1. We started brainstorming about something he loves -- his bow and arrow. He could talk for hours about his bow and arrow.
Using a child's interests is key!
Jacob drew his bow and arrow to show me what it looks like.
Drawing helps get the brain going. It also helps them know you as the teacher care about their interests.
I asked him questions and he talked some more. I wrote down and drew key words.
I pointed out that making a story can start this way -- by drawing and writing random things. This makes it less scary.
2. Jacob learned some words (I printed and placed them beforehand).
It's important to use JACOB in the story. If he can place himself in the story, he will care about what happens. If he cares about what happens, he may actually want to read it.
Notice how the words are colorful and have pictures with them. That helps them stand out.
Also notice how they are placed at the ceiling level. Read this article about teaching Right Brained kids.
3. Next we used those words and read a story I made up. He read it pretty well.
One thing I noticed is that he will talk about ANYTHING else in order to distract the teacher, so he doesn't have to read. That Jacob is very tricky. So I gave him crackers and turned his attention back to reading.4. I asked him to illustrate each page. Then we read the story again about three times.
He loved drawing. See how he copied the word "stop"?
I love using "stop" because kids always see stop signs.
He wanted to add a thought bubble saying "Me Like Bow." So we went with it. All ideas are welcome! Notice how he doesn't leave spaces between words? We'll work on it.
He mixed up his "s" and "c" here. They sound the same, so it's pretty normal.
He also added details that weren't in the story, like his PACK OF ARROWS.
5. Now it was time for Jacob to add to the story!
I asked: "What happens next?" He totally went to town.
See the blood? Lots of details.
Notice how Jacob wrote his name. Two backwards letters and one capital letter out of place.
We talked about the hook in his J, and he said he gets it mixed up sometimes. I said that's ok, so does my son.
Notice how he fixed it? But only that. We'll work on the rest later.
Jacob had a long explanation of what happened next, but I wanted to write it simply. This is what it boiled down to. But the fact that he has such a large and detailed imagination is so awesome.
6. Next we read a bunch of simple books. He already knew the word "see" so it was easy for him.
I like these because they have pictures. Sometimes he couldn't get the word because the picture could also mean another word, but then he noticed they were supposed to be "g" words and his brain went searching. He didn't always get it, but he is building confidence in books.
He asked if he could take them home. :)
Here is a video of him reading by himself.
He needs constant feedback to make sure he's doing it right. Some kids are afraid to even pronounce things wrong. So help them feel safe!
7. Jacob learned a few new words.
He actually does love spiders. Which I already knew. :)
I purposely chose LIVE and LOVE since they are so close in spelling. I wanted to see if he noticed the difference. He did once I pointed it out.
That was hard at first, but then we circled the O and I and he figured it out. The pictures with the words helped.
8. We quickly read the next story I wrote about him.
This story was harder for him to read.
He was getting restless, so we headed outside.
Physical activity WITH reading can be helpful to get the brain moving!
8. First, we stuck the words on the fence. Then I said each word, and he raced over and grabbed them. He got them all right away.
9. Next he had to race over and put the words IN ORDER of "Jacob lives in Idaho" and "Jacob loves spiders." He did great.
We talked about how sentences usually have a person/thing, and then an action.
10. He wanted to draw a picture about something that happening in his family, so he did. It was about him and his friend Hazen on the trampoline, then his little siblings came over and were "blah blah blah" and so they ran off to his room and locked the door, so they tried to pick the lock then went away. Later his older brother came and they all played together.
It was funny!
I really believe that letting kids talk helps them read and write.
Also as their teacher it helps you know how their mind works.
While he was telling me the story, I wrote down 1, 2, 3, 4, and asked him to repeat what happened first, then second, then third.
11. For the next lesson, he wants to talk about guns. "Except my mom doesn't like guns!"
I give Jacob an A for effort and attitude. He is awesome.
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