One of the biggest challenges for teachers is knowing what their students have learned in previous grades and how to individualize or differentiate lessons for them to meet with success. During the hand over from grades we often focus on behaviour, or academic challenges, or successes, but we don’t necessarily have a running record of the work each student has completed regarding learning to read and spell.
Our Classroom Alphabet Program and Classroom Spelling Programs were written to make this transition much easier for teachers in the primary department. Each student has a record page recording the letter sounds, digraphs, language rules they’ve learned. The teacher in the next grade is using the same program so can instantly know where to begin with each student or their class in general. If a grade hasn’t learned as much as was expected that year it doesn’t matter as the next grade is able to pick up exactly where they are in their learning.
If students move quickly through the scope and sequence the next grade can adapt easily as they are using the same program. This allows for flexibility in the language program. The teachers can follow the pace of the students, and reintroduce lessons in a familiar way.
The teacher records when each student can decode and encode the sounds and rules taught in the program in an easy to read and understand record page. At the end of the term, during the hand over between the grades, the records can be exchanged and the new teacher can instantly see where each child is, where they will need to offer support, where they will need to differentiate, and how they can be inclusive for the whole class.
Teachers cannot start teaching a spelling program without knowing where their students are with their learning. What do they already know regarding spelling, what can they read and what can they write. The record pages in the Alphabet and Spelling Programs give a direct handover of what’s been taught and what’s been mastered. At the beginning of the new grade the teacher can do a quick check in with the students to see what they’ve retained over the summer break, and give mini lessons to review more challenging spellings and concepts. The children are already familiar with the program so have a connection with what’s been taught and how it’s been taught.
Teachers can mark the record pages with the areas they think the students should review ready for their next grade. All of this means the spelling programs can begin being taught straight away without any prep or research time from the teachers. This makes for a much smoother transition between grades.
Having a record keeping program transferrable between grades because they’re all using the same program, is beneficial to the teachers and to the students. The teacher knows where to begin in the program and where to add support, and the students are already familiar with the learning to spell program so can confidently review the work they’ve done ready to move on to new lessons.
