Tag Archive for: al

And We Have READERS!!!

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And we have READERS!!!!

My first graders are literally OBSESSED with the Secret Stories!
 


Hello again from Mrs. Mac and her munchkins!

We have so much to share with you and so little time to do so! Busy, busy, busy we are at this time of year, but my students have been hounding me to sneak on Katie’s blog again and brag about their growth.
“Mrs. Mac… 
We need to let the people know how we’re doing!!!” 
I have learned over the years to never argue with determined 1st graders, so let’s get right down to the bragging….

These kids are officially crazy-in-love with Secret Stories! 
I cannot get through a lesson without them freaking out because they’ve discovered a Secret Story ‘hiding’ in a word.. and they go literally insane if the word has more than one Secret in it!

Here are some of our super-exciting Secret Stories-moments…

In this first clip, the kids were so excited that we actually had to stop what we were doing that moment and come to the carpet, so that they could “work the word.”

Notice that they are holding their hands over their sweet little mouths, which is what they do whenever they notice more than one Secret Story in a word. This helps them “hold the Secret in” so that they don’t accidentally blurt it out (completely their idea!)  Aren’t they just adorable?

Spotting SECRETS in the word ‘dangerous!’

This class has some real performers in it, and I love to tap into their hidden talents as much as possible! Here are few future actors performing their favorite…… the ous Secret! 

 When o, u & s get together, poor little o is always left out, and so it’s just “US!”

Secret Stories® Phonics "ous" Secret

We spent 30 minutes acting this out. They got so into it that they just didn’t want to stop!  Below is a clip of one of my favorite groups acting out the ous Secret…

 
My favorite time to share and hear Secret Stories is during guided reading. I love Guided Reading! I could listen to them read all day. Using the Secret Stories has completely changed my approach to teaching kids how to read. It literally took all the stress off my shoulders! 
I used to really stress when I came across a word that I knew they couldn’t sound-out or identify using picture-support, but now I know the “Secrets” for all of those tricky words…. and so do THEY!

Guided Reading is now stress-free (or at least as stress-free as a first grade classroom can be!) The following clips include children on a variety of different reading levels, as I wanted to show how knowing the “grown-up” reading & writing Secrets make cracking the code easy for ALL learners- regardless of their level!
So here are some very proud kiddos who couldn’t wait to share their Secrets with you.
Can you see the pride in their faces? 
 
Sneaky Y®, Mommy E®, and the ‘al’ Secrets!
The “ce/ci/cy” Secret

 

The “ay” and “ing” Secrets
 

And here is a clip from our very first Reader’s Theater Production. These kids couldn’t believe that they could read a 40 page play…. but they did! And they even made their own costumes (well, headbands) to help them “get into their parts!” 

Readers Theater

Now this next clip requires an introduction.

This little guy is just a love bug. He comes from the most amazing supportive family. I have a great relationship with his mommy, and she’s a regular mommy-helper in our classroom. She was initially very concerned about her little guy, as there had been a few rough experiences in the past, and like any loving parent, wanted her baby to be successful!

At the time I’d captured this video, his mommy had just walked in as I’d started recording, so I quickly shooed-her right back out! Look at the pride in his face when he discovered that he could not only read the “big” word on the page, but the WHOLE sentence, as well!

When his mommy saw this clip, she had tears… and this is just the beginning!!!
I’m so thrilled that I will get to share all of his continuing growth with all of YOU this year!

Spotting the ‘ar’ SECRET in the word ‘shark!’

And finally, I have one more beautiful moment to share.

This student came rushing to the guided reading table when I called her group. The words she said touched my heart. What had initially sold me on Secret Stories was the idea of teaching my kids to read in a ‘stress-free’ way.

I teach it because I love it and it works, but I’m not the only one who had a life-changing moment. Listen to Lana as she explains why she loves Secret Stories so much, and how it has changed her life.

The “ing” Secret—
Lana shares why she loves knowing the Secrets (This one’s my favorite!!!)
 
Well folks, thanks so much for taking a quick peek into our little classroom,
and I hope that these small glimpses will help inspire you own Secret Stories journey!

xoxoxo
Renee McAnulty

PS I want to thank Katie for allowing me to guest-blog!

This approach has fostered a new way of thinking about teaching kids to read that has truly changed my life. Thank you for making me a better teacher for my amazing kids!!!!
Until Next Time,
Katie Garner :-) 

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Secret Stories® Makes Phonics Make SENSE!
Try a “taste” of the Secrets with YOUR class 
and see the difference they make!
Click to Download the FREE Secret Stories® Mini-Sample Poster Pack!

 

For a list of upcoming conferences, or for information on scheduling a school or district professional development workshop, click here. 

 
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Reading & Writing Phonics FREEBIES!

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The more tools learners bring to the table, the more value they are able to take away…

In order for learners to take full advantage of the daily literacy experiences we provide in the classroom, they must be given access to as much of the “code” as possible, as soon as possible!
Knowing just 26 letter sounds and a handful of sight words doesn’t get you very far in reading OR writing, even in Kindergarten! I mean, seriously, how much could YOU write with only 26 individual letter sounds and 10 sight words? Not to mention, how much could you actually READ? (Note that I said “read,” not memorize!)
Secret Stories® Phonics — Accelerating Early Learner Access to the WHOLE Phonics Code!
No matter how many rich, literacy activities and experiences we provide daily for students in our classrooms, they are of minimal value to those without enough skills to fully partake in them!
Secret Stories® Phonics Posters— The "ph" Secret!

Easy!  Just toss out some Secrets!


FREE Secret Stories® Phonics Mini-Poster Anchors "Appetizer" Pack!
FREE Secret Stories® Phonics Mini-Poster Anchors “Appetizer” Pack!

In conjunction with my guest posts on Mrs. Jump’s Class Blog, let’s take a peek at some KINDERGARTEN writing and see how knowing the phonics Secrets maximizes the “instructional-bang” for the buck in their writing!

As stated at the top of this post, the more tools (i.e. “pieces of the code”) that early learners bring to the table, the more value they take away from daily reading and writing experiences. So why delay divvy-out “bits & pieces” like a waitress when you could share all of the reading and writing Secrets they need on a BUFFET?

Secret Stories® Phonics — "Don't be a "phonics-waitress".....Build a BUFFET!!"
 “Don’t be a “phonics-waitress”…..Build a BUFFET!!”

Secret Stories® Phonics — Kindergarten Writing with "ay/ey" and "ou/ow" Secrets!
 

Notice the “ay” Secret in the word play, above? Watch the video clip below to see how EASY it is to teach…
and notice the Sneaky Y® Secret in the smartly-spelled word batterey in the sample, below. 
Secret Stories® Phonics — Kindergarten Writing with Sneaky Y® and "er, ir, ur" Secrets!
 

The er, ir ur Secret is easy-peasy to teach….
….and even EASIER to learn, as this little kindergartner demonstrates, below!

 
And then there’s the ar-Secret with Superhero A!
Secret Stories® Phonics — Kindergarten Writing with "ar" and "ie" Secrets!

 
Notice in the last two samples above, the Outlaw Words, one and there, depicted as “mug-shots” for posting on the class Word Jail (the Secret Stories®-version of a “Word Wall”)
Learn the trick for reading words like was, want, from, of, come, love, some, from, etc... with the "Head-Bop" Trick for Fickle Vowels!
Learn the trick for reading words like was, want, from, of, come, love, some, from, etc…
with the “Head-Bop” Trick for Fickle Vowels!

The Secret Stories® Word Jail is reserved for words that are truly “un-figure-outable”…. not random sight words, as most are easily decodable for learners who know the Secrets…. even in kindergarten!

Secret Stories® Phonics — Stanford Brain Study on Sight Words— "No More Memorizing!"
For more on writing with the Secrets, check out the video below and download the FREE Secret Writing Pack underneath!
FREE Secret Stories® Phonics "Zoo Keeper" Strategy Pack for Beginning Writers!
FREE Secret Stories® “Zoo Keeper” Strategies for Beginning Writers
Kids can’t read OR write about their pet mouse with only 26 individual letter sounds and a handful of sight words! They need ALL of the code to do ANYTHING with it, and from the earliest possible grade levels! Check out these kindergartners and see how easy it is to break down those grade level walls that delay learner access to the code!
My kids are OBSESSED with the Secret Stories!!
Mrs. Mac’s students, looking up the “ie” Secret in the SECRET STORIES book! 
(She hadn’t shared that one yet, but the kids said they needed it NOW!!!)

I received the series of short video clips from Mrs. Mac and her class on Halloween, along with the very excited caption- “And we have READERS!!!” 

 
For more posts by Mrs. Mac, click here, here, here and here!
And if you would like to try sharing Secrets with your students, you can download this mini-poster “appetizer” pack FREE! 
Free Phonics Posters by Secret Stories
FREE Secret Stories® Phonics Mini-Poster Pack
Until Next Time,
Katie :-)

Never Miss a Secret! Subscribe to the Newsletter! 
Katie Garner Secret Stories LinkedIN pageSecret Stories BlogSecret Stories Facebook PageSecret Stories Youtube PageSecret Stories TwitterSecret Stories PinterestSecret Stories Instagram
Secret Stories Banner

Secret Stories® Makes Phonics Make SENSE!

Try a “taste” of the Secrets with YOUR class 
and see the difference they make!
Click to Download the FREE Secret Stories® Mini-Sample Poster Pack!

 

For a list of upcoming conferences, or for information on scheduling a school or district professional development workshop, click here. 

 
Katie Garner Secret Stories Linkedin pageSecret Stories BlogSecret Stories Facebook PageSecret Stories Youtube PageSecret Stories TwitterSecret Stories PinterestSecret Stories Instagram

 

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Chit-Chatting About the Phonics “Secrets!”

Imagine you’re a beginning learner in Kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade, and you’re told about the grown-up reading & writing “”secret”  al, and the sound they make when they get together in a word…
A and L love balls!
ALL balls… 
Footballs, baseballs, basketballs, volleyballs… 
ALL balls, ALL the time!!
Armed with this new reading and writing tool, you naturally begin looking for opportunities to use  it, not in a workbook or on a skill sheet, but in real life, just like real grown-ups do!
Take a moment and look around wherever you happen to be. Do you see the al Secret anywhere?   Maybe on a newspaper headline, or on a magazine cover?  Now imagine the text-rich environment of your classroom where opportunities for spotting this and other Secrets are literally EVERYWHERE!
Secret Stories® Phonics— Spotting the "PH" Secret

I’m often asked to create Secret Stories® practice pages and skill packs targeting individual Secrets, but aside from the few I’ve done for the “core” Secrets (i.e. Secrets of the Superhero Vowels®, Spotting Secrets, and Beethoven Blends) I’ve never felt this was necessary.

The best way to hone new skills is to use them, and the best use of the Secrets is for real-life, learner-driven purposes…. which abound in daily reading and writing! Applying the Secrets on workbook pages can’t compare to applying them to the reading and writing activities that are ongoing across the curriculum and throughout the entire instructional day!

And besides, there are so many outstanding and creative resources already available that offer natural reinforcement the Secrets! And since I’ll be doing a few guest posts for Deanna Jump this month on her blog, I thought I’m going to use one of her “Chit Chat” units as an example.

Katie Garner Guest Post on Deanna Jump's Blog
One of the best ways to build learner-automaticity with the Secrets is to provide rich, daily literacy experiences and activities that spur learner-interest so as to inspire use of the Secrets. Activities like Mrs. Jump’s Chit Chat (or any other flexible “open-ended” learning activity/framework) provide an ideal springboard for use of the Secrets for multi-purpose learning!
 
A consistent, yet flexible format makes for easy differentiation!
The consistent, and yet flexible format of the activities makes it easier for beginning learners to “multi-process.” The open-ended format encourages learners to simultaneously apply the Secrets they know, in conjunction with the individual letter/sound skills targeted (i.e. writing additional words that “start with the letter B” and contain one or more Secrets).
Combing both skill sets for one purpose allows learners to more fully engage with the activities while reinforcing their natural integration (i.e. use of the individual letter sounds and Secrets, simultaneously, rather than having to wait to acquire/apply one before the other.) The result is natural, and thus, easy differentiation for a variety of skill-levels and instruction.
Mrs. Jump’s “Chit-Chat Morning Messages” on TpT!
These non-fiction Chit Chat units (below) 
are rich in content and naturally motivate learners application of the Secrets…

 

Rich, informational content, combined with vivid photographs and realistic illustrations inspire learners to read and write!
Connecting high-interest, non-fiction concepts to what learners already know and understand inspires them to “dig deeper” by reading and writing even more— sparking an interest in further reading, or planting a seed for an exciting, new writing idea, appropriately leveled, non-fiction text activities provide learners with unlimited opportunities to put the Secrets they know to use!
Secret Stories® are literally hiding behind every corner! 
More than anything else, what I love most about using the Secrets to read and write across the instructional day is that it clearly demonstrates the power that comes with owning these tools of our language! The Secrets give those who know them power over text!
For beginning learners, the ability to figure out new words on their own, as well as to write the words they want to use in their stories (regardless of whether or not it is on a sight word wall to copy) is an empowering feeling. And it’s this “power over text” that ignites learners’ desire to read and write MORE!  
 
The better we are at something, the more we like to do it… and the more we do it, the better we get…
and the better we get, the more we love to do it….
The worse we are at something, the less we like to do it… and the less we do it, the worse we get….
and the worse we get, the less we want to do it….
 
Get the idea?
Secret Stories® can be found around every corner and on every page of any book OR TpT activity! Anywhere there is text, there are an abundance of opportunities for introducing new Secrets and revisiting/reinforcing old ones!
Can you spot the Secrets on this page of Mrs. Jump’s Non-Fiction Chit Chat unit below?
(HINT- I’ve included some “secret: visual clues to help you spot them!)
Check out this “Spotting Secrets” resource on TpT that gives kids lots of fun practice! It even has thumbnail-sized visuals of some of the Secret Stories® pictures that kids can take home to share on the top of the practice pages!
Free Phonics Posters by Secret Stories
or to view the complete Classroom Kit versions, see the picture link, below.
 
Until Next Time,
Katie :-)

Never Miss a Secret! Subscribe to the Newsletter! 
Katie Garner Secret Stories LinkedIN pageSecret Stories BlogSecret Stories Facebook PageSecret Stories Youtube PageSecret Stories TwitterSecret Stories PinterestSecret Stories Instagram
Secret Stories Banner

Secret Stories® Makes Phonics Make SENSE!

Try a “taste” of the Secrets with YOUR class 
and see the difference they make!
Click to Download the FREE Secret Stories® Mini-Sample Poster Pack!

 

For a list of upcoming conferences, or for information on scheduling a school or district professional development workshop, click here. 

 

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