A learning experience

As I said in my last post, I am feeling optimistic and excited about earning my reading certification.  I have learned so much this week!  I have learned words like schema, which means integrating new information into things we already knew and experienced.  I now know that a morpheme is the smallest meaning bearing part(s) of a word. Changing morphemes can change a word into a completely different word.  A phoneme is the smallest unit(s) of sound within a word.  A rime is the first vowel and everything that follows it in a word.  And a rime should not be confused with a rhyme which is the repeating of the ending sound pattern in a group of words.  I know now that the very first milestone is learning to read is becoming phonemically aware.  That is gaining the knowledge that words are made up of sounds, that sentences are made up of words and being able to segment words into sounds.  I had a lightbulb moment this week when I finally understood the purpose of a word wall!  We have been told for the last couple of years that we must have a word wall, and I am a rule-follower so I have complied.  Learning the new concept of placing no more than 5 words per week on a Word Station and, after they have been taught,THEN adding them to an on-going Word Wall makes so much sense!! No more blindly following directions!  Now I know how to make my word station and wall a useful tool in my classroom.