What do YOU call them?
This year, I'm calling them BALL Words!
I read Marsha McGuire's blog post about her BALL Words this summer and LOVED it.
Click the link below to read it for yourself:
My school follows the Journeys Reading curriculum though. Our Kindergarten report card has specific sight words that our students must master each six weeks, according to the Journeys series.
Journeys is set up for students to learn 1 sight word a week and then 2 sight words a week for the first few months of school. Then, the last few months of school, they must learn 6 words per week.
While I understand why it's a progression, I do not understand why they would wait to introduce all of those sight words at the end of the school year. In my experience, the more a student is exposed to something, the more likely they are to KNOW it!
Why not introduce words early? Why not give them more exposure?
That way, by the end of the year, they can and WILL master all of those words.
So, I bumped up all the sight words. I am introducing 5 sight words a week (including color and number words). As of this week, my students have been exposed to 15 sight words. Some have already mastered them. Most have not.
That is OK!
They don't NEED to master them until the 2nd or 3rd six weeks of school. By then, they will have a lot of exposure and practice with the words.
Like I said, I loved Marsha McGuire's idea of BALL words. So, here's what I did.
(Ignore the bulletin board. That is my Super Improvers Wall for WBT.)
These are my balls. The first 10 sight words are called baseball words. We progress from baseball to soccer ball, to basketball, and so on. Once a student has mastered (said the word within 3 seconds) the 10 baseball words, they move up to the soccer ball words.
I found these super cute little jerseys at The Learning House, and my intern student-teacher, Miss Audrey, attached their pictures.
How adorable are they?
All students started on the baseball. We discussed how we're all a team, and we work together. They are excited, and honestly, they just love their picture being "in" a jersey right now! ; )
I am hoping that by introducing the words early and providing plenty of exposure/practice, my students will be ready to master those words when the time comes.
Those that are mastering the words early...
Well, say it with me - - - DIFFERENTIATION!
It is my job to differentiate and provide them more words-
Dolch words not in Journeys or First Grade words.
Let's learn some BALL WORDS!
How do you set up your sight words?