Block 1 Reading enjoyed time this past week working with morphology concepts and reinforcing <Y> as a suffix skill.  The students worked on prefix, base word, and suffix meanings, and we practiced adding a prefix/suffix to words to change the meaning of the words.  We will continue to work with prefixes/base words/suffixes as we add to our growing list of morphology cards.  We also sorted words into the three syllable types that we have learned (open syllables/Magic E syllables/closed syllables), and we practiced the sounds of the vowels each of these different syllables.

We will be learning about words that end in <y> next week (as opposed the suffix <y> words).  We will continue to work with syllable division and recognizing letter patterns in words to help decoding skills.

We are enjoying the Christmas season at Gracepoint, and we look forward to continuing to add and practice reading skills as we celebrate the birth of Christ this month.

Best wishes always,

Julie

It was all about open syllables and words that end with <y> this past week in Block 1 Reading.  The letter <Y> is quite the trickster!  It can act as a consonant or a vowel, and it can make sounds that mimic other letters (long <i>/long <e>/ short <i>).  We will continue to sharpen our reading and spelling skills for words ending in <y> when we return from Thanksgiving break.  We have also been learning many new prefixes, base words, and suffixes, and we will continue to add to our morphology knowledge in December.

Best wishes for a restful and joyful holiday, and please stay safe and healthy while enjoying family and friends.  We are richly blessed, and being together at Gracepoint is one of those blessings.

Julie

Though It was a short week for students, Block 1 Reading had a good start with reading and spelling words with the open syllable pattern.  Open syllables have a pattern of consonant-vowel, and the vowel will make a long sound.  Examples of one syllable words with this pattern are: he, she, me.  It is important for the students to understand this pattern as we move into longer words.  We also covered words which end in <y> where the <y> makes a long ī sound (my, sky, try).  We will move forward to cover words that end in <y> where the <y> makes a long ē sound (candy, pantry).  It is exciting to watch the students build their reading confidence as we add additional letter patterns.

I enjoyed speaking with you earlier this week during Zoom conferences.  I especially enjoy the privilege of working with your children and watching them advance with their skills.

Please stay safe and may God bless,

Julie

The past week was a whirlwind week Block 1 Reading.  We finished with the soft sounds of consonants <c> and <g>,  we covered the welded sounds of words with <ng> and <nk>, and we practiced reading and spelling words with the syllable patterns of VC/CCV (ostrich words) and VCC/CV (pumpkin words).  We will circle back to these skills as we move forward after conferences to open syllables and words with <y> ending.  On Friday it was fun to host book characters from Wacky Wednesday, The Wizard of Oz, and The Magic Tree House.   

I look forward to meeting with you for conferences, though I am sorry that we will be meeting via Zoom and not in person.  Thank you for sharing your children with us at Gracepoint School.

Best regards,

Julie

I hope you and your family were able to enjoy some fun together over the Halloween weekend.  With the unexpected school holiday, Block 1 Reading will continue to work this upcoming week with the soft sounds of both c and g.  Later in the week, we will move to words ending in the welds -ng and -nk. 

I look forward to speaking with you at parent conferences via Zoom next week.  I enjoy your children very much, and it is a privilege for me to work with them at Gracepoint.

Best wishes and take care,

Julie

We enjoyed another busy week in Block 1 Reading.  We completed on Monday a review of the VCCV syllable pattern with prefixes and suffixes and moved to words ending with the consonant cluster -ct.  We finished the week with the VCCVe syllable pattern (words with one open syllable and one closed syllable).   We will spend the first part of next week on the soft sound of the letter C (Gentle Cindy).

The students are looking forward to Book Character Day, and many are anticipating fun activities during the upcoming Halloween the weekend.  Please stay safe, and I look forward to our conferences in November.

Best regards,

Julie

Block 1 Reading continued to practice the VCCV syllable pattern this past week.  On Thursday we had fun writing VCCV words and reviewing spelling rules using shaving cream on our desktops.  During the week, we also built towers with word cups and practiced spelling on white boards. 

We will cover next the VCCV pattern with prefixes and suffixes.  We will  then move to words that end with the consonant cluster of -ct, followed by words with  the VCCVe syllable pattern.  The VCCVe syllable pattern begins with a closed syllable and ends with a Magic E syllable.  This should be a fun unit for the students.

I very much enjoy your children, and I am grateful that they are part of the Gracepoint community.

Blessings,

Julie

     I hope you enjoyed a restful and fun fall break.  It was a pleasure to return to school last Monday and to see the bright smiles on the faces of the students.   

     Block 1 Reading spent the first part of the week reviewing previously learned spelling rules.  We then moved to reading, syllabicating, and spelling words with two syllables that follow the vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel pattern (VCCV, or rabbit words).  The students improved with reading speed and spelling of VCCV words as the week progressed.  We will continue to work with words with the VCCV pattern next week, and we will add words that follow a VCCVe pattern.  These are words with a vowel-consonant-Magic E pattern, which are often called reptile words.

I look forward to watching our Block 1 Readers progress with reading and spelling skills.

May God bless you and your family,

Julie

This past week, Block 1 Reading continued to review the Magic E syllable and short and long vowel sounds.  The students are doing well when practicing their fluency during reading.  Spelling has been challenging, especially for long U since it makes two sounds (mule=Ū/rule=Ü or “ew”).  We started syllabication of two-syllable words with the pattern VCCV (vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel, as in rabbit).  We also drilled a deck of compound words, which the students read beautifully.  After break, we will continue to work with the two-syllable word pattern of VCCV.  We will move next to the soft sounds of c and g.

I look forward to being your children again after the holiday.  They are delightful students.

Best wishes for a restful and safe break,

Julie

With the introduction of Magic E syllables this week, Block 1 Reading has enjoyed using both long and short vowel sounds.  Our daily reading practice includes switching between the sounds for each vowel.   The students continue to gain decoding speed since adding the Magic E syllables to our reading decks.  We are using many alien words when reading so that students are forced to use their sound/symbol association skills to create new words and not rely on memory.  We also continue to review short vowel rules during reading and dictation to reinforce proper decoding and spelling. 

Best wishes for a restful and healthy week,

Julie

This past week we covered the -dge spelling rule and reviewed the four short vowel spelling rules: FLOSS, -ck.-tch, and -dge.  The sounds of -tch and -dge are similar and it can be difficult to distinguish these two sounds.  On Monday (9/14) we will do a review of the short vowel spelling rules, focusing on the sounds of-tch and -dge and correct spelling.  We will then introduction/review the phonics rule known as Magic E, which will involve practice reading and spelling short and long vowel sounds.  The students are gaining speed with reading fluency, and we continue to practice the short vowel sounds, blends, digraphs, and Wild Old Words during reading practice to help increase reading rate.

I look forward to reading class each day, and the students have settled nicely into our routine. 

Please stay healthy and safe,

Julie

Block 1 Reading is racing ahead after a busy week of both review and introduction to phonics skills.  Topics covered included Wild Old Words (words ending in -ild, -ind, -old, -ost, -olt), reinforcement of the cat/kite spelling rule and the -ck spelling rule, review and reinforcement of the FLOSS spelling rule, the three sound of /-ed/ and the -tch spelling rule.  Students are remembering to break words into sounds by tapping.  This technique is helpful for both reading and spelling, and I am pleased that the students are beginning to utilize this strategy without prompts from me.  The phonics rules are becoming more automatic, and it is exciting to watch the students’ progress.

Best wishes for a restful holiday, and may God bless you and your family,

Julie

This week we continued to review/learn/reinforce OG concepts and terminology.   Included in lessons were blends, diagraphs ch, sh, th, & wh, the c/k spelling rule, the three ways to spell “k” sound, and when to use -s or -es when making plurals.  The morphology cards of dent don’t (tooth)/ tw (two) / mis (bad, wrong) / un (not) / -ing (at present) were introduced.  Next we will quickly move forward with lessons on Wise Old Words, additional OG spelling rules, the three sounds of -ed, syllable division, and morphology cards.

We enjoyed seeing lots of smiles this week as we settled into routines.  We look forward to another week of excitement and learning at Gracepoint School.

Blessings,

Julie

Welcome to our Gracepoint 4^th Grade Reading Class blog.  I will be posting information about reading class progress weekly from this site.  It has been a joy to meet your children, and I look forward to working with them as they progress with their reading skills this year.

We are off to a good start in our 4^th grade reading group.  Everyone in our class is new to Gracepoint School, and we have been learning together how to do things the Gracepoint way.  The students are learning Orton-Gillingham procedures, and the rhythm of the class has begun to fall into place.  We are spending time reviewing phonics basics such as short vowel sounds, blends, and the digraphs (sh, wh, th, ch) in order to build a solid reading foundation.  We are using many “alien” or made-up words so that the students are forced to sound out the word and not depend on memory.   

Reading homework will come home each day in a blue folder.   Please remember to initial your student’s reading homework and return it to school the next day.  Returned homework sheets will be organized in page protectors in the blue folders.  Learned red words will be written on index cards in red and will be kept on a ring in the blue folders.  These words should be reviewed with the reading homework.

We look forward to another exciting and fun week at Gracepoint School!  Please stay healthy and safe, and may God bless,

Julie Rosenkranz