to Scholastic News online.  There you can find teacher's guides, printable worksheets, and online versions of each magazine.  The online version of the magazine can be read at the regular reading level, or switched to a lower reading level.  There is at least one video and sometimes more that is associated with each magazine and the final page of the magazine (the activity page) is interactive and can be completed online.  There is also an online \"game\" for every magazine which is really a learning activity/review.\u003cBr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e The online site for each grade level also has access to the digital versions of the past two year's worth of magazines and all the videos and printables.  You can easily do a magazine a day online.  I find that the children adore sitting down at the computer for our Scholastic News magazine time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Eventually, you will need to log in to access the Scholastic News online content, but the site is completely open through the end of September.  \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN2\"\u003eCheck it out\u003c/a\u003e.  Use it between now and then.  If you like it, you can call and subscribe for the rest of the school year.  We've even used a couple of the digital versions of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://sni.scholastic.com/SN3/09_02_13_SN3/\"\u003eGrade 3 magazines\u003c/a\u003e while they're accessible for free.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e I like that the magazines are a fun way to hit language arts while browsing through a wide variety of science and social studies topics.  The activities on the final pages and the online games are an entertaining way to introduce young children to a wide variety of skills such as graphing, main ideas and supporting details, opposites, and more.  And all that was just in the first month.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Enjoy! "},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/7657480265215841570/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/scholastic-news-classroom-magazine-from.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/7657480265215841570"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/7657480265215841570"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/09/scholastic-news-classroom-magazine-from.html","title":"Scholastic News Classroom Magazine: from a Homeschool Perspective"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-5778063576585666044"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-26T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-26T05:00:00.656-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"curriculum"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"All About Reading - Level 2: Curriculum Review"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1184\"\u003eAll About Reading: Level 2\u003c/a\u003e - A Homeschooling Parent's Review\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s1600/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s320/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eBackground\u003c/h3\u003e I am a certified Elementary and Early Childhood teacher and a certified Speech-Language Pathologist.  I am homeschooling my kindergartener and preschooler.  My son was always precocious where reading is concerned.  He's reading independently at this point and I credit our experiences with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003eAll About Reading\u003c/a\u003e for much of that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Even as a toddler, he was always interested in his letters.  When we read \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0066U1SJU/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003dB0066U1SJU\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eChicka Chicka Boom Boom\u003c/a\u003e to him as a toddler he was very interested in identifying all the letters at the beginning and end of the book.  We fed that interest.  He just loved to tune into letters and their sounds.  So, a little over a year ago, when I began to think about homeschooling I decided to dip my toe into the water, so to speak, with a reading program.  Michael loved letters.  I loved reading.  It seemed like a great place to start.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After researching many programs and trying the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1146\"\u003efree sample materials\u003c/a\u003e for All About Reading Level 1, I decided that I wanted to go with the All About Reading curriculum.  I wanted a phonics based program.  Research supports a solid understanding of phonics as being essential to reading.  I also knew I wanted a program that specifically addressed fluency.  The fluency sheets in this program are well designed to practice single words, phrases, and sentences.  The readers are exquisite and address phonics skills at the story level and reading comprehension at the same time.  The flash cards teach sight words to mastery.  The teacher's manual ties together all of these elements in an easy to teach way.  I liked the design of the program.  I liked it a lot.  Also, they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee for a whole year.  \u003cb\u003eYou have a full year to try the materials.\u003c/b\u003e  If you are unhappy for any reason, just return the materials for a full refund.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When I received them, the materials were amazing.  The program is comprehensive and full-featured.  The \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1185\"\u003eactive online forums\u003c/a\u003e were helpful more than once.  The customer service was prompt and went above and beyond to be helpful (they sent me out a free replacement CD-ROM that I had lost).  After completing Level 1 with Michael I purchased Level 2 for Michael and the Pre-Reading Level for Ava.  That is how happy I am with the reading programs by the All About Learning Press.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eProgram Overview - All About Reading: Level 2\u003c/h3\u003e The program is multi-faceted.  You get two lovely hardback readers.  The black \u0026 white line drawing illustrations are beautiful and Michael found the stories to be genuinely entertaining.  The words used in each story are matched to highlight the new phonics concepts recently taught and review phonics already mastered.  You have a box of index cards that lets you review sight words and phonograms (the sounds that are associated with each letter or letter combination).  There are magnetic letter tiles that help you build words and practice blending and breaking words apart.  The teacher's manual is well written and easy to follow along with.  You are walked through exactly what to do and when.  Lessons move along at a pace that introduce new concepts while still reviewing the old ones so that concepts are consistently practiced until mastered.  The lessons are accompanied by fluency pages for essential practice and fun games and activities that my children absolutely adore.  They even include a progress chart to keep track of lesson progress with stickers and a certificate of achievement for the end of the level.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e For the most part, the lessons follow an A B pattern.  In the first lesson you teach a new phonics concept, play a game or activity to reinforce using that concept to decode words, and read fluency sheets that feature words that use the new phonics concept.  Then you practice flash cards with words that use the concept.  Those cards are then intermixed with the other flash cards that are not yet mastered for review at the beginning of the next lesson.  In the second lesson of each pair, you begin with a pre-reading worksheet that previews key words and phrases that will be in the story.  The lesson plan walks you through some brief pre-reading conversation designed to activate prior knowledge and then the child reads the story from the reader to you.  There is some kind of post-reading discussion or activity to be done after the reading of the story.  I often begin the second lesson in each pair by having Michael choose one story from the reader that he has already read to re-read before we move on to the new material.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eOrganizing the Materials and Using the Program\u003c/h3\u003e Michael and I are 10 lessons away from finishing \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1184\"\u003eAll About Reading: Level \u003c/a\u003e2.  We have loved going through the program and are anxiously awaiting the release of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1186\"\u003eLevel 3\u003c/a\u003e.  When I received the program materials there was a lot of preparation.  I spent at least a couple of hours - maybe more - getting all the materials organized.  All of the flashcards are printed on full sheets and have to be torn apart along the perforated lines and then placed behind the appropriate index card dividers in the index box.  I took all of the activities and fluency pages out of the student book (again along perforated lines) and 3-hole punched them and put them in a binder.  I did the same with the lesson plans.  That way I have everything I need in one binder.  I keep all of the materials together in a single bin on a nearby bookshelf.  When it is time for Michael's reading we simply have to grab the bin and go.  (Here's a peek in our bin.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOLYD8cZVJk/UhaeDzNuF4I/AAAAAAAAEkg/-rtAN_vRx-s/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Level+2+What's+in+the+box.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOLYD8cZVJk/UhaeDzNuF4I/AAAAAAAAEkg/-rtAN_vRx-s/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Level+2+What's+in+the+box.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Once the initial preparation is done, very little planning time is needed after that.  At the end of each lesson I let Michael have a few minutes of free time (no more than 5 minutes usually) while I preview the next lesson.  I highlight the sections of the lesson plan I need to focus on.  I cut out the parts of the activity for the next day.  I make a few notes about how the day's lesson went and what I want to remember for next time.  That way, everything is absolutely ready to go for the next day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eTime Commitment\u003c/h3\u003eOnce the initial setup is done, planning does not require more than 5-10 minutes (at most) per lesson.  If you're happy to cut a few things out during a lesson rather than before, preparation time is even less.  The program is designed to be done with a teacher.  It is not the type of curriculum where you can set a child up and then let them work independently while you do something else.  You need 30-60 minutes at least 3-5 days a week to devote to this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDownload Free Samples\u003c/h3\u003eYou can download generously sized free samples of key program components like the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1187\"\u003eteacher's manual\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1188\"\u003estudent activity book\u003c/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1189\"\u003efirst\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1190\"\u003esecond hardback readers\u003c/a\u003e.  It isn't quite try before you buy, because the included lessons are not consecutive, but it is enough to get a good feel for how the program works.  The teacher's manual includes the table of contents, introduction, and lessons 1, 4, 5, 27, 38.  The student activity book samples include some sample games and activities and some sample fluency pages.  The sample from the first reader includes 3 entire stories out of the 12 stories in the reader.  The sample from the second reader also includes three full stories of the eleven in the reader, including Pumpkin and the Kitten.  We just read this one last week.  Michael was fascinated by the story and Ava abandoned her independent play to come over and follow along while he read it.  When Pumpkin is jealous of the new kitten and verbalizes a plan to get rid of the kitten Michael's voice got very quiet and his sister and I had to strain to hear him.  He obviously found the story to be quite powerful.  Both children were delighted when Pumpkin learned to give the kitten a chance at the end of the story.  The storybook samples are definitely worth checking out!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eWhich of the products I actually bought.\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbsolutely necessary:\u003c/b\u003e  You definitely need the teacher's manual and one student packet for each student you will be teaching with the program.  You'll definitely need the two readers as well.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e\u003cb\u003eVery nice to have:\u003c/b\u003e  I very much enjoy having the reading review box and the index divider cards.  You could just as easily buy an inexpensive index card box and make your own divider cards though.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   \u003cb\u003eDepends on the child:\u003c/b\u003e  The letter tiles and magnets for the letter tiles are considered to be a main part of the program.  If you have a child who is tactile and learns best with manipulatives you'll want these.  I bought them, but rarely use them.  Instead I use a small dry erase board and dry erase markers for the sections of the program that are designed for the magnet tiles.  I find it quicker and more space efficient and Michael simply doesn't need to move tiles around to get the phonics concepts.  In fact, when I do get them out he's distracted and I spend more time keeping him on task.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e    \u003ci\u003eSome of the links in this post are affiliate links.  If you click on one of those links and make a purchase a portion of your purchase will go towards offsetting the costs of running this blog.  I purchased all of the products I reviewed in this post on my own, long before I started using affiliate links and the opinions expressed are completely my own.\u003c/i\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/5778063576585666044/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5778063576585666044"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5778063576585666044"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html","title":"All About Reading - Level 2: Curriculum Review"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s72-c/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-6770931433855652533"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-19T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-19T05:00:00.724-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Interactive Word Wall - Creating and Daily Use of a Classroom Word Wall"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"In our schoolroom we have two 4' by 3' magnetic dry erase boards I got for a bargain at a local office supply store.  I use one as our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/07/homeschool-circle-time.html\"\u003ecircle time center\u003c/a\u003e.  The other I decided to turn into a word wall.  Our homeschool focus this year (pre-K and kindergarten) is on math and literacy and a word wall fits in beautifully with that focus.  I'm going to discuss the creation of the word wall, how I plan to introduce new words each week, and short activities I plan to do with the word wall on a daily basis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCreation of the Word Wall\u003c/h2\u003e   I took the same letters I used when making my \u003ca href\u003d\"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/07/its-small-things.html\"\u003ephonics/handwriting alphabet border\u003c/a\u003e and used them to create the alphabet headings for the word wall.  It puts a handwriting reference in yet another place in the classroom and brings that reference physically down to their level.  Then I \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FVNH68/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003dB005FVNH68\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003elaminated\u003c/a\u003e them, cut them out, and slapped some magnets on the backs.  I've found the most economical way to magnetize things for use on a magnetic dry erase board is to buy inexpensive magnetic vent covers (like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009W3G4/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003dB00009W3G4\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003ethese\u003c/a\u003e, except you can get them for around $5 at a local hardware store) and just cut squares to size out of the vent covers and attach them to your words (or calendars, or decorations) with double sided tape.  I also wanted to separate out the digraphs so I made separate headers for those.  Our reading program (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003eAll About Reading\u003c/a\u003e) treats them as separate phonograms, and we do a lot of speech therapy in this house, so it makes sense for us to separate those out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MAiXyA_eKko/Uf6QwqVYB4I/AAAAAAAAEgw/06n-ICY55mY/s1600/Blank+Word+Wall.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MAiXyA_eKko/Uf6QwqVYB4I/AAAAAAAAEgw/06n-ICY55mY/s400/Blank+Word+Wall.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I also made a starter set of words.  I printed colored rectangles in 6 different colors because I've read that it is helpful for visual discrimination and sight word recognition to have each word under a heading placed on a different color background.  (Hmm, in retrospect I could have saved a lot of color ink by just cutting the rectangle backgrounds out of six different colors of cardstock.)  I printed the words on white paper.  I then cut the words out taking the time to cut around the shapes of the words.  I stuck them on the background with a tiny bit of double sided tape just to hold them in place as I ran them through the laminator.  I made sure that all words that would end up under the same header (all the G words, for example) were attached to differently colored backgrounds.)  Once they were laminated, I cut them out and attached magnets.  I did not attach all of them to the word wall yet though.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch2\u003eIntroduction of Word Wall Words\u003c/h2\u003e  I am going to introduce no more than 4-6 new word wall words each week.  We will learn and interact with the new words of the week during circle time.  Each of the words for the week has a differently colored background.  I also try to choose words that we can make into a sentence.  During circle time we will look at each word and Clap and Snap the word.  To clap and snap a word, say the word followed by a clap, spell the letters each followed by a snap, and then say the word again followed by a snap.  So \"and\" would be: \"and\" (clap) a (snap) n (snap) d (snap) \"and\" (clap).  Then we will build a sentence using a lap-size magnetic dry erase board.  The entire process should take no more than 5 minutes each morning during circle time.  At the end of the week the words will be moved over to the word wall and we'll begin a new set the following week.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UH5vEsbd22A/Uf1ZvCWwkMI/AAAAAAAAEfA/GLuZJO7OdpY/s1600/Word+Wall+Cards.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UH5vEsbd22A/Uf1ZvCWwkMI/AAAAAAAAEfA/GLuZJO7OdpY/s400/Word+Wall+Cards.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDaily Word Wall Games and Activities\u003c/h2\u003eDuring each day we will play a short word wall game as a fun transition from one activity to another (probably in between writing journals and math).  We will choose from the following list (these were chosen because they will work well in a small-group, homeschool environment but most would work in a classroom as well):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eFind and Erase\u003c/b\u003e - Write 5-10 word wall words on lap-size dry erase boards with dry erase markers (you can use plastic plates or a piece of blank laminated paper for this purpose too).  Say a word at random and have the children find that word on their board and erase it.  Continue until all the words are gone.  If your children are writing, they can write the words themselves.  Otherwise, write the words for them.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eTall Towers\u003c/b\u003e - When you make your word wall cards, write a number between 1 and 3 in a corner on the back of each card.  When you begin this activity choose 6-12 word wall cards at random from the board and use them as a mini card deck.  Also grab blocks, snap cubes, legos, duplos, or anything other manipulative children can build towers with.  Shuffle the cards.  Have the children take turns pulling a card and reading the word on the front.  If successful they turn the card over and add that many bricks (blocks, cubes, etc.) to their tower.  If not, they return the card to the deck.  Continue in this manner until all the cards are gone.  Sit back and admire the \"tall towers\".  Then have the children return the words to their proper places on the word wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall, Beach Ball\u003c/b\u003e - Stand or sit in a circle.  Teacher holds a beach ball (or any ball, or bean bag...).  The teacher tosses the ball to a child and asks the child to tell the color of the word \"_____\" (name a word off the wall at random).  The child must find the word on the wall and name the color.  Then the child throws the ball to another child and asks that child to tell the color of a new word.  And so on...\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Hot Potato\u003c/b\u003e - Play hot potato with a bean bag or small ball.  When the music stops, ask the child to tell you a _____ word (choose a color from the word wall).  The child reads a word with that color background and then play continues.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Bingo\u003c/b\u003e - Give each child a blank Bingo card with 6 spaces (laminated so they can reuse it) and a dry erase marker and have them write a word wall word in each space.  When they are done, have them gather those words from the word wall.  Shuffle the cards.  As you read each word the child looks to see if they have that word on their card and if they do they can mark it out with their marker.  The first child to mark out all their words wins.  Then the children can return the cards to their proper spaces on the word wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Tic Tac Toe\u003c/b\u003e - Make and laminate blank tic-tac-toe grids large enough for your kids to write word wall words in the spaces.  At the beginning of the game have them write word wall words of their choice in each space.  When they are done, have them gather those words from the word wall.  Shuffle the cards.  As you read each word tell them if it is an 0 or an X word.  If they have the word they put an O or X over the word with their dry erase marker.  The first person to get a tic-tac-toe wins. Then the children can return the cards to their proper spaces on the word wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Order Up\u003c/b\u003e - Each child chooses 4-7 words from the word wall and returns to their desk.  They put the words in alphabetical order.  Once checked by the teacher, they return the words to their proper places on the wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Mystery Word\u003c/b\u003e - Each child chooses 1-4 words from the word wall (depending on the total number of children you have and how many words you want in the guessing pool).  Have them bring those words to you.  These words will make up the guessing pool.  Choose a word from the pool and give the students hints (The mystery word is one syllable, the mystery word has four letters, the mystery word rhymes with pan, the mystery words ends with an \"e\", the mystery word has two letters that are the same...).  Take your time and let the children physically remove letters that do not meet the clue's criteria from the pool if necessary until only one remains.  Then they've found the mystery word. At the end of the activity have the children return the cards to the wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Rhymes\u003c/b\u003e - You say a word that rhymes with one or more words on the wall and the children find the words that rhyme.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Fill in the Blank\u003c/b\u003e - Have the children choose 1-3 words from the word wall to form a guessing pool.  Bring the words back to the table.  You make up a sentence with one of the words from the guessing pool and say it out loud omitting the target word.  The children must figure out which of the word wall words makes sense in your sentence.  At the end of the activity have the children return the cards to the wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Build a Sentence\u003c/b\u003e - Pre-choose several word wall words that can be combined in several ways to make grammatical sentences anywhere from 2-6 words in length.  You say a sentence and the children work to build your sentence using the word wall cards.  At the end of the activity have the children return the cards to the wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Sorts\u003c/b\u003e - Have each child choose 5-10 words from the wall.  You give them a criteria and have them sort their words by that criteria (words that rhyme, words that begin with the same letter, words that end with the same letter, words that have the same number of syllables, words that share a vowel, etc.).  When finished, they return their words to the wall.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eGuess which word is hiding?\u003c/b\u003e - Build a sentence out of word wall cards and then hide a key word with a sticky note.  Invite the children to guess the missing word and write their guesses down.  Then remove the sticky note and see if anyone guessed correctly.  Repeat with a new sentence.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eBuild, Mix, Fix\u003c/b\u003e - For this activity you will need a set of letter tiles (or just letters printed on cardstock and cut out) for each child.  The child sits at their desk with the letter tiles and you call out a word wall word.  They build the letters with the tiles and you check for accuracy.  Then they mix up the letters.  Next they fix the mixed up letters.  Repeat for a new word.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Wall Word Search\u003c/b\u003e - Create and print a simple blank word search form with a grid at the top and a blank box at the bottom.  Have the children write 5 word wall words of their choice in the box at the bottom and then transfer them into the grid at the top.  Next they fill in the remaining spaces with random letters.  Then trade papers and do the word search.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I printed out this list to hang on the wall near my word wall so that it would be easy to remember a wide variety of activities and to choose a new one each day.  This is three weeks worth of daily word wall activities without repeats. You're welcome to use the list as well.  Simply click on the image to open to full size and then right click to save.  Open the saved image on your computer and print.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H8WTN6yq4iM/Uf1dnIOH-kI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/vIicAT6CARU/s1600/Word+Wall+Games+and+Activities.png\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H8WTN6yq4iM/Uf1dnIOH-kI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/vIicAT6CARU/s400/Word+Wall+Games+and+Activities.png\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch2\u003eRead More About Word Walls\u003c/h2\u003eI got most of my ideas from these two sources.  They have even more word wall games and activities than the ones I chose to highlight above.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://akindergartenlifestyle.com/word-wall-mini-word-wall-freebie/\"\u003eKindergarten Lifestyle\u003c/a\u003e - Great explanation of interactive word walls, adorable free word wall printable, a few great game ideas.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.teachingfirst.net/wordwallact.htm\"\u003eWord Wall Activities\u003c/a\u003e -  huge list of word wall games and activities.  Dozens at least.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/6770931433855652533/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/interactive-word-wall-creating-and.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/6770931433855652533"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/6770931433855652533"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/interactive-word-wall-creating-and.html","title":"Interactive Word Wall - Creating and Daily Use of a Classroom Word Wall"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MAiXyA_eKko/Uf6QwqVYB4I/AAAAAAAAEgw/06n-ICY55mY/s72-c/Blank+Word+Wall.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}}]}});