Our district uses Reading Wonders and can I just tell you how much I LOVE READING WONDERS? One of the best parts (other than kids learning more in kindergarten than I ever knew was possible) is that the online stuff is AWESOME!! I almost exclusively use the digital materials (big surprise, right) because I find it much easier for me to keep organized. (meaning, I can't lose it like I lose everything else). I also love being able to pass the iPad around and let kids whenever possible.
Here's how I do it. I go to Safari and go to the Wonders website on your iPad. (For LPS people, the link is here). BEFORE YOU ENTER YOUR NAME AND PASSWORD, click on the little square box at the bottom that has the up arrow sticking out of it. You now see a bunch of options of how you can share that. Click on "Add to Home Screen" at the bottom. This essentially bookmarks this page and gives it a little icon on your iPad screen. You can now use it and pretend it's an app when really it's just using the regular Wonders website. It's not an app, but it plays one on tv. :-) Now enter your user name and password (same as your docushare login and password) and continue as usual. One thing I do need to say though is that it is slightly sluggish. You have to get used there being just a tiny bit of lag time. If you get an impatient kid they'll start rapid fire touching stuff and your safari will crash and you'll have to start over. Just teach them to be patient and it's amazing how quickly they learn. I only have one kiddo that still can't seem to figure that out. That's not bad!
As you read the books you can only see one page at a time. If you have an awesome book where the picture stretches across both pages you either need to use the non-mobile site (your laptop) or your old fashioned, hard copy big book! You'll also need to turn your iPad portrait to see the entire page. The rest of the site is done easily in landscape but for some reason all of the books must be in portrait for them to be fully visible. Click the speaker button and let the iPad read to you. Give the kids the iPad and let them pass it and click the button while you ask for predictions, clarification, model rereading, monitor behavior, etc.
The vocabulary is always the first thing that we do each day. I have the kids do this completely independently. I introduce the words on Monday and let the assistant hold the iPad and click through when I tell them, but I'm doing the teaching. Tuesday - Friday I have the assistant stand up front and project the vocabulary words. They say, "What's the word" and all children respond. Then the assistant asks, "What does it means" and the children raise their hand to share the definition. I am always engaged during this time because it would be easy for a kid to say the wrong definition because there's no real check on this. The recording just reads a sentence with the word in it. Oftentimes kindergartners won't question it if it doesn't make sense or not.
The high frequency words (or HFW for lazy typers like me) are fun. As you pull up the cards with the lines for practicing writing you can actually click on the pencil and write with your finger. The kids LOVE leading this one. I did get a stylus so kids can write with a "pencil" but to hold an iPad on your lap and try to write with a stylus without touching the screen somewhere else and screwing it up is pretty hard for a kindergartner. I just found that using their finger is easier. As the child writes on the iPad I have the other kids use their "magic finger" in the air and trace what he/she is writing on the iPad since they can watch it. We really focus on correct production of letters so if a kid is starting at the bottom, they get called out. They also know that we learn a lot from our mistakes so they can click the eraser button, erase and give it another go.
I'm sure there will be more stuff eventually, but for now this is a good start. I love letting kids take over while I step back and act as more of a facilitator.
As always, if you have any specific questions or suggestions for future posts, email me at mrs.mosier@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment