iPads!

We started using our iPads today! What an exciting day it was! We learned the rules for using the iPads (see if your child can tell you what they are) we also learned how to turn the iPads on and off, how to swipe up and exit out of an app to save the battery, how to project or "mirror" our iPad up onto the projector screen for the whole class to see what we made on our iPad. We also learned all about the app "Drawing Pad" which we will use several times a week now to do our "write along".

During write along the students have to recall the morning message from the previous day that I wrote on the whiteboard (typically will have something to do with what Jack and Annie are up to in our Magic Tree House book). On Thursday, it was "Jack and Annie see a castle." The students then repeat the message out loud several times with me as we count on our fingers how many words are in the message- that way we know how many lines to draw. Then we go ahead and start drawing our lines- one line for each word in our message. This can be tricky for some- especially some longer words some students draw a line for each syllable instead of one line for the whole word. "_____ ____ _______ ____ __ __________." After we draw our lines we always go back and point and read while saying our message (sentence) aloud and pointing to each line saying the word that will go on that line. This way we can catch any mistakes we may have made like not drawing a line long enough for the word, drawing too many or too few lines. Then we point and read it again to a partner to double check. Now finally we are ready to write some letters! Some students are writing beginning, middle and ending sounds in words and some are still writing just beginning sounds with the help of our sound map. All are just fine! If a student is independently writing beginning sounds the teachers will scaffold and help that student to try and hear one or two ending sounds in their message. Eventually, the student will get more comfortable with this and try to write an ending sound on their own!


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