Creative Technology in Education

Author Study Websites

2009-06-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

You will find that many of the books I recommend within the Amazon widget on the sidebar of my blog are Robert Munsch books. This is because, not only is he an amazing author, but he is also an incredible reader. He has a wonderful website, www.robertmunsch.com. When you click on Storytime with Robert Munsch, you will find almost all his titles listed and the opportunity to click on them for an expressive read aloud. The kids in my classroom just love listening to him read his stories, especially I Have to Go! This website is a must visit!

Another great website is Jan Brett's site. Although, she doesn't offer as many read alouds, she has mini tutorials on illustrating. She also has many printable pages and interactive activities.

Sight Word Soldiers

2009-06-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

I have implemented the Sight Word Soldier Program at two different school sites in grades K through 2nd with a lot of success. This program gets students excited for learning and provides them with challenging, yet attainable goals. The success is also demonstrated in their reading abilities.

The Sight Word Soldiers program is used to increase fluency and comprehension for all students. The goal is to increase literacy success by helping students build a strong sight word vocabulary.

Did you know that the first 300 sight words on the Fry word list make up 65% of all written material? Students must recognize these words instantly for reading fluency. The goal is for students to learn not only the first 300 sight words, but to also master an additional 700 words in order to support reading excellence.

With this program, parent volunteers or the classroom teacher test students individually to determine his or her beginning level. Students will earn "Dog Tags" as they progress through the achievement levels. Each dog tag has the phrase, "I know my first 100/200/300 sight words!" Dog tags may be awarded to the child at predetermined intervals (mastery of every 25, 100, or 300 words), depending on the grade level. Dog tags may be awarded all the way up to "I know my first 1,000 sight words!"

At my school sites, we decided to award students with tags after mastering each set of 100 words. At one school site, kindergarten provided dog tags at mastery of 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 words. It obviously depends on your school site and the literacy level of the students. It is important that the predetermined intervals are challenging, yet attainable. Sight Word Phrases are also available to challenge high achieving students. Dog tags may or may not be awarded at this level.

Parents can help at home by reinforcing their child’s efforts to learn assigned sight words. Reading these words to everyone in the family several times a day will help mastery. Making flashcards, playing concentration and writing the words are additional activities to support your child’s mastery of this skill.

It is important to note that building sight words is only part of an effective reading program. Practicing sight words should not replace the valuable time a child needs to spend independently reading each day, or the time families spend reading together. Time spent reading and discussing books is a way for a child to master new sight words and improve comprehension as well. For more information on reading fluency, click here. For more information on reading comprehension, click here. If you would like additional information on sight words, here are some excellent resources.

Where is the technology within this program? I provided all the resources linked to this post on my classroom website. I never sent home a hard copy of the word lists unless requested by a parent. Parents and students enjoy visiting our class website for resources.

To order sight word "dog tags," I have had a lot of success with J.P. Cooke Company. Be sure to tell them how you heard about their company and that you want information on the reading incentive program, not actual dog tags. They provide a high quality product and excellent customer service. Their website is a little limited on the sight word incentive program though, so I recommend getting your pricing information from the catalog. To contact J.P. Cooke Company, e-mail: sales@cooketag.com

Spelling City

2009-06-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

I use Spelling City in my classroom and the parent/student response is overwhelming. They love it. Students now enjoy studying for their spelling tests with all the games and activities that this site has to offer. It is free to register and you can create your own spelling lists each week. It is extremely easy to use and well worth the 20 minutes of set-up time. Once you are registered, it will only take a few minutes to publish your new spelling list each week. Students of all grade levels will appreciate and enjoy this site. Great tool to use at school or at home and it definitely engages the students!

Welcome!

2009-06-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Creative Technology in Education! This blog offers content for teachers, educational administrators, and parents that can enhance a student's educational experience. Educators hear the term, "engage each student" on a regular basis. But how can we achieve this when we have such a diverse student population with varying academic and behavioral needs? And as a parent, how can I create a strong home-school connection that continues to excite my child? Successfully integrating technology into the classroom and at home can engage students and provide multiple learning opportunities. This blog will offer ideas from my personal experiences as an educator, school site LAN tech, and parent. Feel free to add your own ideas too! Lets collaborate!