Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Kindergarten Quote: DON'T sound it out.
So if you were wondering why I have not blogged (or called or emailed) recently, now you know: School starts tomorrow.
I think it's a good time, on this, the day before school starts, to share another Kindergarten quote. Unfortunately this quote is a written one and the student in the story does not say a word. In fact, she only writes three letters. But they're funny ones.
Lizzie is (or was, when she was in Kindergarten) and impulsive thinker. That is, she does her best when she answers quickly, without taking time to think. When she stops to think, the correct answer - which she had as soon as she heard the question - slips away.
I asked the children, during a spelling test, to write the word "out." I sounded it clearly. I used finger cues to show them that the word has three letters. I sounded it clearly again. Lizzie immediately took pencil to paper and... stopped to think. I sounded it again, gave finger cues again. Lizzie went ahead and wrote the letter she was sure of: t. Then she stopped to think some more.
I encouraged the students to test their spelling by sounding out the word they had spelled. Essentially, to read their word. If it sounds like "out," it's "out."
Lizzie was well and truly stuck. She looked up at me as I walked over to her desk, her eyes clearly communicating, "Mrs. Lynch, can't you just tell me how to spell it?" I knelt down and said, "Lizzie, you just need a two-letter phonogram in front of the t. I'm going to say the word again and I want you to - as quickly as you can - write the two-letter phonogram in front of the t. Are you ready?"
She nodded.
I enunciated clearly, "out."
Quickly, she added the two-letter phonogram.
The two-letter phonogram she added? sh
I quickly covered her word "sht" with my hand and said, "Don't sound it out."
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
"With a great deal of funkiness"
Was I outrageously funky, or what?!?!?
When I had infant daughters and thought ahead to what adventures they would enjoy as they grew up, "putting on shows" was one of the things I was most excited about. I knew that my girls would be creative and talented and entertaining, just like I thought I was.
I was wrong.
That may seem harsh, but today I reviewed a video of their show "Thumbelina." "Thumbelina" has a cast of four: Brooks, Madison, Abigail and Ember. Abigail and Ember (and their mom, Michelle) are our best friends. Thumbelina is difficult to watch. For one thing, there are, as far as I can tell, two directors of this show - Brooks and Abigail. Unfortunately, the directors are also principal cast members, so they do their directing during the show, from center stage. Also, there was no rehearsal, nor even vague agreement as to how the show would go. Watching Thumbelina feels a little bit like torture.
I have editted the video (you're welcome) to just the "directing" scenes because I love you (six people who read this blog). You'll need sound for this, though there is some physical direction given, too. And you might hear the moms chime in (or freak out) as well.
Hey! Freak out - another funky 70's song.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Kindergarten Quote: Popeye
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Lowry Park Zoo with Tian July 24, 2009
Second, of course, is the drop. The last 4 seconds of the ride are fun and thrilling and stomach-tickling. The girls like to try to keep their hands up high and I just smile as I hear them scream and laugh. Tian said he liked it and even wanted to do it again, so we did.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Kindergarten Quote: Dog Backward
I'm at the board, teaching the week's spelling words. In Kindergarten we get the short words: top, an, six, run. It sounds easy, but each word is fraught with potential for error. "Pin" sounds a whole lot like "pen" and which side of the line do you put the round shape on (p/q)? "I" only has one letter, but if you write it in lower case (i) it's wrong, because it stands for a name!?!? And "but," well, that's just funny. I tell them that it doesn't mean "bottom," it means "however." Of course, I won't tell them how you actually spell the butt that means bottom, so they're suspicious.
It's easy, though, when we get to the word "dog." Most of them already know this one. Even as I speak the word for the first time, "dog," a little hand flies up. Oh, she's excited! Lizzie knows this one and can't wait to tell all of us. I'm thrilled with her enthusiasm as I call on her, expecting her to spell it for us. "Yes, Lizzie?"
"Mrs. Lynch," she says. "Did you know that if you put DOG backward, it spells ... LORD."