Earlier in the school year, I posted about my language station. Now that it is fully up and running, I wanted to show you more details in how I utilize it. This is a station ran by an assistant. It is used as a station for extra practice on concepts that are previously mastered when working with me. At the language station, the focus is on getting fluent (fast and accurate) at these important skills. It is great if you know your letters, but if it takes you 10 seconds to label a letter, the skill is not functional. All the kids have a data binder stored inside a milk crate on the Language Table.
Inside the data binders are data sheets that look like this. There is a space to write in the set (i.e. sight words, time, $, etc.) Also, there is a space to indicate total number of flashcards in the deck (so you don't have to count all the cards every time). There is also a space for the length of the timing (some we do for 30 seconds and others for 1 minute). All the assistant has to do is complete flashcards for the indicated length of time. As she goes, she sorts the cards into 2 piles (one for corrects and one for incorrects). Then, she counts up the two piles and writes them into the data sheet.
We use a bunch of different types of flashcards for a variety of learning levels. Some kids are working on telling time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, 5 minutes, or 1 minute. Some students are working on reading digital time.
For money, some students are working on money combinations, while others are working on identifying names and values (with real coins taped onto the flashcards).
WE have a variety of sight word flashcards for the Dolch words, functional words, seasonal words, or other common words.
Some students are working on identifying people in the class, so I have a deck of cards with everyone's pictures.
Some students are working on identifying pictures of common objects, animals, and foods. For non-verbal students, we use these cards to work on receptive identification.
Some students are working on identifying letters and numbers. Each kid has 3 sets of flashcards they are working with at a time. They are stored in a little notecard holder.
Since each station has 2 students at a time, the student who is not doing a timing is busy doing worksheets in their binder. They have mazes, word/letter searchers, handwriting sheets, fill in the blanks, sentence writing, etc.
Thanks for sharing your binders. I was wondering how to work with some of my lower level students with basic concepts they haven't mastered and this is a very helpful idea.
ReplyDeleteGreat!! Glad this was helpful!
DeleteGreat fluency activities:) Thank you for reminding me of how important fluency is. I think that is often forgotten in the regular ed classrooms...and in turn with inclusion.
ReplyDeleteWe are ALL Special!
Thanks you...and I think you are right...fluency definitely should be stressed more in the gen ed too! Have a great weekend!
DeleteThank you for the great ideas! One of your previous posts about fluency inspired a receptive language activity I tried with a nonverbal student this week... and I figured out he can read!! It was amazing! His mom was thrilled! It was definitely an ah-ha moment! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome...congrats!! What great news to deliver to that parent!
DeleteI have recently been trying to set up a system like this for review. I happened to be working with a student reviewing sight word, number, and time flashcards when I was being observed. It was commented in my review that I was working on ELA and Math skills at the same time, and it was unclear as to what I was working on or why I would work on these skills together. I was told that I should have separate Math and ELA stations. I also was taking data on what they got right and wrong, but since it was "unclear" how I used the data to plan lessons, they were unhappy with that too. Have you ever had a problem like this? Trying to figure out how I can work this out...I do not have an official fluency station at this time, but like this idea for "review work" on skills the students are working on with me.
ReplyDeleteI have not had a problem like this in my classroom. That is unfortunate that you had to encounter that. In real life, people have to switch between ELA and Math skills within the same activity, so I don't think it should be an issue that you have them together at a "review station." I do keep my decks of cards separate, so they work on each skill somewhat separately. However, I do also have separate Math and Reading centers around my classroom as well. As far as data, I monitor my students accuracy and speed using my data sheet (and when I have time....graphing as well). When they reach a speed and level of accuracy that is at a specified goal, we move onto a more difficult set of cards. For example, they may work on Pre-Primer Dolch words until they reach the goal, then move onto the Primer Dolch words. To answer your question below, to come up with my "goal" or "aim," I either time myself doing the same timing or a kid from the general education class (if I can borrow one!) I do put this "mastery" criteria on my data sheets. Hope this helps answer your questions!
DeleteAlso, you mentioned that each student has 3 sets of flashcards...how do you determine to move from one group to another? I have been working on sight words with one student using Edmark...he's been identifying all of the sight words I've currently been working on. Do you have criteria in your fluency binders for when you would work on other sets? Do you come back and review these mastered sets again?
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