Third Grade Transitions and a Reading Challenge!

Third grade is a big year! A lot of changes in expectations occur. This is the year where reading strategies are expected to be mastered and reading to learn is expected. 

Reading becomes very important at this stage and reading at home becomes even more important. Have you ever heard "the more you practice, the better you get." Well this is a very important principle when it comes to reading and math. The reason it is so important that our kids practice at home is because they are at home more then they are in school. I know this is hard to believe but someone had actually researched this fact and discovered children spend approximately  900 hours in school each year.  That leaves the other 7800 hours happen at home or outside of school. We don't have any time to waste. I've challenged myself to read to my children read every night. This is in addition to the daily reading they bring home to read to me. What is a good challenge to fit you families needs?

A Little About Me

I'm starting my 10th year as a reading intervention teacher at Concordia Elementary. I know many of you,  as I've worked with many amazing kiddos over the past 9 years.  Now that we have switched to building-wide Title I Reading I get to work with everyone! I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself since it is a possibility I could be working with your child or in your child's classroom.  

On a personal note... My husband and I live in Carrollton with our two daughters. In our spare time we enjoy working on projects around the house and sewing and crafting.  I also enjoy photography and writing. In high school, I was co-editor of our Senior yearbook. This is when I started  pursing both photography and writing. 

Some of my photos that show  my love of animals!

I also love to travel. While I've never been out of the United States, it is definitely on my bucket list! 

Now, on to my education background. I attended Carrollton High School. After high school I attended Stephens College where I worked toward my Creative Writing degree. At this time, I published a short story and some poetry in Harbinger, our  college anthology.  After a year and a half, I was in a serious car accident and I had to come home. After my full recovery, I started and completed my Elementary Education Degree from Missouri Valley College in Marshall, MO.  I taught preschool for a year in Marshall and received my early childhood certificate. I began teaching in Concordia in 2005. I'd found my calling. I love teaching reading! Only a few years later, I decided to study Reading Recovery and received an advocacy certificate from this wonderful program.  In 2011, I decided once again I wanted to go back to school. I choose to attend grad school at my dad's alum mater,  University of Missouri, Columbia.  I received my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Literacy in 2013.  

Welcome Back to School - 4th Grade

We're moving on to week two!  The Title I staff  will spend the first couple of weeks in your child's classroom for about half an hour during reading. We are taking this opportunity to get to know all the students.
At the beginning of the year your child will be assessed on their reading, reading comprehension and fluency. Your child should now be reading to learn, not learning to read. This is when practicing reading non-fiction text and being able to support the answers using details from the text becomes really important. Writing is another area that they will need to practice and get good at. 

At CES, our mission is to offer each child the best possible education that we can. In order to do this we must all work as a team. The Title I reading staff and the classroom teachers meet  frequently to ensure all students are receiving the best reading instruction possible. When the classroom teacher is ready to begin small groups,  Title I reading teachers will support the classroom teacher by working with groups in their regular classroom or they may be taken to the Title I classroom. 
We are excited to say, we now work with all students!  If your child happens to be apart of a group that is working with the Title I staff this does not mean that they are struggling or in need of extra assistance. If your child is struggling your child's classroom teacher will let you know. 

Welcome Back to School- 3rd Grade

We're starting week two!   The Title I staff  will spend the first couple of weeks in your child's classroom for about half an hour during reading. We are taking this opportunity to get to know all the students.   At the beginning of the year  we check to make sure your child's reading, comprehension and fluency are in the average range for their age group. You can help your child at home to reach these goals by reading with them. Have them read to you and talk about the stories. Letting your child read books that are too easy gives them fluency practice. This just means that when they read it sounds like they are talking. It also build confidence and makes practicing comprehension skills easier. 

At CES, our mission is to offer each child the best possible education that we can. In order to do this we must all work as a team. The Title I reading staff and the classroom teachers meet  frequently to ensure all students are receiving the best reading instruction possible. When the classroom teacher is ready to begin small groups,  Title I reading teachers will support the classroom teacher by working with groups in their regular classroom or they may be taken to the Title I classroom.  We are excited to say, we now work with all students!  If your child happens to be apart of a group that is working with the Title I staff this does not mean that they are struggling or in need of extra assistance. If your child is struggling your child's classroom teacher will let you know. 

Home

Coming Soon!

4th Grade

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3rd Grade

Coming Soon!