Instructional Highlights – Room 512

Room 512 Welcomes Readtopia!

In Room 512, the students have been using the newest Language Arts Literacy program called Readtopia.  “Readtopia is designed to support literacy and math instruction for students …with complex learning needs…Lessons are structured to provide both whole and small group instruction.”

The students are enjoying the process of learning to read while engaging in a variety of activities.  Students have been participating in lessons about Aesop’s Fables.  After watching an introductory video, students took a picture walk through the story “The Tortoise and the Hare” discovering new vocabulary words along the way.  The story was shared and re-read with students interacting and answering “wh” questions.  Students built an understanding and made connections by describing and talking about the illustrations.

 After discussing the animals in the story, the class completed a predictable chart writing activity responding to the statement: “If I was an animal, I would be a____” They had so much fun with this, with responses from being a pig, to an eagle and even a bear! 

Students practice word making and phonics skills using letter cards to make words.  In a recent lesson, they made the word “pat” and then read the sentence “Can you pat your head and rub your belly at the same time?” and you will see Thomas doing this in the picture. 

It is a great program that also incorporates math and fantastic facts.  This story discusses what occurs before, during and after the race, so in math, time concepts were explored on three different levels.

Since this story involves a race between the hare and the tortoise, students learned all about the muscles each animal has and why the hare runs so fast and the tortoise walks so slowly.  We look forward to seeing what our next thematic unit will be!

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