I am wondering how other educators are able to help students recognize or (better) understand common literacy tasks, such as syllable division, first sound fluency, rhyming, etc – students often will just start doing one of these routine “behaviors” … without truly understanding what’s expected of them.
I make sure to model with my entire class each independent activity that they could encounter when they are working while I am in a group. I often will have students model the appropriate behavior and conversation I would like to see so that it is coming from peers and not always me. My students will then rehearse how it will look and sound when they work on the activities. This has cut down on students losing focus or not being able to complete an activity, since they will all know what is expected.
Anytime I use a phonemic awareness or phonics activity I introduce and model it during our carpet time focused on oral and listening skills. They know the daily target is to be better readers, writers and listeners because of regular discussion. If there is a specific benefit for a skill we discuss it and why it will go into our daily practice. As my students master skills they become the leaders and explain the purpose. My students are first graders and learn and stay engaged as I model and love becoming the leader. If they can teacher each other you know they have mastered the skill.
