Today, the “luck of the Irish” was with me as I got to observe a Grade 2 lesson on Literacy. With St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, the teacher chose the book, “Fiona’s Luck,” to read to the class. It was so cute! It was filled with Leprechauns and luck, and lot of great literary elements in it like personification and similes. Then, to top it all off, it had a very clever story line where students could make predictions and use their imaginations. You have to read it! And, lucky for you, it’s on YouTube and Epic Books.
Periodically, the teacher would stop to gather predictions and ask questions to ensure that students were comprehending the story. When she finished reading the story, she had the students share what they would do if they had the Leprechaun’s luck. I was blown away by some of their responses! Can you believe that kiddo’s in Grade 2 want to use a Leprechaun’s luck to cure cancer and buy enough food so that nobody in the world would be hungry?! Some of the answers were less heroic but, nonetheless, impressive.
Unfortunately, the teacher ran out of time to do all the activities she had planned as the children were revved up with it being the few days before Spring Break. Lucky for me, the teacher took some time to discuss some of her literacy plans for the rest of the book that she would continue working on throughout the day. The activities were really cute, and she told me she got them from Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s. I didn’t ask which seller she got them from, but afterwards I found “The Clutter-Free Classroom” resources for “Fiona’s Luck.” I’ve attached a few photos of her posting below to give you a little snap-shot of some her ideas. There were also some writing activities for the students that connected with the story. In the classroom I visited, the students were going to write a short paragraph on what they would do with a Leprechaun’s luck.
Additional Literacy Learning Opportunities
The classroom teacher provided many opportunities to teach literacy in her daily routines. Every morning, the students have “morning work” to complete which consists of a worksheet like the one below. The worksheets always provide opportunities for students to improve their literacy skills by completing short activities. When students enter the classroom in the morning, these worksheets are on their desk for them to complete.
In addition to the morning work, the teacher always includes a morning message for her students to decode. They need to use their literacy skills to fill in the blanks and read the message. She has a “special helper” stand at the front of the room and select students to come up one-at-a-time to fill in a blank. Then, as a group, the students read the message.
While the students were completing their morning work, I circulated the room providing support where I could. Mostly I helped redirect students when they began socializing. When the teacher read the story, I sat on the carpet next to a couple of students that I knew were a little chatty. I gave a few nonverbal cues to the students to help them stay engaged, but, for the most part, the students loved the story and listened well. I loved talking to the teacher about her cross-curricular plans revolving around St. Patrick’s Day. She showed me her class novel, a book from the “Magic Treehouse” series, and explained how she implements it. She also offered to show me more resources throughout my practicum. The teacher clearly followed the Professional Standards for BC Educators in her willingness to contribute to the profession by helping me and in her ability to plan effective lessons and inclusive environments. I am looking forward to working with her more in the near future.