ZooPhonics aligned Mini-Books!

Alphabet Mini-Books from Alligators to Zebras!!

These are the back bone of any letter / phonics theme program.   Packed full of activities for READING, WRITING and LISTENING / FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS.

2-in-1 BUNDLE!

Plus, the popular HOW-TO-DRAW from A-Z product is included with the mini-books making this a great value!  Even the most 'self-described' non-artistic teacher can draw with these simple directions.  If you can draw a circle, an oval, a curved line, a straight line, triangles and squares...you can draw these! You students will think you are the best artist..yes you.

A - Z Mini-Books are easy to navigate for printing ease!  Just locate the Letter Theme of the week / day on the left-side menu and click!

Each letter mini-book has 8 pages packed with activities!

Page 1:  Title:  write your name, demonstrate letter formation
Page 2: Direct Drawing - easily teach students to draw each animal (every letter sound has an animal)
Pages 3-6:  Picture Sort:  sort pictures by initial sound.  Students must eliminate two pictures that do not follow the initial sound.  Then, students learn to identify words and match words.  Finally, students can practice writing each picture word.
Page 7:  Students identify lower case and uppercase letters!
Page 8:  Handwriting practice

Did you notice the three stars on some of the pages???  

Students love feedback and strive for 3 stars!  I carry a color marker or color pencil as students work.  I pre-teach my expectations for 3-Star writing, drawing/coloring, etc.  As I color in stars, I verbally praise and give recommendations for master.  For example I would say, "This /G/ was formed perfectly, ooh! This one is your best."  And for recommendations I may say something like, "to reach 3 stars you will need to make sure your letters do not go below the line, Oh dear! This one looks like you started at the bottom instead of the top."  For additional feedback and praise, I ask students to show the class certain things they did well.  This feedback really helps improve the quality of student work.  

 free student-friendly rubric poster/ anchor chart  

It is a .doc file so you can edit it to your needs.

Color appropriately as you pre-teach expectation and refer back to the poster often during feedback!

Visit my TPT store: LOL with ESL

 Where students will find the Love Of Learning!

Jill

EZ Comprehension CVC Readers!

Reading Comprehension

for

Beginners

Perfect for RTI, Small groups, Centers and homework!  These 13 Phonics worksheets are differentiated for all beginner readers.  Quickly assess students reading ability:  Letter sounds, CVC words blending or CVC sentence reading.

My 1st grade RTI group loves these worksheets and beg for more.   They love the feeling of being able to read, yet they are not quite ready to read books yet.

Use these worksheets along side my Word Slider/ Word Decoders and students will be blending sounds in a matter of days!

Each worksheet builds on the last letter sounds mastered.  For example, the first letter sounds /a/, /m/, /s/, and /t/ are mastered first.  Then, students learn /h/, /i/ (short vowels only).  Now students can read so many words: at, mat, sat, hat, am, as, it, is, mitt, sit, hit, Tim, Sam, ham, him, his, has, miss and even challenge words like mist and mast!!

I created these worksheets when I noticed my students were not applying their reading skills during the Kindergarten WIDA Access and Model tests.  The needed to be able to read a word or sentence and match the picture.  So, I created these worksheets to follow the letter sounds I teach.  Then as I received new ESL students or I had 1st grade students needing RTI, I began using them with those groups.  The results were wonderful.  My students actually beg for more of these.

The letter sounds all follow the same animals as in Zoo Phonics. So, you may need to explain to some animals pictures which are not common to students:
i = inchworm
n = night owl
q = quail
u = umbrella bird
v = vampire bat
w = weasel
x = fox
y = yak
However, most students figure it out quickly through the process of elimination.

Visit my store for more:  LOL with ESL for lots of learning

Jill

Sing Your Way Through the ABC's!

What better way to build oral fluency??  

Sing a fun song to go along with any phonic, alphabet theme.  

26 A-Z Songs and Fingerplays

These include 26 animals song and finger plays will delight your students from Alligators, bears and cats to foxes, yaks and zebras!  If you use Zoo Phonics, this is the packet of songs for you!

Create a songbook center. Students can record themselves singing a song! It will become a class favorite!  

Add student recordings to your blog or class website!  

How about creating a class play? The uses are limited to your imagination. 

Need ideas...contact me...I'm the idea girl!

I love it when my students break into songs when they are doing independent activities like coloring, cutting, etc.  My class favorites... 5 Little Gorillas and 3 Little Joey's Jumping in Mama's Pouch!

Visit my store:  LOL with ESL for Lots of Learning!

                   Jill

  

Quickly master GOOGLE TRANSLATE app with your level 1 ESL students!

Everyone seems to have an iPad or Smart Phone.  They can be a life-saver in your Newbie Survival Kit!  Teach your new level 1 ESL students to use the GOOGLE TRANSLATE app in a few quick activities/worksheets. Adults to Secondary to Elementary Language Learners will enjoy learning how to use this powerful tool!

I'm sure your time with ESL students differs from mine.  Every school and every year is different.  Well, when I get a student new to the U.S. with little to no English skills, I try to pull that student from the regular classroom to stay with me or my assistant for much of the day for at least a week.  During this time, I have a grab-bag of activities.  The very first thing I do is train the student to use GOOGLE TRANSLATE to help the student communicate needs, understand content/directions, and to get to know the student.

I'm lucky to have two iPads in my classroom.  I assign one of the iPads to the regular classroom teacher to keep locked up and charged each night.  The student can carry the iPad with them for a few weeks until they adjust.  Then, I start to ween them off the app using it mostly for understanding content.  When I get multiple new to U.S. Students, I have to make decisions on who gets the iPad (with the bigger screen).  I have a few old 4G iPhones I can use with other students.  But, most of my classroom teachers have Smart Phones they will use with students too.

As you know, you can't just hand the student an iPad and expect them to know how to use it.  These activities and worksheets help you and your students master the GOOGLE TRANSLATE app from the very first day of learning how to locate the app, turning on the device to responding to school-type
content.  You will learn to use the camera, microphone and handwriting tools within the app.

The activities and worksheets include:

1.Building Background:  Teach the English vocabulary needed, Voice Volume, Locating App

2.Using Speaker Function:  Interview Questions teach students to respond in native language clearly.

3.Using Camera Function:  Translate words/phrases, match picture 

4.Use Camera Function: Translate passage and questions

5.Use Camera Function: Translate Math directions/questions

6.Use Camera and Scribble Function: Respond in writing

So, try it out today:  How-To-Use Google Translate app with ESL

The worksheets and activities are designed to start simple and progress to advance skills needed in classroom settings.  The objective is students will be able not only communicate basic needs, but also to have access to content presented in classrooms.  

First 2 worksheets/skills do not require student to read or write.  

Last 4 worksheets are most effective for students who have basic 3+ grade level reading in their dominate language.  

Not all languages are available on google translate.

Visit my TeachersPayTeachers store:  LOL with ESL for lots of learning activities!

Jill

Freshen up your CLASS with Themed Alphabet posters, borders, etc!

Get your classroom ready 

with a fresh new look!   

Traditional Style Alphabet Posters

Real Animals            or                 Cartoon Animals 

from A - Z follow along any phonics program...even ZooPhonics!

Large 8 x 11 PHOTO Alphabet Posters                   Large 11 x 8 CARTOON Alphabet Posters

Medium 4 x 8 PHOTO Alphabet Posters                Medium 4 x 8  CARTOON Alphabet Posters

  Small 3 x 5 PHOTO Alphabet Posters                     Small 1 or 2 page CARTOON Alphabet Poster 

Not just an Alphabet Posters, use the posters in unique ways to teach phonics and as a writing resource.

See my store:  LOL with ESL on Teachers Pay Teachers

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening and Speaking
• ESL
• Kindergarten
• WIDA Practice
• ZooPhonics Supplemental Resource

          Jill

Fresh Start with a Freebie!

 It has been a busy year for LOL with ESL.  Cary and I have decided to split ways and remain good friends.  Now, I am getting ready to load many exciting products.  Let's start with a new freebie.

Try out a new product:  Listening and Speaking Storyboard with Isabelle the inchworm.

click here

This product was born from the need for my students to practice listening and speaking in way that is similar to the way they are assess with WIDA ACCESS and WIDA model.  I found I not only use this with my Kindergarten students, but also with my ESL students level 1 and 2 students.  Since I use parts of the ZooPhonics program to teach non-readers to read, I use the same animals in many of my products.  While it is not Iggy the inchworm, I think your students will adore his cousin Isabel as she changes and grows in this unique storyboard inspired by WIDA and ZooPhonics.

I also liked have lots of options to my products. So this one you will have many choices:
1.  color or blackline master
2.  sit next to student scripts OR sit across the table from student script
3.  the original all-in-one 14 X 8.5 size paper, or 2 page letter size version.

So, your printing and usage is very flexible.

The freebie is one panel of the full story board.  It is the level 4 panel.  The student views and responds using the picture while you read from the script. Listening and Speaking Freebie

click here for freebie!

For the full storyboard get it here:

  Listening and Speaking Storyboard with Isabelle the inchworm.

click here