Digital Learning Day 13

Happy Wednesday! Ms. Rhodes has a special visitor to help us review our sight words today. Watch the video and see if you can read the words. 

What other animals can hop, besides a bunny? I am thinking about a kangaroo.
Today, we are going to review the letter Kk. Do you remember Kayo Kangaroo and the sound she makes, /k/?

See how many words you can read in the poetry poster that have the /k/ sound. 

Thanks for reviewing our sight words with Mr. Bunny and practicing your /k/ sound. See you back here tomorrow!

Digital Learning Day 12

Spring has arrived! You won't believe who Ms. Rhodes found hopping through her yard. Click the video below to listen to a fun story about Spring from Ms. Rhodes and her special guest! 

Wasn't that a great book! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather and looking for signs of Spring in your yard or on a walk with your family.


Today we are continuing our review of the letter Jj and the /j/ sound.
Look at the picture below. Name the objects that begin with the /j/ sound. (Hint: There are 9).

This week, we will also review the sight word put. Did you put your shoes on today? I put my shoes on and took a walk. Let's practice reading the pages below. Point to the word put. Do you notice any words with the /j/ sound?

Do you like jam? What words can you think of that rhyme with jam? Here are a few to get you started:

jam

ham

clam

keep going!

Thanks for visiting our page today! We'll see you tomorrow with a new Zoo-phonics friend! 

Digital Learning Day 11

Welcome to week three of digital learning! Today we are going to practice the letter J. Remember our Zoo friend, Jerry Jellyfish? Make his signal by wiggling your hands up and down in front of you while making the /j/ sound. 

Some words begin with the /j/ sound, like in Jumping. Read the poem below and look for words that begin with the /j/ sound. 

I noticed that Johnny, Jane, and Jellybean begin with uppercase letters. I wonder why? 

If you said, "Because they are all names," you are correct!

How many words can you write that begin with the letter J? Here are a few words to get you started:

jam

jump

jellyfish

What can you add to the list? 

Let's practice blending letter sounds to read words. Look at the words below. Tap out each sound on your arm, then blend the sounds together to read the word. 

Great work friends! We will see you tomorrow to practice the /j/ sound, and we will introduce our sight word for this week. 

Digital Learning Day 10

Review of /w/ and /i/. The two Zoo-phonics friends we visited this week were Willy Weasel and Inny Inchworm. Can you make their sounds and show their signals?

These 2 letters reminded us of the story, Mrs. Wishy Washy. The word "wishy" has the /w/ sound and the /i/ sound! Click on the red link below to read the story. When you are done reading, see if you can name the animals in the order they appeared in the story.

Mrs. Wishy Washy A read-together book

Now it's time to practice reading the rapid word chart below. Read the words quickly, going across the page or down the columns. Try it three times. You will notice that your reading becomes a little more fluent each time you try. 

We hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Digital Learning Day 9

Welcome to our lesson for Thursday! Yesterday we reviewed Inny Inchworm's sound and signal. We also know that /i/ is in the word igloo.

Let's review the short /i/ sound in words. Look at the picture below and name the objects with the short /i/ sound in the middle of the word. (Hint: There are 12) What other words can you think of that have a short /i/ sound?

Time to arm tap and blend the sounds to read these words:

You are doing great! Tune in tomorrow and we will review both letters from this week's lessons: /i/ and /w/. 

Digital Learning Day 8

It's a wonderful Wednesday! Today we are going to review and practice the short /i/ sound. Inny Inchworm is our Zoo-phonics friend for the short /i/ sound. His signal is done by moving your index finger up and down, like an inchworm, while making the /i/ sound. Give it a try!

Look for the letter i in the poetry poster, Baking. Did you notice the letter is at the beginning of some words and in the middle of words too?

Our sight word of the week is... with. Oh my, I noticed the short /i/ sound in the middle of the word with! To play our sight word game, "What's Missing?" click on the video below:

Can you write a sentence using the word with? Use our story pages below to help you get started.

Thanks for checking in today! We will see you tomorrow with more activities to help you review the short /i/ sound. 

Digital Learning Day 7

It is a terrific Tuesday! We are continuing our review of the letter Ww and the sound it makes. Do you hear the /w/ sound in any of the title words for the book I Went Walking? Click on the red link below to listen to a read aloud of this story. Can you count how many times you hear the /w/ sound in the story?

I Went Walking Read Aloud

Can you name the animals that were in this story? What did this story make you think about? It reminded me of the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear.
After you listen to the story, take a walk around your house or yard. Pick an object to write about. What color is it? Finish this sentence by writing the color word and the name of the object on a piece of paper:
I saw a _____________   ________________ looking at me!

I saw a white dog looking at me! This is Ms. Simonson's white dog, Miles.

This is Ms. Rhodes' white dog, Bella.

Here are some things you can search for in your yard on a sunny day:

Have fun searching and we will see you back here tomorrow!

Digital Learning Day 6

Welcome to week 2 of our digital learning lessons! Today, we are going to focus on the letter Ww.
What do you know about weasels? When we talked about Willie Weasel at school, we discovered that weasels are only 7 inches long. To make the signal for Willie, place your arms in front of your chest, elbows up and hands clasped with palms down. Move your arms in a wave-like motion. This suggests what Willie Weasel looks like when he is running. While signaling, say the letter sound, "w."

Can you name all of the objects that begin with the /w/ sound in the picture? You can play "I Spy" at home by looking for objects that begin with the /w/ sound. I found a window and a waffle at my house.

Our sight word of the week is: with

One way to practice spelling the word with is with cereal. I used Cookie Crisp to spell the word at my house, then I ate it for a snack with milk! Look around your house to see what you can spell your sight words with. Just about anything will work, like buttons, cotton balls, beans, or Legos. 

We added a link on the right side of our blog page called, "Sight Word Smash." This is a fun game you can play online with our kinder words. We also linked the Cobb County sight word list. The kindergarten words are highlighted in yellow. We typically practice 2 new words per week. Have fun and check back tomorrow for more activities to try! 

Digital Learning Day 5

Happy Friday! You did an amazing job with your lessons this week! Today is a review of the letter sound /l/ and the short vowel sound /e/ from our activities this week.

Let's start with our decodable book, Pop and Len. Look for the letter L l at the beginning of a word, or the letter e in the middle of a word. Sound out the word, using your arm to tap. Next, read each sentence at normal speed.

After reading, think about these questions:

1. What does Len do in the lab? 

2. What does Len do with the cat? 

3. How does Pop feel? How can you tell? 

Now, we want you to practice blending letter sounds together. Arm tap each sound in the words below, then blend the sounds together to read each word. 

Did you know that today is the first day of Spring! Take a look outside for new leaves on trees and plants. You might even collect leaves to make a leafman or make the letter L from the leaves. Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you back here on Monday!

Digital Learning Day 4

Welcome back to our phonics practice page! Today we are reviewing the short vowel sound for the letter Ee.
Read the poetry poster, The Red Hen, with a helper. Give a thumbs up when you hear a word with the short /e/ sound. Did you notice the /e/ sound can be at the beginning of a word, like Ed, or in the middle of a word like pet? What other words can you think of that have the /e/ sound?

Now we want you to read the poem again, but this time listen for the rhyming words. 

Ted, Ed   they both say -ed

name, tame   they both say -ame

Now you think of a word that rhymes with hen. 

Finally, we want you to read the Rapid Word Chart below. This will help build your reading fluency. Try reading it smoothly, without sounding out the words. Try reading across, then up and down. You will get faster each time you try it! 

Digital Learning Day 3

Hi Friends! Today we will review and practice the short /e/ sound. Ellie Elephant is the zoo animal who will help us remember this sound. To make her signal, take one arm and swing it to your mouth, as if Ellie were feeding herself a peanut.

What do you know about elephants? 

Did you know that elephants' trunks are actually their noses? They use their trunks to smell, drink, and pull leaves from trees. They even use them as a snorkel when swimming underwater. Keep reading to find out more about elephants. 

Time for a scavenger hunt, little letter detectives! Look on a cereal box, soup can, or any box of food. How many words can you find with the letter Ee? When you see the letter Ee, give the signal for Ellie Elephant and make the /e/ sound. 

Now we want you to find the objects in the picture below that have the short /e/ sound. Name the object. Is the /e/ sound at the beginning of the word, or in the middle of the word? 

Great work friends! Tomorrow we will read a poem about a red hen. Be thinking about words you can rhyme with red or hen. 

Digital Learning Day 2

We are reviewing the letter L and the sound that it makes. Today you will listen to the story Library Lion. As you listen to the book, clap your hands when you hear a word that begins with the /l/ sound, like in lion and library. The link is below, or you can click into www.storylineonline.net on the right side of our blog page under links:
Library Lion

After you listen to the story, think about these questions:
1. Why did the lion break the rules and roar in the library?
2. Name some of the jobs the lion did to help at the library.
3. How did the lion feel when he left the library? How can you tell?

Now, read our poetry poster about Lenny the Lion. How many words can you find that begin with the letter l ? Is the letter uppercase or lowercase?

Great work! Keep looking for words that begin with the letter L in your books at home. Check in tomorrow for a new letter sound lesson. Who do you think it will be? Inny Inchworm, Catina Cat...

Digital Learning Day 1

Hi sweet friends, and welcome to our digital class page! Today, we are going to review the letter L. Do you remember the Zoo-phonics animal for Ll? It's Lizzy Lizard and her signal is to place your hands under your chin with your elbows lifted up above, level with your shoulders. Say the letter sound, "l." You try it! 

Let's play, "I Spy." Point to the objects below that begin with the sound for the letter L and name them, stretching out the /l/ sound. Don't get tricked! I found 14. How many did you find?

Finally, practice reading these decodable words three times. Use a different voice each time you read the words, just like we practice in class. Use your whisper voice, monster voice, and our favorite, opera voice. 

Great work friends! Remember that we love you and we are proud of you! ~Mrs. Simonson and Mrs. Rhodes

Welcome to Distance Learning

Dear Families,
     Thank you for joining us on this new digital learning journey! Mrs. Rhodes and I are working together to provide daily phonics learning opportunities for your children. These activities will be short and simple, but important to strengthen their foundational reading skills. We will be available to answer any questions or concerns you have during this digital learning time. Our office hours are Monday-Friday from 9-10:30.

Queridas familias,

      ¡Gracias por acompañarnos en este nuevo viaje de aprendizaje digital! La Sra. Rhodes y yo estamos trabajando juntas para brindarles oportunidades diarias de aprendizaje de fonética a sus hijos. Estas actividades serán cortas y simples, pero importantes para practicar a medida que vamos

desarrollando sus habilidades fundamentales de lectura. Estaremos disponibles para responder cualquier pregunta o inquietud que tenga durante este tiempo de aprendizaje digital. Nuestro horario de atención es de lunes a viernes de 9 a 10:30.

Gracias!

catherine.simonson@cobbk12.org

nannette.rhodes@cobbk12.org

February Fun

• We added several sounds to our bank of letters this month! Students are beginning to master all of the short vowel sounds. Knowing each short vowel sound helps students become more fluent at decoding words they find in our leveled books. 
• We love learning science facts about animals with each new letter introduced during our Zoo-phonics lessons. Students learned facts about umbrella birds when we learned the short /u/ sound. They even made an umbrella bird to hold their writing. They also learned interesting facts about weasels and kangaroos. Did you know adult weasels are only 7 inches long? We used our rulers to investigate the size of Willy Weasel while we were making his "sound."
• Although students may use their letter-sound knowledge to read very slowly at first, this improves with repetition. Eventually, their reading becomes more fluid and meaningful. The best thing you do to grow is read, read, read! 
• Check out the links on the side of our blog page for ways to practice letters and sounds.

Sight word practice in the sand. 

Learning about the letter Bb with buttons. 

We love to form our letters with Play-doh!