New letter ID kit from RGS

My new letter ID kit (for small group instruction) is finally being released by Really Good Stuff. This kit includes severals sets of magnetic letters (in soft, touchable foam) with blue consonants and red vowels, so students who are having trouble learning letters can touch and feel how letters are made.

Also included are letter formation cards, sorting mats with multiple ways to sort letters, and a letter ID folder for keeping track of which students in your group need what. The kit includes lots of help for you, including cards with many ideas for teaching letter identification in small group instruction. Check it out at Really Good Stuff!

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Flexible Small Groups Reading Folder Has Finally Arrived!

If you have read my book, Making the Most of Small Groups, you might already know about the flexible small groups folder I recommend making to keep track of your reading groups. It helps you organize and keep track of who is in each group and what you might focus on in teaching. There are pictures of this folder on the book’s cover and in chapter 2.

 

Great news! This folder is now available (already made) from Really Good Stuff . All you have to do is write each child’s name on a card and insert it in a precut strip. Everything you need is included… the strips telling what to focus on in each small group, the color-coded file folder (one color represents each small group), and the little name cards. It is a huge time-saver. Hope you like it as much as I do!

 

Front cover of the Flexible Reading Groups Folder from Really Good Stuff

 

The inside of the folder is color-coded and includes strips for what to teach at each level and name cards to show who is in that group

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Beyond the Names Chart is Here!

The long-awaited book, Beyond the Names Chart: Using Children’s Names for Word Study, has just been published by Really Good Stuff. This book is for K-2 and shows how to use kids’ names to help them learn phonics skills. Check it out!

Here’s a picture from Denver Public Schools showing a names work station in kindergarten.

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Literacy work station task cards are finally here!

I just found out that my Literacy Work Stations Task Cards have been released by Really Good Stuff for the fall. Many teachers have been emailing and asking when these will be available again. The answer is now!

The cards are available in three different sets, including one for emergent readers (with simple text and lots of picture support for Pre-K, K, and early 1st grade). There is also a fluent set with more detailed instructions and higher level tasks (for middle to end of first grade into second grade and possibly third grade for some classrooms). And there’s a set that includes all the cards, emergent and fluent in one package.

I’ve created a variety of task cards for 8 different stations, including Big Book, Buddy Reading, Classroom Library, Drama, Listening, Poetry, Word Study, and Writing. There is a chapter on each of these stations in my book, Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work, available from Stenhouse Publishers to give you more information.

I love the new art and look of these cards! They’re in full-color and are in English on one side and Spanish on the other… for all my bilingual friends! They are already laminated, hole-punched and include an O-ring for assembly.

To use them, just start by teaching with one task in whole group. Then move it to a station after you’ve taught with it. Model, model, model! Add new cards over time, as you teach with new tasks. These task cards can be used in conjunction with an “I Can” list. Simply have one item on the list say, “I can use task cards.”

Let me know how you like them! I’m excited that they’re ready for back to school. For those of you who have been asking about my out-of-print book, Beyond the Names Chart, it is in production and will be coming out soon from Really Good Stuff, too.

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