It's Monday Again??

I don't know where the last week went.  It flew by...well, a day of it did go to a super workshop on Word Walls by Dr. Rick Du Vall.  It was the third workshop that a group of us attended that was tied into a Reading Grant.  Workshop one was Reading Best Practices, An Overview.  Number two was Assessment and RtI by Lexie Domaradzki.  Who would have known that assessment could be so much fun??  It really was.  We had so much fun marking up the Summary of Impact Reports.  There were also quite a few "a-ha" moments that we will be sharing with the staff.  Who would have known?  We're on the right track with our screening, but need to also implement a quick diagnostic assessment, such as the phonics inventory, to pinpoint how to intervene with each individual child when they are low in fluency.  You see, fluency is just an indicator of an underlying problem.  Most of the time, it is with phonology, the ablility to hear the sounds.  I am also looking forward to the fourth workshop on Friday, done by the same presenter as Word Walls, Dr. Rick Du Vall.  It will be on Literacy Centers and Comprehension.
For me, another highlight will be when I get to attend a workshop by The Sisters in April.  I can't wait!  I have implemented the Daily 5 and CAFE for about a year now  I thoroughly enjoy getting ideas and guidance from their web site.  There is a fee, but I highly recommend it if you are using The Daily 5 and CAFE in your classroom.   
The Daily 5 rotations are going very well in the classroom.  I have started to let the students also use the computers for Word Work.  Some choose to write out the words using Mimio Notebook, while others choose to go to Spelling City to practice and play games using their weekly spelling words.  The interactive board is probably the biggest hit for practicing words for the Word Work rotation.  I must admit, the kids are pretty tech savvy when it come to operating the Mimio!
This week also brings on the science fair!  Mrs. N's class presented today, mine will present tomorrow, and Mrs. S's will present on Thursday.   It's always interesting to watch the presentations.  A lot of work is put into the process of the experiment and presentation.  I am always amazed at how knowledgeable the second grade students are.  They seem like little experts, or should I say, scientists.