Maker Space Reflections and Coding

We are so fortunate to be teaching in an era when low tech and high tech options are both the route to engaging opportunities for our students. Below are two links that are relevant to our work. 

Made With Code- similar to an Hour of Code, this web site (works on tablets, too), allows students to work with basic coding to create. I had Carolyn try it out and watched her push through some frustration and double back when things didn't align the way she wanted them. That is growth mindset in action! 

Then there is this fabulous reminder and guide from Mindshift, KQED's educational blog. It is all about how to provide meaningful reflection opportunities for our students, beyond "How did you think it went?". I know I often feel at a loss for how to get kids to articulate what they learned and what they did, beyond "It was great. That was cool." The infographics on this piece are stellar!

Phonemic Awareness- Early Literacy

Phonemic awareness has long been identified as an important foundational skill for successful literacy. Phonemes are simply units of sound in our spoken language. So being aware of them reflects a child's ability to break words apart into phonemes, put phonemes together to create words, hear rhyming sounds, etc. All done without a child writing or even needing to see print.

An example:

Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness in which listeners are able to hear, identify and manipulate phonemes, the smallest units of sound that can differentiate meaning. Separating the spoken word "cat" into three distinct phonemes, /k/, /æ/, and /t/, requires phonemic awareness. (Wikipedia, 2016).

As we move through our days in TK, K, First, and Second grade, it is important to teach to phonemic awareness skills and give students a chance to "make and break" words orally/aurally.

Below, is a link to numerous classroom activities to boost your phonemic awareness time!

http://www.prekinders.com/literacy-printables/