1. Read to Self with Mother Goose Little Books: New 
Video Clip
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We begin the year with Mother Goose Rhymes to effortlessly give children the rhythm and sounds of the English language and to share “Just Right: I Can Read!” Little Books. Marie Clay’s
research reminds us that “Rhymers are readers.” Using classic nursery rhyme little books is a research-based approach to simultaneously build oral language fluency and reading skills.
See new video clip: How to Make Nellie Edge Guided Reading Little Books
A Becky Leber kindergarten ritual involves an imaginary Mother Goose visitor. She leaves white feathers and new props each week (a shoe, star, candlestick, lamb’s wool, etc.) to inspire children to learn each new
rhyme. Children love the feathers and delight in memorizing and dramatizing the language of Mother Goose. Read more about
The Imaginary World of Mother Goose.
One of the most well-known and loved English rhymes is “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Singing, signing, and reading these familiar words sparks the child’s interest in learning about the stars and the
natural world outside the classroom. We encourage children and their families to begin taking night walks to explore the night sky as part of a year-long focus on learning about the natural world. See:
Children and Their Families Learn About The Stars.
Invite children to memorize, recite, and perform “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” in American Sign Language (ASL). The hand gestures help build memory connections and enhance meaning. Sign Language also develops
the finger muscles for writing.
Make Friends with Mother Goose: Free Resources for You
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2. I Can Read: Poems and Songs to Celebrate Fall |
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Someone wisely said, “Childhood is for language.” As we begin a new year with children, we think of the songs, poems, rhymes, and caring relationships that are the foundation of our curriculum. Consider starting September with
a Celebration of Language.
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Sunflower Children
Sunflower children
Nod to the sun.
Summer is over
School has begun.
Author Unknown |
Reading is Fun
Reading is fun.
Reading is fun.
Reading is fun for everyone.
The more you read,
The better you read,
So read, read, read.
Nellie Edge |
See You Later, Alligator
See you later, alligator
After while, crocodile
Bye-bye butterfly
Give a hug, ladybug
Toodle-ee-oo, kangaroo
See you soon, raccoon
Time to go, buffalo
Can’t stay, blue jay
Manana, iguana
The end, my friend!
Traditional |
Free Poetry Pages:
Download your favorites from over 200 short poems, rhymes, songs, and chants that we consider “worthy of our children” for Poetry and Song “I Can Read” Notebooks. See:
September Songs and Poems to Begin On
See
Parent Letter: Poetry “I Can Read” Notebooks
Invite parents to make poetry and song posters for you. For innovative language chart ideas, we invite you to see:
Classroom and Seminar Language Charts |
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3. Apple Explorations and New Colored Little Books |
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Make your own Guided Reading Books from Our Expanded Collection of Free Online Little Books! Mount the color pages of these rhymes on cardstock, laminate them, and bind the pages with scotch tape.
See Video Clip: How to Make Guided Reading Little Book Sets
Dramatize, Recite, Perform, and Read!
Once children have dramatized and performed the language in these favorite childhood fingerplays and action rhymes, they will quickly transition from “memory reading” and reading the pictures to focused attention to print.
Our eighteen free Little Books include:
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The Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree,
Two little apples smiled down at me.
I shook that tree just as hard as I could.
Down came the apples,
Mmmmmm, they were good!
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The Apple Tree. Invite the children to dramatize the actions! Looking “way up high,” shaking the tree, and taking bites out of imaginary apples are all actions children delight in.
Free Little Books
Visit an orchard: When our girls were in kindergarten, the whole class visited our little farm to pick apples and make cider from an old cider press. Apple cider never tasted so good!
Find some apple trees! Apple Explorations bring delicious gifts from fall!
Here are some great links to inspire your Apple Explorations:
Enjoy short apple rhymes as part of your language-rich curriculum. Download these individual rhyme pages from
September Songs and Poems to Begin On:
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I Like Apples
I like apples
Munch, munch, munch!
I like apples
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
Traditional
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Take an Apple
Take an apple round and red
Don’t slice down,
Slice through instead.
Look inside
And you will see,
A special star
For you and me!
Traditional |
I Like Apples
Big apples,
Little apples,
Medium-sized too.
I like all apples,
How about you?
Traditional |
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4. New Kid Writing Templates and Writing Seminar Schedule |
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We are excited to share some new kindergarten writing templates with you from our “Kid Writing” and Joyful Accelerated Kindergarten Literacy manuals. We hope these pages will enhance your kindergarten writing program! (This is
the beginning of our next e-Book!)
See:
Kindergarten Writing Templates
Writing to Read in Kindergarten: Explore the Power of “Kid Writing” With Julie Lay
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October 10, 2009 in Salem, Oregon. (Seminar is limited to 45 participants.)
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October 22, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois (Seminar is limited to 75 participants.)
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October 24, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Seminar is limited to 75 participants.)
Save $70 with our Newsletter Readers’ Special Registration fee of $129
through September 8, 2009.
(Registration is $199 after September 8, 2009. Late registration is $225.)
Register online now.
Ten Best Practices in Joyful Accelerated Literacy
To gain hands-on experience with favorite “word work” activities and independent writing centers, we also invite you to study Ten Best Practices in Joyful Accelerated Literacy with Nellie Edge on Saturday, October 24, 20009, at
the Salem Convention Center Hotel.
Read more information. |
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5. Meet Rulee the Puppet:
See Video Clip |
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Every class deserves to have a wonderful puppet friend who can help them reflect on discipline and management issues! Meet Rulee, Diane Bonica’s special helping giraffe, who has a permanent habitat in a tent next to
the classroom meeting area.
Check out the video of Rulee in action and consider how responsive children are to imaginative puppet friends. Access Diane Bonica’s inspiring literacy award website at:
http://www.nellieedge.com/links.htm.
Mr. Kindergarten, Dan Gurney, a wise California teacher, also has a magical puppet in his classroom. From his informative
Blogspot, you can read more about Archy.
Mr. Kindergarten explains, “Archy comes to my rescue every time I need to navigate some treacherous emotional waters: stealing, not sharing, name calling, cutting in line, being afraid of snakes, cats, dogs, or frustration or
discouragement.”
Consider finding an “Archy” for your kindergarten!
Mr. Kindergarten is one of our annotated resource links in our
Literacy Award and Other Favorite Websites.
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6. Kindergarten Friends Name Challenge
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Encouraging children to quickly recall the names of every student in the classroom helps build a friendly classroom environment where every child feels a sense of belonging. Learning classmates’ names helps develop
social intelligence and communications skills. You will find that many of your more socially mature students automatically learn names, easily establish eye contact, smile, and confidently say, “Good morning, Marissa.” These
children may easily become “name experts.” Other children will benefit from additional support and practice.
The Friendly Fox Puppet in Celeste Starr’s kindergarten helps children practice saying the name of everyone in the class.
For more details see:
Kindergarten Friends Challenge: I Can Say Every Name!
See also:
Parent Letter: The Kindergarten Name Challenge |
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7. Salem Kindergarten Cadre News |
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We are still finalizing plans for our Fall Salem Kindergarten Cadre meetings. Email us at
info@nellieedge.com if you are not already signed up and would like to receive announcements at your personal email address. (Work and school emails may spam-block our cadre notices and monthly newsletters).
Join us for discussion, camaraderie, and action-research with a focus on The Educational Arts and Best Literacy Practices using the Salem-Keizer K-12 Literacy Model.
Salem Kindergarten Cadre Schedule, in Progress, 2009-2010
Always check the Salem-Keizer Website for any last-minute changes or additions to this schedule
Management and Organization Strategies for Kindergarten Literacy Success and “Read to Self”
with Katie Nelson and Nellie Edge
September 21, 2009 (Monday), 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Salem Heights Elementary, 3495 Liberty Rd. S., Salem, OR 97302. School phone is (503) 399-3187.
Katie will share tried and proven strategies for managing and organizing the kindergarten environment with a two-and-a-half-hour schedule. How do you fit it all in? (including math!) Nellie, Katie, and colleagues will discuss successes and
challenges in implementing “The Daily Three” and “Kid Writing.” How are the children building their reading stamina? How is your “Kid Writing” Workshop Progressing? Are you implementing Ten Best
Practices?
Attend Our Joyful Accelerated Kindergarten Literacy Seminars in Salem!
View more seminar information online.
Our resource books are:
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Celebrate Language and Accelerate Literacy: High Expectations • Joyful Learning • Proven Strategies by Nellie Edge, 2009. See:
Online Bookstore.
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The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, Stenhouse, 2006. See:
www.The2Sisters.com
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Writing to Read in Kindergarten: Explore the Power of “Kid Writing” by Julie Lay and Nellie Edge, Nellie Edge Resources, 2009. See:
Online Bookstore.
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FREE! e-Book, Joyful Writing-to-Read Kindergartens Accelerate Literacy, from Nellie Edge and colleagues.
Download Joyful Writing-to-Read in Kindergarten e-Book (thirty full-color pages)
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Kidwriting: A Systematic Approach to Phonics, Journals, and Writing Workshop by Eileen G. Feldgus and Isabell Cardonick. See:
their website.
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FREE! e-Book, “Kid Writing” Seminar Sampler with Julie Lay. (thirty full-color pages)
Download: “Kid Writing” seminar sampler
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Parents as Partners in Kindergarten and Early Literacy: Family Connections that Multiply Our Teaching Effectiveness by Nellie Edge, Nellie Edge Resources, Inc., 2009. See:
Online Bookstore.
Other books that we highly recommend are:
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Talking, Drawing and Writing by Martha Horn and Mary Ellen Giacobbe, Stenhouse, 2007.
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Excerpts from Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning by Peter Johnston, Stenhouse, 2004.
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Why We Teach: Learning, Laughter, Love and the Power to Transform Lives by Linda Alston, Scholastic, 2008.
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The Literate Kindergarten: Where Wonder and Discovery Thrive by Susan L. Kempton, Heinemann, 2007.
These professional development sessions are free. You will be encouraged to pursue a practical kindergarten research topic this year. Semester credits are available through the University of the Pacific.
We will have registration details at our first meeting. Many of Salem’s mentor kindergarten teachers will host these monthly meetings in their beautiful classrooms.
September Smiles!
Nellie Edge |
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