I Can Read!

Establishing the belief that Kindergarteners can read before they really know how to read is so important! They develop so much confidence and begin to take risks in their reading and writing.  Our morning message for the first few weeks is the same every day! 

Today is (insert day and date).  It is (insert weather).  

As the children's confidence increase in reading this highly predictable message, I start taking out letters, numbers, and eventually whole words!  Reading this message every day builds their self-confidence and they're so excited when other teachers come in and they can "READ" the message to them! Doing morning message also helps children to understand the way we read - moving from left to right on the page.  They are very excited when they get to come up and circle or write a letter or use the pointer to read!

During our morning message we also spend some time circling letters we know, adding punctuation, play a matching game, make tallies and so in.  I will add a picture of a morning message next week!

Children can also read environmental print from a very young age!  Helping children to understand that reading those signs is really reading is also a confidence booster!  Environmental print is everywhere and is a great way to start teaching children about print all around them.

We did this very simple activity the second week of school. The children cut out the signs that they can read and glue them in their book.  You certainly can make the books "fancier," but in the essence of time at the beginning of the school year, they are simple construction paper books!!!  The children became very excited about all the things that they could read.  They took their "I can Read" books home to their parents to read that night.  PS - It's also great for cutting practice at the beginning of the year!

 

 The next three photos are from a conference that I went to presented by Dr. Jean!