How to Teach Kids Vowels

Video Transcript

After we go through the alphabet sounds chart, the next thing to do is to isolate the five vowels because vowels are very very difficult to distinguish for young children. As easy as it is for us because we've been doing it for years and years, a lot of children, they hear the aa, the ee and the ii, especially of the first three and they smush them up and aa, just eh, sounds like the same thing to them, especially when they're reading so we're going to teach them to isolate the finite distinct differences between these five letter sounds and so we'll start by having them repeat after you, say a, aaa, like in aaapple, eh like in eeelephant, ii, like in ii, ohh, like in octopus, uh, like in umbrella. Now be very very strict with this, don't allow them to go uh if they mean oh, don't allow them to, if you hear the slightest sound that doesn't quite sound like the vowel you want, make them do it over, say it again, make them do it over, drill it into them. The more you do in the very beginning, the more it won't be an issue down the road and they won't be reading the word r e d as rad or rid, they'll read it as red. So what I do, I have them say each one and I have them do each one perfectly and then I go back and I say, now what is this sound say? Aa, if I get a good aa, like in apple, I like it. Eh, if I get a good eh is good, eh like you're at the dentist office, eh, keep your mouth open, you can even draw a face there where that's the open mouth. And then ii, sometimes I say pretend you're hitting the stomach and then I jump around and I say tell me this one, aa, eh, ii, and I go a little faster and faster if they can keep up with it until they get it like that and they see the letter and they know the sound and they don't have to think and they don't mush it.

How to Teach Action Words to Kindergarten Children

Video Transcript

It's important for us to teach action words to children so that they know some common verbs that they can recognize while they're reading. One of the best ways to teach action words to children would be to create a word wall of action words. Now this is just simply any space that you have in your classroom that you can place the walls in alphabetical order so that they can see what words belong. Another thing that I would do when teaching action words is to find a picture that illustrates the action, and place it on the card as well. Here are a few action words to help get you started. Keep in mind that when teaching action words or verbs to young children, you should emphasize that any word is an action word is something that can be completed or an action that can be done. These words are ones that are easily acted out by children. A great game that you can play with the students is to provide them with an action doll that you then practice in making the action doll complete into the actions. After the child has been able to master the actions that appear on this list, things like run, jump, hop, you can then move on to action words that not quite as easily displayed. These might include playing, shopping, buying, some other words that you would want to introduce to them as well. Remember the best way to teach these to them is through repeated exposure and allow them the opportunity to act out the words on their own. When teaching the action words to children, the best way to do it is to introduce them in one to two words per week. I would teach them to the child by first acting the word out on their own, and then have each of the children mimic your actions. Repeatedly do this over and over while displaying the word to them until the children have mastered the word. Then the word may go on the wall so that it may be referred to when either reading or writing as part of a group or independent lesson.

How Can a Teacher Teach Phonics to Young Children?

Video Transcript

One of the largest tasks that kindergarten teacher has in the classroom is teaching phonics to young children. Now, phonics actually means the associating a letter sound with a letter. For example, M would say mmm, and C would say kuh. So you not only want to teach children not only to recognize the letter but to recognize the sound that the letter makes. I would say that the best ways to introduce phonics to young children would include introducing one to two letters per week. This way, they're not overwhelmed and they're able to grasp what the letter, as well as it's sound. I would also recommend not introducing the letters in the order of the alphabet because often, child will rely simply on their knowledge of the alphabet song to complete their letters. I would try to introduce it in a mixed up fashion. Another tip that I would have for you in introducing phonics to young children would be to teach the short vowel sounds first. Disperse the vowels in there so maybe introduce four or five consonant and then a vowel. And I would say after every eight to ten letters, take a couple, take a week or so to review those and recap before you move on. Repetition is thee best way to introduce letters to children. Show it to them in every way, shape and form. Surround this learning centers that you may have in this classroom with these letters, create letter collages, do some hands on activities. You can actually teach these letters to the kiddos using hands on materials such as play-dough, practicing writing the letters in sand, just so they understand and thee entire time you'll want to repeatedly tell them the sound a letter makes. After they've mastered each of the letter individual sounds, you can start working on blending them together.

How to Teach Vowel Sounds to Kindergartners

Video Transcript

When teaching letters to young children, take plenty of time to cover each of the five vowels. These are very important for children. Oftentimes when children begin writing they'll leave out the vowel sounds in the middle. I like to call these the middle mystery letters. Take the time to show the children the sounds that each of the vowels make. I like to refer back to the classic letter people when I use the vowel sounds. When I practice A I always have my children make an A with their hands like they're sneezing, and we always say Ahhh-choo, so they learn that Ahhh sound belongs with A. When learning the letter E we like to pretend that we're exercising so the key - the children always go Eh, eh, exercise as they're learning that E says eh. I is one of my favorite letters to teach because the children have a lot of fun. We always teach children that I says "i" and we always go itchy, itchy, i-i-i, as if we're scratching all over our bodies. When we practice the letter O I always tell children that it's the sound that you make at the doctor's office, you always open up and say Ohhhh, and you can say that your mouth makes an O, so when they say the word mop, their mouth is in the shape of an O. The last vowel that you'll want to teach them is the letter U and we always pretend we're putting uh, uh, up our umbrella. So that uh, uh, uh will constantly be reinforced. It's best to teach the children the short vowel sounds first. These are the ones that they'll use more commonly in their three letter words that they'll learn. After the children have mastered their short vowel sounds, then you'll want to take the time to introduce the long vowel sounds. Tell the children that the vowels say their name when it's in a long vowel, this is the difference between being at and rake. Teach the children that the vowels can say either short or long and they'll have to use other visual clues to help them. When they're ready you may even choose to introduce the concept of a silent E that often makes the letter say its name. But again, begin with the short vowel sounds, they're easiest for the kiddos to master at first.

Running Record

What is a Running Record?
A running record allows you to assess a student's reading performance as she/he reads from a benchmark book. Benchmark books are books selected for running record assessment purposes. A running record form, with text from the book printed on the form, accompanies each of the benchmark books. Only the first 100 -150 words of the longer benchmark books are used for the upper level running records. A blank running record form is supplied for teachers who wish to perform running records on books other than the benchmark books or for additional text from the upper level benchmark books.

There are conflicting views on whether students should be assessed using a book they have never read versus using a book they are familiar with. We believe using a book that has not been previously read will give a more accurate measure of a student's ability to handle text at the assessed level. For this reason, we provide two benchmark books at each level: one fiction and one non-fiction. You can always opt to read the book before doing a running record if you prefer using previously-read text for your running record.

After completing a running record, you may want to assess a student's comprehension of the book read. Reading A-Z provides Retelling Rubrics for this purpose. Both fiction and non-fiction Retelling Rubrics are provided.

Taking a Running Record
Running records are taken most often at the earlier stages of reading. Students who are not progressing at the expected rate should be assessed even more frequently than the schedule suggested below.

• Early Emergent readers (Levels aa – C): every 2 to 4 weeks
• Emergent readers (Levels D – J): every 4 to 6 weeks
• Early fluent readers (Levels K – P): every 6 to 8 weeks
• Fluent readers (Levels Q – Z): every 8 to 10 weeks

Taking a running record takes practice. Before attempting a running record, read the procedural steps below, then go to the section on Marking a Running Record Form.

1. Select a book that approximates the student's reading level. Explain that she/he will read out loud as you observe and record her/his reading skills.
2. With the running record form in hand, sit next to the student so that you can see the text and the student's finger and eye movements as she/he reads the text.
3. As the student reads, mark each work on the running record form by using the appropriate Running Record Symbols and Marking Conventions shown below. Place a checkmark above each work that is read correctly.
4. If the student reads incorrectly, record above the word what the student reads.
5. If the student is reading too fast for you to record the running record, ask her/him to pause until you catch up.
6. Be sure to pay attention to the reader's behavior. Is the student using meaning (M), structural (S), and visual (V) cues to read words and gather meaning?
7. Intervene as little as possible while the student is reading.
8. If the student is stuck and unable to continue, wait 5 to 10 seconds, then tell her/him the word. If the student seems confused, provide an explanation to clear up the confusion and say, "Try again."

Marking a Running Record Form
Several terms are used when marking a running record form. You should become familiar with these terms by reviewing the explanations below.

• Errors (E)--Errors are tallied during the reading whenever a child does any of the following:

--Substitutes another word for a word in the text
--Omits a word
--Inserts a word
--Has to be told a word

• Self-correction (SC)--Self-correction occurs when a child realizes her or his error and corrects it. When a child makes a self-correction, the previous substitution is not scored as an error.
  
  
• Meaning (M)--Meaning is part of the cueing system in which the child takes her or his cue to make sense of text by thinking about the story background, information from pictures, or the meaning of a sentence. These cues assist in the reading of a word or phrase.
  
  
• Structure (S)--Structure refers to the structure of language and is often referred to as syntax. Implicit knowledge of structure helps the reader know if what she or he reads sounds correct.
  
  
• Visual (V)--Visual information is related to the look of the letters in a word and the word itself. A reader uses visual information when she or he studies the beginning sound, word length, familiar word chunks, and so forth.

There are two steps to marking a running record. Step 1 involves marking the text on the running record form as the student reads from the benchmark book. Before taking your first running record, become familiar with the symbols used to mark a running record form. These symbols are found in Table 1. Also review the Sample Running Record to see how a completed form looks. It also is a good idea to take a few practice running records by role-playing with a fellow teacher as she/he plays the role of a developing reader, intentionally making errors for you to record.

Once the student has read all the text on the running record form and you have recorded their reading behavior, you can complete Step 2. In Step 2 you fill in the boxes to the right of the lines of text you have marked. Begin by looking at any error the student has made in the first line. Mark the number of errors made in the first box to the right of the line. If the student self corrected any of these errors, mark the number of self-corrections in the second box to the right of the line. Next determine whether the errors and self-corrections were made as a result of meaning, structure, or visual cueing. For a description of each of these cues, review the explanations provided above. Write MSV in each box for each error and a self-correction made and circle the appropriate letter for the cue used by the student.

After completing step two you should total the number of errors and self-corrections and write each total in the box at the bottom of the appropriate column. Next calculate the student's error rate, accuracy rate, and self-correction rate, found in the next section Scoring and Analyzing a Running Record.

You do not have to mark the MSV cueing portion of the running record form. It is simply used to help you further analyze a student's reading behavior and provide deeper insight into a student's possible reading deficiencies. You can still use the information on error, self-correction, and accuracy rates to place the student at the developmentally appropriate instructional level.

Sample Running Record

Scoring and Analyzing a Running Record
Scoring: The information gathered while doing a running record is used to determine error, accuracy, and self-correction rates. Directions for calculating these rates are given below. The calculated rates, along with qualitative information and the student's comprehension of the text, are used to determine the student's reading level.
Qualitative Analysis: The qualitative analysis is based on observations that you make during the running record. It involves observing how the student uses the meaning (M), structural (S), and visual (V) cues to help her/him read. It also involves paying attention to fluency, intonation, and phrasing. Think back to the prompts you offered and how the student responded. These observations help you form a picture of the student's reading development.

Error
Accuracy
Self-Correction

The formulas below were used with the sample running record above.

Error Rate
Error rate is expressed as a ratio and is calculated by using the following formula:

Total words / Total errors = Error rate

Example:
99 / 8 = 12.38, or 12 rounded to nearest whole number
The ratio is expressed as 1:12.
This means that for each error made, the student read approximately 12 words correctly.

Accuracy Rate
Accuracy rate is expressed as a percentage. You can calculate the accuracy rate using the following formula:
(Total words read – Total errors) / Total words read x 100 = Accuracy rate

Example:
(99 – 8) / 99 x 100 = Accuracy rate
91/99 x 100 = Accuracy rate
.919 x 100 = 91.9%, or 92% rounded to the nearest whole number

You can use accuracy rate to determine whether the text read is easy enough for independent reading, appropriate to use without frustration during reading instruction purposes instruction, or too difficult for the reader. The breakdown of these three categories is as follows:

Easy enough for independent reading = 95 – 100%
Instructional level for use in leveled reading session = 90 – 94%
Too difficult and will frustrate the reader = 89% and below

Self-Correction Rate
Self-correction rate is expressed as a ratio and is calculated by using the following formula:

(Number of errors + Number of self corrections) / Number of self corrections = Self-correction rate

Example:
(8 + 3) / 3 = Self-correction rate
11 / 3 = 3.666, or 4 rounded to the nearest whole number

The self-correction rate is expressed as 1:4. This means that the student corrects approximately 1 out of every 4 errors.

If a student is self-correcting at a rate of 1:4 or less, this indicates that she/he is self-monitoring her/his reading.

Mengajar Kanak-kanak Tentang Penjagaan Kesihatan

Assalamualaikum
Menurut pakar dari http://www.hygieneexpert.co.uk/TeachingChildrenAboutHygiene.html:

Teaching correct and acceptable hygiene principles is vital to achieve life long habits in the prevention and spread of illnesses and infections, but also to maintain a suitable appearance and avoid offending others.

Methods of Education for Young Children
Encourage an enjoyable bath time by making it an integral part of every day family life. Singing songs and playing with bath toys will make this duty something to look forward to for the child and will make cleansing a ritual that will become part of life. Teach children about bacteria and fungi using picture books and express that by allowing objects and themselves to become dirty and not getting cleaned will cause bacteria to multiply and cause mould.

Allow children to play outside regularly, but explain why it is important to clean soiled clothes and bodies afterwards. Recent guidelines suggest that the most effective way of preventing and treating head lice is by using everyday conditioner and a fine toothed comb (nit comb) weekly to prevent lice or daily to treat them. This can be achieved more easily than the traditional application of pesticide treatments and children can actually help to apply the conditioner and comb it through themselves.

Allow youngsters to attempt to clean their own teeth even if they need cleaning afterwards, they will enjoy the responsibility. Give children encouragement to maintain their own hygiene; allow them to help with the laundry and the housework, this way they will learn the correct way of doing it and will carry this knowledge with them through life.

Antara cara yang boleh dijalankan di kelas adalah dengan menayangkan tayangan video dari youtube sebagaimana di bawah ini. Agak meloyakan juga untuk menunjukkan video klip ini namun sebenarnya ia banyak membantu kanak-kanak untuk memahami konsep yang betul.

Shared Reading

Jom buat kertas sendiri

Reading Aloud to Children

Fun Openings for Reading to Children

Teaching Reading with Children's Rhymes

Free-Reading Lesson: Egg Carton Game

Developmental Advantages of Sand/Water Table Play

Physical-motor:

Standing at the sand/water table facilitates the use of fingers, hands, arms, and trunk while maintaining overall balance and coordination of the body. Playing and digging with shovels, funnels, and scoops in sand or water provides resistive activity, which supplies the muscles and joints in the hands and arms with information that is sent to the vestibular and proprioceptive sections of the brain. This increases body awareness and allows practice of grading of muscle use for different daily activities. Eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills such as shoulder stability, forearm rotation, wrist control, and hand grasp-skills needed for future writing are facilitated bysand/water table play.

Cognitive:

Sorting items and problem solving are cognitively based skills. The sand/water table allows cognitive skills to be integrated with physical play, which creates a dynamic and engaging learning environment that supports cognitive development.

Sensory:

Playing in a variety of media possessing different textures offers opportunities for children to experience and discriminate a multitude of sensory information through the skin. Stereognosis skills are worked when children feel and identify items (e.g. toys in sand) that they cannot see.

Social:

Interactive and pretend play is how children learn and develop social skills such as verbal communication, sharing, helping, compromising, requesting, offering, and friendship building. The sand/water table can be considered a smaller version of the beach!

Speech and Language:

The gathering of children around an emotionally engaging activity promotes the use of spontaneous speech and language.

Kemahiran Berfikir

Thinking Skills Games for Home, School, and Travel - Teach Your Child Thinking Skills

Thinking games are a great way to build your child's problem-solving, memory, and reasoning skills in a fun, engaging way. These games can be played with as few as two players and as many as a classroom. They are completely portable and limited only by your imagination!

Social and Emotional Skills Grow with Thinking Games

These games can be played with a relaxed, non-competitive pace that naturally teaches children turn taking, listening for detail, cooperation, and valuing contributions of others.

• Thinking games for infants and toddlers.
• The ABC Game stimulates and builds language, thinking, and memory skills - First, the group decides on a theme. Once a theme has been chosen, each person takes turns thinking up related words beginning with letters of the alphabet, in order. For example, if the theme is school, each person must say words related to school. The letter A might be Algebra, a B word might be book. The game continues until Z is reached and can be played again with different themes. Make it more challenging by keeping the same theme and adding a rule of no-repeated words. This adds challenge for older students and encourages attention and memory skills. When someone is stumped on a letter, that player can pass or ask the group to come up with a word that fits.
• Bumble bee, Bumble Bee is a visual guessing game that many of us played in early childhood that can be modified to vary the level of complexity for older children -
  

  Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee is a thinking game many of us played in early childhood. You may have learned it by other names, but the concept is the same.

  The object of Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee for young children is to identify an object in the area that another player is thinking about. One player chooses an object and gives other players a clue about its identity. Players take turns guessing what the object might be, and they continue until it is identified.

  For preschoolers and early primary students, the clue is usually the color of the object. The game can be made more complex by using sizes, shapes, textures, or other ideas you may have in addition to colors.

  How to Play:

• One player chooses an object without telling the others and says, "Bumble bee, bumble bee, I see something that you don't see, and the color of it is (say the color)."

  Another rhyme you may remember is: "Riddle, riddle Marie, I see something that you don't see, and the color of it is (say the color)."

• The other players take turns guessing what the object might be.
• Players are given a yes or no response as appropriate.
• If players are having difficulty, they may be given clues.
• I'm Thinking of an Animal teaches children to think about visual characteristics and mentally classify them based on spoken clues and hints - A family favorite in our house is "I'm thinking of an Animal." This guessing game builds your child's thinking skills, memory, language skills, and ability to think about characteristics and classifications of animals. It can be played by any number of children and adults and can be adapted to teach a range of children from toddlers to primary students.
  
  How to Play:
  
  1. The object of the game is for players to guess the name of an animal using clues provided.
  2. One player silently thinks of an animal without telling other players. He then says, "I'm thinking of an animal, and it has (say one of it's characteristics)."
  3. Players take turns guessing. After each guess, if incorrect, players get another clue.
  4. The player who guesses the animal gets to make up the next animal for other players to guess. Alternately, children can take turns so each person gets a chance to choose the animal.
  5. This game can be adapted for older children by making the clues more complex. For younger children, clues should be visual concepts such as colors and size, or whether the animal has wings, scales, or fur. For older children, include abstract clues such as where the animal lives, what it eats, or its behavior.
  

Mengenal Abjad

Assalamualaikum

Ramai yang bertanya bagaimana nak perkenalkan kanak-kanak dengan abjad. Sebenarnya ada banyak cara. Untuk perhatian anda, tidak semua kanak-kanak dapat menerima corak dan teknik pengajaran guru. Oleh itu di dalam usaha mengenalkan abjad ini banyak cara perlu anda fikirkan terlebih dahulu:

1. Kematangan kanak-kanak
Ada kanak-kanak lambat proses kematangan otaknya. Mereka yang sebegini sering menimbulkan masalah di kelas ( kerana guru sangat terdesak mahukan anak muridnya berjaya - selalu didenda, dipukul/rotan dan sebagainya ).

Dalam hal ini guru perlulah berfikiran secara positif, begitu juga di pihak pentadbiran (ada pentadbir sekolah menyalahkan guru kerana seorang dua murid gagal dalam ujian LINUS - patutkah guru prasekolah dipersalahkan hanya kerana 1 atau 2 orang sahaja yang gagal? Apakah 23-24 orang murid prasekolah yang berjaya melepasi ujian LINUS itu tidak membawa sebarang erti di mata pihak pentadbir?)

2. Minat dan keperluan kanak-kanak
Kanak-kanak sentiasa teruja dengan bahan-bahan yang kecil dan menarik serta berwarna-warni. Mereka suka kepada kartun, iklan, alat permainan.

Di sini guru perlu memainkan peranan dengan memainkan psikologi kanak-kanak. Antara cara yang biasa saya lakukan ialah dengan memberikan stiker, menghadiahkan kanak-kanak dengan alat tulis berbentuk kartun yang kanak-kanak sukai.

Untuk maklumat yang lebih ilmiah, saya kepilkan artikel yang ditulis oleh Sheila Anderson yang saya petik dari http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Sheila-Anderson-864/alphabet-4384.php

Teach the Alphabet: 8 Fun Tips to Teach Your Child the Alphabet

Knowing the alphabet is a vital precursor to learning how to read. Children who know the alphabet before entering school have a natural advantage over children who can’t identify the letters of the alphabet. Learning the alphabet doesn’t have to be an arduous task. In fact, teaching the alphabet is more effective when you make it fun. Different children find different activities fun, so try different teaching techniques. Here are eight tips you can try to teach your child the alphabet.

1. The Alphabet Song

It may sound very basic, but before you actively try to teach your child the visual representation of letters, first teach them the letter names with the alphabet song. After having sung this with your child several times, then you can start pointing to letters as you sing the song to show your child that the letter names actually match printed letters. Print out a sheet of large letters and point to them as you sing. After doing this a few times, hold your child’s hand and point their finger to the letters as you sing. Finally have the child point to the letters on his/her own as you sing together.

2. Point to Letters on Everyday Objects

Every so often throughout the day point to a word you see and tell your child the starting letter or ending letter. For example, if you’re out with your child at Walmart, as you’re walking towards the building say, “Look, Walmart starts with W.” At the breakfast table point to the cereal box at talk about the first letter of the cereal name, or if there’s a logo on your clothes, talk about the letters of the logo. There are countless opportunities to point out letters here and there. Encourage your child to point out letters that he/she knows and make a big deal about it when the child does this independently.

3. Do a Letter Hunt

Pick a letter as the theme letter for your letter hunt. Then go around the house, or the shopping mall, or wherever you are, and find the letter you are looking for in at least 10 places: signs, books, products, toys, etc. If you are at home doing this you can actually pick up the items and collect the 10 things in a pile. Kids will enjoy collecting the items and then going around helping you put the items away.

4. Alphabet Coloring Pages

Many children love coloring so much that they can spend several hours every week coloring. Why not print off some coloring pages with the letter prominently displayed and associated with a picture of something that begins with the letter. Tell your child what the letter is and have the child repeat it back to you. Then discuss the picture and explain that the picture also starts with the letter.

5. Alphabet Mazes

Some children aren’t as interested in coloring but really enjoy finding their way through a maze. While the child is working on the maze talk to them about the letter and have them repeat the letter name. Talk to them about words that begin with that letter. After they finish the maze have your child try to draw the letter at the bottom of the page.

6. Letters of their Name

Often the first letters children learn are the letters of their name. Start by just saying aloud the spelling of their name. If you can come up with a little song for the letters of their name then the learning is usually much faster. For example, if your child has a 5 letter name try replacing the letters of the song BINGO with the letters of your child’s name. With a 3 letter name you can replace the first 3 letters of BINGO with the letters of the name and replace GO with “spells name”. For example, with the name Pat you can sing “P-A-T spells Pat, P-A-T spells Pat, P-A-T spells Pat, and Pat is your name.”

7. Tracing Their Name

After they can say aloud the spelling of their name then make or print out some tracing pages of their name. This creates a direct association of the shape of the letters with the letters of their name. This activity strongly reinforces learning to recognize and print their own name. Not only are they learning letters, but also early printing skills.

8. Tracing the Letters of the Alphabet

After your child can read and print their own name, then he/she can start tracing the rest of the alphabet. This will reinforce the oral learning of the alphabet with early printing skills. Either create tracing pages of letters, or print out some pre-made letter tracing pages. Repetitive tracing of each letter will solidify their learning of the letter shapes.

The most important things to remember about teaching your child the alphabet are to keep it fun and keep at it daily. You don’t have to work at it for long stretches at a time. That will only frustrate a child. Teach the alphabet in little bits at various times throughout each day and you’ll be amazed at your child’s progress.

Penggunaan stiker atau token atau star charts

Assalamualaikum

Penggunaan stiker atau token sebenarnya adalah antara cara untuk menambat hati kanak-kanak. Sila baca artikel di bawah ini supaya anda jelas dengan konsep yang sedang saya perkatakan. Corak pembelajaran murid saya telah banyak menunjukkan perkembangan dengan adanya stiker yang pelbagai. Untuk nota yang lebih ilmiah, sila baca selanjutnya....

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Sticker and star charts are types of behaviour charts that track progress by awarding children a sticker or star when they reach a positive goal. Many parents embrace sticker and star charts because they are positive ways of encouraging children toward good behaviour and children often enjoy seeing the build up of stickers and stars which they know will result in a small reward later. Sticker and star charts tend to work best with children who understand the abstract concepts of good behaviour and can remain focused for the delayed gratification of an overall prize.

Topics for Sticker and Star Charts

The topics that should be included on sticker and star charts are usually those that a child needs to work on. Some parents prefer to keep these charts to just a few topics, which is a good idea as it focuses attention on a child’s weaker areas and makes it easier for parents to remember how many stickers or stars should be awarded at the end of the day. If a parent is willing they can also set up a chart to include multiple stickers or stars for effort, though this can often lead to much discussion and even arguments when a child believes that (s)he has put forth more effort than the parent perceived. Common tasks that are included on sticker and start charts for children include:

• Getting up when called/the alarm sounds.
• Getting dressed by themselves.
• Completing assigned daily chores.
• Tidying away toys at the end of the day.
• Finishing dinner.
• Getting ready for bed when asked.

Rewards for Sticker and Star Charts

Sticker and star charts do require patience as children must watch their “points” build up before they receive any sort of reward to celebrate their good behaviour. Generally a full week is a good amount of time to run sticker and star charts, and deciding on the reward at the start of the week is always a good idea. Older children may wish to hold out for longer for a bigger reward, such as a month with the promise of a day trip if they accrue enough stickers or stars, but that is something each parent can decide on their own. Rewards needn’t be expensive, and in fact treats that have little monetary value can often be the most memorable. Examples of rewards include:

• Allowing the child to select what is for dinner one night during the next week.
• A game of football in the park with a parent.
• A trip to the library for a selection of new books or DVDs.
• Allowing the child to stay up an hour later than normal a weekend night.
• Taking the child on a visit to a local museum.
• Agreeing to host a special play date in the upcoming week.

Using sticker and star charts is a good way for parents and children to remain positive about the children’s behaviour. Before beginning a chart, parents should decide how many stickers or stars will be required for a reward and they must communicate this number – and how stickers and stars will be awarded – to their children to avoid any confusion later. When children are successful and achieve the desired number, parents and children should celebrate in a meaningful way that allows them to spend time together since this is the best reward of all.

Mengatasi Masalah Mengenal Abjad B dan D

Soalan:

shai: a'kumm k.g...nak tanye camne nak memudahkan murid kenal huruf..dah mcm2 care sy buat..baru sebut huruf bile d tanye tkebil2..dah masuk bln 3 huruf a x lepas lg

Jawapan:

Memandangkan saya kurang sihat hari ini, berikut adalah artikel yang saya kira boleh membantu Shai dan rakan-rakan lain untuk mengatasi masalah murid mengenal abjad b dan d. Teknik yang digunakan adalah bed poster.

Rujukan: http://www.dyslexia-parent.com/mag30.html

Studies from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development have shown that for children with difficulties learning to read, a multisensory teaching method is the most effective teaching method.

This is especially crucial for a dyslexic child. But what does it mean?

Using a multisensory teaching approach means helping a child to learn through more than one of the senses. Most teaching in schools is done using either sight or hearing (auditory sensations). The child’s sight is used in reading information, looking at diagrams or pictures, or reading what is on the teacher’s board. The sense of hearing is used in listening to what the teacher says. A dyslexic child may experience difficulties with either or both of these senses. The child’s vision may be affected by difficulties with tracking, visual processing or seeing the words become fuzzy or move around. The child’s hearing may be satisfactory on a hearing test, but auditory memory or auditory processing may be weak.

The answer is to involve the use of more of the child’s senses, especially the use of touch and movement (kinetic). This will give the child’s brain tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to, as well as the visual and auditory ones.

An example

An example will make this clear. The majority of dyslexic children experience confusion over the direction of ‘b’ and ‘d’. They can both be seen as a stick with a circle at its base. But on which side does the circle sit? A teacher might give the child a tactile (touchy/feely) experience of the letter ‘b’ by getting the child to draw the letter really large on the carpet. This will involve the child using their arms, their sense of balance, their whole body. They will remember the day their teacher had them 'writing' on the carpet with their hand making this great big shape, and can use that memory the next time they come to write the letter.

Some teachers purchase letters made out of sandpaper so that the children can run their fingers over the letter ‘b’, giving them a strong tactile memory. The thought of it sends a shiver down my spine!

Writing the letter ‘b’ in cursive handwriting on paper and with a big movement in the air puts a quite different slant on this letter. The letter starts on the line and rises to begin the down-stroke: there is nowhere else to put the circular bit but ahead of the down stroke.

Yet another way to give a strong tactile memory of ‘b’ is to make the letter out of plasticine, play-dough or clay.

A commonly used ‘trick’ to remember the direction of ‘b’ and ‘d’ is to show the child the word ‘bed’ on a card. This word begins with ‘b’ and ends with ‘d’, so that if you draw a bed over the letters, the upright part of ‘b’ will become the head of the bed, and the upright part of the ‘d’ will become the foot. You can draw a child lying on the bed to complete the picture. This gives a strong visual memory for the child to use each time the letter has to be written.

You can also show the child how to hold up their index finger on each hand, with the thumb and second finger touching, making the word ‘bed’, but without the ‘e’. If they learn to do this, they can make this shape discretely with their fingers each time they need a reminder in class.

The net result of these activities will be that a child has a visual memory from seeing the letter, an auditory memory from hearing the sound it makes, a tactile memory from writing the letter in cursive handwriting, in the air, and from touching the sandpaper letter, and a kinetic (body movement) memory from having drawn the letter really large on the carpet. Altogether a multisensory experience!

This tried and tested method has been used successfully for a long time, and its success lies in the fact that the dyslexic child is not limited to visual and auditory experiences but can make use of other areas of the brain in trying to establish clear memories of letters, words and numbers that are difficult to remember.

Lagi...

“b” “d” Confusion

We all know how common it is for children just beginning to read & write to have “b” “d” confusion. Here are a few fun activities to do with the students that will help many of them remember the difference.

Song

“A line and circle is the letter “b”.

A circle and a line is the letter d.”

(PBS, Word World, 9/14/09)

Sing the song as you write each letter on the board.

Then, students sing the song as they write the letters.

After practicing “b” and “d”, as you write the letters make the word “bed”. Explain that the “b” is like a pillow in the bed. (See the word art below of “bed”).

Word World – The PBS Cartoon

Have you ever seen the PBS cartoon, Word World? They have an episode about “b” and “d” confusion entitled, Bed Bugs. If you are able to record Word World and keep it on hand for specific lessons, it can be a fun way to supplement classroom lessons. I really wish they would offer an online archive of these episodes under specific lesson plan categories, such as “b” “d” confusion. They do have an episode about “b” “d” confusion. The characters actually made a bed (out of the letters) and sang the above song. Until an online archive of episodes is offered to teachers, recording episodes and keeping them in your classroom video library is a great idea.

They do offer online Word World Educational Games. I highly recommend saving this link for your students and using it during computer lab. Studying the games and assigning specific games depending on reading and writing assessment results can really help catapult students to the next level of learning. You could even assign specific games for homework! It may be helpful to put this link on your classroom website (if you have one).

Word Art

You can make words into art. For example, the word “cat” can actually become a cat.

Here’s some “b” & “d” word art with sketches of each one:

• dog
• bed
• bee
• bug

When I was a child, I had learned how to make the cat. So, when I saw the Word World cartoon with my daughter it brought back memories of creating “word art”.

It will be fun to see if the kids are able to come up with some of their own words, too.

Feeling the Letters – Kinesthetic Learning

Help students identify lowercase letters and learn to correctly print them with these textured tracing cards. Green dots show where to begin tracing and red dots show where to stop. Directional arrows teach correct letter formation.

Share Your Ideas

If you have an idea about teaching “b” “d” or word art, feel free to share your ideas in the comments section.

Dan lagi...

Resolving b and dConfusion

The first is a strategy forresolving confusion between the letters b and d, a very common problem among both young and disabled readers. This material has been extracted from the full Stevenson Program but can be used separately. Click here.

The Group Game

The second item, the Group Game, is an excellent strategy for making sure that all students in a reading group are paying attention even if only one is reading aloud. Again, this strategy is built into the Stevenson Program, but could be used in any class. These resources will give you a small taste of our teaching techniques. Click here.

Additional Decoding Tests for Progress Monitoring.

These tests are designed to supplement the Mastery/Management Tests. They provide additional opportunities to assess the decoding skill of your Stevenson students. Currently many schools require teachers to monitor the progress of each student frequently to determine if a particular reading intervention is working, and these easy-to-administer tests will significantly increase the frequency with which assessments can be made. They are free, but only teachers who have already acquired the Beginning Green Level or the Basic Blue Level Mastery Management Test Manual and Test Booklet are given permission to use them. They are in PDF format and can be printed and photocopied.

Teras Asas KSPK

Assalamualaikum

Ramai yang pening dengan KSPK ini. Untuk memudahkan kefahaman anda dan meningkatkan kefahaman saya juga ( kalau salah, para juruatih utama ingatkan saya ya ) izinkan saya menerangkan apa yang saya faham tentang KSPK ni.

Perubahan

Perkara yang anda perlu tahu adalah perubahan dalam kurikulum lama. Komponen ditukar kepada tunjang. Manakala kandungan telah ditukar kepada Standard Kandungan dan Hasil Pembelajaran ( HP ) kepada Standard Pembelajaran ( SP ). Untuk pengetahuan anda Standard Pembelajaran telah disediakan untuk murid 4+ dan 5+ tahun.

Penyediaan Rancangan Pengajaran Tahunan

Dalam menyediakan rancangan pengajaran tahunan, anda perlu melihat tahap pencapaian asas murid. Kalau mereka belum pernah bersekolah, berada di kawasan pedalaman, tahap IQ yang rendah dan lain sebab yang menyukarkan mereka mencapai tahap mengikut umur mereka, anda perlu bermula dengan kemahiran atau standard pembelajaran bagi kanak-kanak berumur 4+ bagi semester pertama. Manakala standard pembelajaran untuk kanak-kanak 5+ akan diajar di semester kedua.

Bagaimana dengan murid saya yang semuanya berumur 5 tahun? Perlukah guna SP murid 5+?

Soalan ini ada diajukan kepada saya. Jawapan saya mudah sahaja... anda gunakan kemahiran 4+ dahulu, kalau sehingga akhir semester pertama mereka masih belum kuasai SP 4+, teruskan usaha anda untuk mereka betul-betul faham SP 4+. Tak perlu kejar-kejar SP tu. Yang penting murid anda dapat kuasai kemahiran asas dengan cemerlang. Banyak kesilapan berlaku kepada guru-guru kerana mereka terlalu ingin habiskan kurikulum sedangkan murid mereka masih kosong ilmunya. Anda kena ikut tahap kemampuan murid supaya anda tidak dipersalahkan kemudian hari. Perlu anda faham kesemua kemahiran asas ini ada 4 kemahiran iaitu mendengar, bertutur, membaca dan menulis.

Bagaimana menyediakan Rancangan Pengajaran Harian?

Anda hanya perlu membuat RPH secara ringkas dan mudah difahami. Kalau anda pelatih di IPG, kenalah buat panjang untuk memudahkan anda mengikut langkah-langkah pengajaran. Bagi guru terlatih, kalau anda buat macam guru pelatih... maka anda jadi guru terletih...Maklumlah ada 4 jam menanti anda setiap hari untuk mengajar.

Macamana nak pastikan murid kuasai kemahiran SP yang anda ajar?

Buatlah penilaian agar anda dapat melihat tahap pencapaian murid. Apa yang biasa saya buat ialah dengan mengumpulkan setiap set kemahiran ke dalam bentuk booklet supaya mudah didokumentasikan dan pastikan ibu bapa menandatangani apa yang telah dicapai oleh anak mereka setiap minggu. Bukti hasil kerja ini akan dapat membantu anda andai berlaku perkara yang tidak diingini.

Aktiviti Mengenal Abjad

Assalamualaikum

Hari ini saya ingin berkongsi idea untuk anda sama ada guru prasekolah atau ibu bapa membantu kanak-kanak cepat mengenal abjad. Mudah-mudahan di waktu cuti begini anda guru prasekolah dapat menyediakan bahan-bahan ini sebelum sekolah bermula. Manakala ibu bapa pula boleh menjalankan aktiviti ini sepanjang cuti persekolahan ini untuk menarik minat anak anda belajar dengan cara yang menyeronokkan. Selamat mencuba.

Sudut Abjad.

Setiap kelas prasekolah perlu ada satu sudut abjad di kelas. Anda boleh menyediakan ruang bilik di mana kanak-kanak boleh meneroka abjad dalam banyak cara yang berbeza. Anda boleh guna huruf-huruf magnetic, stencils, blok, kad-kad gambar, kad-kad imbasan, stamps, cookie cutters, span, puzzles atau set permainan yang banyak menggunakan abjad untuk diletakkan di sudut berkenaan.

Padanan Abjad.
Buat set kad-kad huruf kecil dan huruf besar. Minta kanak-kanak padankan huruf besar dan kecil. Kumpulan yang berjaya memadankan kad-kad huruf yang sama dengan banyak dikira pemenang. Permainan ini boleh menggunakan kad bersaiz daun terup dan dimainkan seperti permainan Happy Family.

Beg Abjad

Isikan beg plastik dengan gel rambut, krim bercukur, gam yang telah diwarnakan dengan pewarna makanan, atau sebarang bahan lain yang anda mudah temui. Biarkan kanak-kanak gunakan jari mereka untuk membuat huruf-huruf di atas bahagian luar beg. Mereka boleh kemudian goncang beg itu untuk menulis semula. Aktiviti ini sangat menyeronokkan dan tidak membuatkan kelas berselerak.

Name Scramble.

Tuliskan nama kanak-kanak di atas kad-kad berasingan.Kemudian campur-campurkan kad itu. Suruh mereka menyusun nama mereka ke dalam susunan yang betul. Mereka boleh juga menukar kad-kad dengan kanak-kanak lain-lain dan cuba untuk mengeja nama-nama lain. Secara tidak langsung kanak-kanak akan tahu mengeja nama mereka dengan ejaan yang betul.

Memburu Abjad.

Beri setiap kanak-kanak sekeping kad abjad. Minta mereka memburu abjad yang sepadan dengan kad yang mereka dapat di sekeliling bilik darjah, mencarinya di dalam majalah, atau buku-buku.

Kejar abjad.

Sorok kad-kad abjad di sekeliling kelas. Minta kanak-kanak mencari kad-kad tersebut. Siapa yang mendapat kad terbanyak dikira sebagai pemenang.

Kad hilang.

Letak kad abjad di atas lantai. Minta kanak-kanak menutup mata mereka. Guru sorok sekeping kad dan minta kanak-kanak meneka kad mana yang hilang. Permainan ini boleh dibuat secara kumpulan kecil. Minta pasangan lawan untuk menutup mata kumpulan yang akan meneka. Jika berjaya, markah akan diberikan.Kumpulan yang terbanyak menjawab soalan dengan betul akan dikira sebagai pemenang.

Memancing abjad.

Lekatkan kad abjad di botol mineral kosong. Pasangkan tangkai di bahagian penutup botol supaya mudah untuk dipancing. Guru sebut nama abjad dan kanak-kanak akan memancing abjad yang telah disebut. Kumpulan yang berjaya memancing huruf abjad yang betul dikira pemenang.

Alphabet Walk.
Bawa kanak-kanak keluar untuk melihat huruf-huruf yang terdapat di persekitaran mereka Mereka boleh melihatnya di papan tanda, bangunan dan di mana sahaja yang mempunyai perkataan tertentu.

Pasangan Perkataan.

Tulis dua perkataan yang sama bunyinya tetapi berbeza makna di atas papan hitam misalnya perang dan perang (warna) dan kemudian minta mereka beritahu anda perbezaan makna perkataan tersebut.

Main sorok-sorok Abjad.

Sorok kad-kad huruf-huruf di sekeliling bilik darjah. Minta kanak-kanak mencari kad tersebut. Bila mereka telah menemui kad, minta mereka duduk semula dan beritahu keseluruh kelas huruf yang mereka jumpa.

Lagu Abjad.

Lagu ini mudah untuk dipelajari dan menyeronokkan untuk dinanyikan. Beri kanak-kanak huruf abjad dan biarkan mereka menyanyi huruf mereka apabila tiba giliran mereka.

Menyisih perkataan.

Biar kanak-kanak memilih kad perkataan yang telah anda sediakan. Suruh mereka susun kad perkataan itu mengikut susunan abjad. Misalnya ayam, basikal, cempedak, durian, emak dan seterusnya.

Membuat Huruf-huruf.

Ajak kanak-kanak membuat huruf-huruf dari krim bercukur, play dough, span, pudding atau bahan-bahan lain yang menyeronokkan.

Abjad Lembaran kerja.

Gunting lembaran kerja. Tampal semula lembaran kerja dan lakukan latihan menulis untuk mengajar kanak-kanak mengenal abjad.

Telaga abjad.

Dengan menggunakan gelung rotan, Tulis di atas kertas dan tampalkan abjad tertentu pada skittel di tepi gelung rotan. Bahagikan kepada beberapa kumpulan murid. Guru sebut huruf dan kanak-kanak akan melompat ke dalam gelung rotan sambil menyebut nama huruf tersebut. Kumpulan yang berjaya menjawab dengan betul akan dikira sebagai pemenang.

Bunyi Abjad.

Sebut huruf abjad dan bunyinya dan minta kanak-kanak mengulang semula apa yang anda sebutkan.

Sepit Abjad

Gunakan kad-kad abjad untuk menjalankan aktiviti ini. Minta kanak-kanak sepit kad pada penyepit baju dan gantung di ruang yang disediakan. Dalam kumpulan kecil minta mereka cipta perkataan menggunakan kad abjad tersebut. Kumpulan yang berjaya mencipta perkataan yang paling panjang dikira pemenang.