Fun Friday

Considering my week started with one of my little guys raising his hand and (very politely) asking if I "was having a bad hair day?" (ouch)...I might have been more excited than the kids that today was FUN FRIDAY! I love finding new ways to get my students excited about reading! Check out this Sight Word Game Show that I played with my class as a Fun Friday treat...it was a big hit! 

We start by splitting our class into two teams. I run this gameshow as a slideshow. There are about 115 primary sight words in total. One team member from each team stands up at a time...they are up first. As soon as I switch slides and the sight word appears, the first child to read the sight word gets a point for their team. We tally the points as we go. It was awesome to see the teams work together, cheer each other on, cheer each other up and constantly encourage friends on their team and off. By the end, each one was begging me to keep playing...they wanted to read MORE and MORE sight words. While they certainly got a little competitive, there were only smiles to be seen! It was a way for me to not only teach my class sight words...but to teach my class that our team doesn't always win...but as long as we had fun, our game was a success. I think knowing how to win and lose gracefully is an important skill to teach our little ones! Try this gameshow idea in your classroom!

Happy Fun Friday! 

Crazy for SIGHT WORDS!

This Spring, we are crazy for sight words in my classroom! Sight words are such an important part of early reading development and progression...but I always find myself searching for fun, new ways to get these sight words to really "stick." Here are a few ideas to get your students excited about learning sight words!

SIGHT WORD EGG HUNT

This may be my favorite Easter activity to do each year...and I think the kids would agree! Who knew plastic Easter eggs could be such a wonderful teaching tool? 

You need a variety of plastic Easter eggs. Using a permanent marker, write sight words that your students have learned/are learning across the top of the eggs...then fill the eggs with whatever you please! I usually hide well over 100 eggs, giving them lots of words to find and practice! While my kids are out of the classroom (at fine arts or lunch,) I hide the eggs in various spots around the classroom. Make sure you count the eggs you hide...or you may be finding Easter eggs for weeks to come! When my students come back in, I give them a limit on the number of eggs they can find (so everyone gets the same :) and then the hunt begins!

After all the eggs are collected, it's time to read and eat! They sit in groups at their tables, taking turns reading their sight words to each other. My rule is- you must read the word to your friends before you can open the egg and remove the candy! It's truly AMAZING how EXCITED they get to read a sight word! 

WORD WORK STATIONS

Word Work Stations are the best new thing that I have implemented in my classroom this year. I have always loved word work...these stations make the kids love word work too!  I have 5 word work stations and my students get to go to one station a day. These stations last for about 10 minutes at the end of my reading block and allow us to practice and master skills like letters, sounds, blends, digraphs, spelling patters, cvc words, blending, segmenting, sight words...I could go on for days! The great thing about these word work stations is that you can differentiate each activity to meet the needs of the students that are working at the station that day. Below are my word work bins...you can use bins, baskets, or anything else that you have handy! Groups know their rotations and they visit a different number bin each day of the week. Bins are portable and travel right to their tables. 

Like I said, we have been crazy for sight words in my classroom this week, so my word work stations have focused on sight words. Here are my sight word stations that you can use in your very own classroom....they will provide you week after week of work stations! 

1. Sight Word Man/ Sight Word Flower:

We all played hangman growing up...I've adapted this childhood game to make it kindergarten friendly! Instead of building a hangman, students can choose to build a man/woman or a flower. There are picture patterns to trace or empty boxes to draw in when your students become pros at this game. Students take turn picking a 2, 3 or 4 letter sight word. The other players guess letters and attempt to figure out the sight word their buddy is thinking of. These sight word man/flower cards are laminated...the kids use dry erase markers and magic erasers making these game boards reusable and lasting! Get the sight word man game boards here for free! SIGHT WORD MAN GAME BOARDS

2. Sight Word Tic Tac Toe:

I've taken a variety of sight words and placed them in Tic Tac Toe boards. The kids work in pairs or groups to complete this game. They must read the word to their buddy in order to put an X or an O over top. The goal- Tic Tac Toe..Three in a Row! Again, laminate or place in page protectors...and magic erasers are your best friend! Sight Word Tic Tac Toe

3. Sight Word Memory: 

Another childhood game that students love transformed into...sight word memory! Print these sight word cards on card stock to create an engaging word work station. Students flip cards face down and then take tuns trying to make sight word matches. If you get a match, you get to keep the card! No match, try again! They player with the most cards at the end wins! Sight Word Memory

4. Sight Word Scramble:

This is a favorite of mine because it really promotes higher order thinking. Students must look closely at the flash card that has a scrambled sight word on it. Then they have to unscramble the sight word in their head and write it on a white board. This flash card version is great for independent practice. Sight Word Scramble Flash Cards. I also have a game board version of this game that students can use in pairs or teams...it requires even more higher order thinking because students have to come up with their own sight word, scramble it themselves, and have their partners try and guess their word. Sight Word Scramble Game Boards

5. Big Book Sight Word Hunt: 

Big books are a big hit in my classroom during shared reading. One of my word work stations this week is having students read these familiar big books and search for sight words inside. They use popsicle stick pointers and highlighter tape which certainly keeps them engaged. I have them focus on finding our sight words of the week but I also keep flash cards at this station for them to pull from...to give them more ideas of words to hunt for. 

I hope these sight word ideas provide your classroom with as much fun, excitement and learning as they have given mine! Get SIGHT WORD CRAZY! 

Classroom Tour...These are a few of my favorite things :)

I think you can tell a lot about a teacher by taking a look at their classroom...so I thought I'd take you on a mini classroom tour and share a few of my favorite things in my room with you! 

 Let's start outside! As long as I've been teaching kindergarten, my class has been an ocean theme! While I don't think themes are necessary to put together a classroom... I love having a color/theme that coordinates everything. I feel it gives my room a fun sense of order :) 

 I make sure that I show current student work everywhere...inside and out! It makes students feel welcomed, excited and at home! One of the best thing I did this year was hot glue thumb tacks to clothespins. I decorated the clothespins with little fish and wrote names on them. The clothespins hang in my hallway and student work clips in without those messy staples! It has made for the changing of student work to be incredibly quick and easy!

Right inside the door you'll find my CHAMPs board...it's my behavior management system. It's how the kids know their conversation level, movement, how they get help, etc. 

To the left, my job board, learning goals and big book stand. Ms. Ruffolo's Lifesavers may be one of my favorite bulletin boards...and the kids love having weekly jobs and taking responsibly for classroom tasks. 

Which brings me to my favorite classroom spot...The Reading Reef! Our library is filled with books leveled and separated by category. It is a cozy spot where my student LOVE to dive into books each and every day. 

Our word wall is constantly growing throughout the year. The large word wall and neon word cards makes the word wall constantly visible and easy to access. I have little reading chairs like blue one seen above in nooks around the room. Our computers are used constantly and the kids love seeing their own work hang above.

We are a reading workshop school...so anchor charts and scales are a big part of every subject every day. They are separated into subject sections around the room so they are easy for the students to find and use. Above you'll see reading and writing. 

Last, but not least! Our book bins! At each table, you'll find a bin of "star" books. These are books that are at their reading levels or books that we've read many times and they can read or retell. If we have free moments throughout the day, the kids pull books to read from their bins. It keeps them reading constantly and it keeps them from having to get up in their down time. Also in the bins, the kids store their individual bags of books. As a reading workshop classroom, each student has their own individual bag of "just right" books that travels with them between home and school. We read these books daily and these bins provide excellent storage for those bags and make them easily accessible. 

I hope you've enjoying diving into my classroom! 

Hello Blog World!

Hi there! My name is Brittany Ruffolo. I am a kindergarten teacher who is SO excited to be making my very first blog post! 

A little about myself...I graduated from Auburn University in 2010 with a B.S. in early childhood education. I can truly say that some of the best years of my life were spent in that amazing town...

Auburn helped me turn into a passionate educator and an avid college football fan...war eagle!

Besides Auburn football and teaching...some other things I love: traveling, yoga, lattes, green tea, the beach, animals, concerts and country music.

I have an amazing, supportive family...

the best parents a girl could ask for!

my little brother Trent- one of my favorite things to do is watch him play hockey!

my little sister Kenzie- she is such a little artist a light in everyone's life!

My family means the world to me!

 

This is my fourth year teaching kindergarten in South Florida and this is my first year teaching a kindergarten Inclusion class...it has been an amazing privilege and an incredible learning experience! I feel so lucky to spend my days with such amazing little people...which brings me to this blog- KinderCharm! Anyone who has stepped foot in a kindergarten classroom (or elementary classroom for that matter) knows that it's a charming place to be! Kindergarten is the starting point for a child's whole educational career and to watch those little guys come in with such a light in their eyes and a desire to learn is amazing to see! And 5 and 6 year olds certainly keep you on your toes! It is my ultimate goal to foster a love for learning in each one of my students! As well as create a classroom community where children feel safe, warm and loved by myself and their peers! I'd love to share some of my charming kindergarten moments with you as well as ideas for making standards based learning exciting and hands on! Teaching is such a wonderful profession because teachers are constantly getting to grow and learn new things...it is my hope to share with you and learn from you! 

Let's dive in! Kindergarten is oceans of fun!!

We can also share ideas on Pinterest! Find me at http://www.pinterest.com/blruffolo/