The Units of Study in Phonics are up and running across the country! Teachers report that students are loving the new units: they’re loving the songs and the movements, the partnerships and the Rug Clubs, and all tools and manipulatives they get to use. But most of all, students (and teachers) are loving the mascots! It seems Mabel and Rasheed have quickly become integral members of many kindergarten and first grade communities, and teachers on Facebook have started to share some of the brilliant ways they’ve brought the mascots to life in their classrooms.
Many teachers have found that it’s great fun to dress up the mascots for occasions such as publishing parties, school-wide events, and Halloween. Teachers have also found that Mabel and Rasheed are so popular, kids are demanding they participate in other parts of the day such as read-aloud, shared reading, and even math! And, of course, who could say no to that? Several teachers have described making a Mabel or Rasheed mailbox—a place where kids can drop off words for their fuzzy friends to study and enjoy—and one teacher came up with a “mascot message board,” which offers students intriguing hints about upcoming phonics sessions, written by their favorite stuffed pal. We can’t wait to see what else teachers come up with as the rest of the year unfolds!
Teachers on Facebook have also discovered some clever ways to organize all the materials that go with the units. Many have suggested that the two videos we put together on how to unbox the Resource Packs are a great place to start. Check them out—here’s the first video and here’s the second! Beyond that, teachers have discovered that accordian files are a must for organizing materials by session, and that 4” x 6” photo boxes from craft stores are a terrific way to store the picture and word cards that come with the Resource Packs. Since certain materials are reused across sessions, teachers have also found it helpful to set aside a special place in their accordian files for these cross-session items. Finally, most teachers are discovering that it’s best to tackle the materials one unit at a time, prepping everything they need for the current unit and leaving the rest for later. If you have any other brilliant organizational ideas (and we know you do, teachers!), please share them on Facebook!
Join our facebook page, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TCRWP.RUOS/?ref=bookmarks
Check out the UOS in Phonics, here: http://www.unitsofstudy.com/phonics/
