Unit 3 Tutor Lesson Plan 2020-2021

Read Better. Dream Bigger.

Table of Contents

Quick Reference Guide…………………………………………………………….1

First Call Instructions……………………………………………………………....8

Book List………………………………………………………………………….10

Lesson 3.0…………………………………………………………………………11

Lesson 3.1…………………………………………………………………………16

Lesson 3.2…………………………………………………………………………20

Lesson 3.3…………………………………………………………………………24

Lesson 3.4…………………………………………………………………………28

Lesson 3.5…………………………………………………………………………31

Lesson 3.6…………………………………………………………………………34

Lesson 3.7…………………………………………………………………………37

Lesson 3.8…………………………………………………………………………40

Lesson 3.9…………………………………………………………………………43

Lesson 3.10………………………………………………………………………..46

Lesson 3.11………………………………………………………………………..49

Lesson 3.12………………………………………………………………………..52

Lesson 3.13………………………………………………………………………..55

Appendix………………………………………………………………………….59

Quick Reference Guide

Unit Three Thinking Strategy Goals: By the end of Unit 3, students should be able to demonstrate four thinking strategies that lead to independence with text.

Unit Three Thinking Strategies 1. To figure out what the author wants me to know, I look for clues and think about the story (infer what is not directly stated in the text). 2. To figure out what the author wants me to know, I use the words to make a movie in my mind (use descriptive, action, and sensory words/images to create a mental “video” of a story). 3. To figure out a word I don’t know, I can use word chunks. 4. To figure out a word I don’t know, I look for small words inside of big words.

Lesson Components & Approximate Times

Prepare the Lesson: 5 minutes Review notes from the previous lesson and prepare for today’s lesson. Based on the previous lesson, prepare a list of words for today’s Word Boxes and/or Word Ladder activity.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only) 2-3 minutes For virtual tutoring, you will need to establish contact with the parent/caretaker by phone, Zoom, Google Duo or your agreed upon method of communication. Use this time to say something positive about your student, talk about progress and goals. Then have the student get ready for learning and fun.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Take a few minutes to ask your student about their day or week. Tune in to how they are feeling because it will affect their learning. Then go over the goals for the lesson, using the information provided in the lesson plan.

Warming Up: 5-7 minutes Word Work should be quick, fun, and confidence building. The goal of Word Work is not to cover every spelling in the English language, but to firmly establish the understanding that words and language have patterns, and each pattern can help us read and write more words. Word Boxes and Word Ladders are word play activities designed to help students learn common patterns in English words.

Word Boxes: It’s more important that the student understand HOW to “solve” words than memorize every single combination. The goal of Word Boxes is to get students to change words to new words by exchanging letters. This activity provides learners with an opportunity to physically manipulate letter sounds to discover patterns which they can reuse to make new words with up to four sounds like b-a-ck or t-r-ai-n. Students have the set of “sound cards” you see below as well as the Word Boxes “mat”, all in the “Word Boxes and Sound Cards Kit included in their STAIR bag. You can also download a kit of your own on the Curriculum page found under the Tutor Resources section of the STAIR website: stairbirmingham.org/curriculum

Word Ladders: The goal of Word Ladders is to write new words using a rhyming word family or letter pattern the student has learned. In addition, Word Ladders offer the opportunity to challenge the student by not only exchanging beginning sound s, but also manipulating middle and ending word sounds to review and combine word knowledge. Word Ladders can be used to write the words created in a Word Boxes session, or on its own to build more complex words that share characteristics when students move beyond the need for Word Boxes. See the demonstration videos at stairbirmingham.org/trainings under Tutor Resources.

How to know what words to work on: You can use the example word families in each lesson, but you may also use the Word Family Chart in the appendix of this booklet to create or extend your words based on a book you are reading, or a writing activity you may be working on. Using word families tends to be the best way to get students to recognize the most common patterns in English words.

Reading Together: 20-30 Minutes This is the heart of a STAIR lesson. A “just right” book for Reading Together is a book that is worth revisiting. It is engaging to the student not only in its content, but in its rhythm, relatability, familiarity, humor, new knowledge, new vocabulary, or any other literary structures that an author uses to engage us either in reading, listening, thinking, or speaking. Your first priority here is to enjoy the book, but Reading Together also offers opportunities to learn critical strategies to comprehend and figure things out by solving problems when we get to words we don’t know or when something isn’t making sense.

Thinking Strategies: The goal is for readers to recognize when something isn’t making sense and figure things out, taking the initiative to solve problems. To do this they need to realize that they can go back to what they already know and make connections. For a student who doesn’t believe that they can do this, they will need to see you demonstrate. Many kids don’t even realize they can and they feel like they need permission to do their own thinking. GIVE THEM PERMISSION, GIVE THEM CREDIT, and SHOW THEM HOW whenever necessary! The thinking strategies are spread over the Unit, but some kid will already be using some of them and you can mix and match, starting with the ones they may already use instinctually (like “reading” the pictures). If the strategy is new to the student, first introduce and explain the strategy. Then while reading, Think Out Loud and Model the strategy so the student can see clear examples. Eventually encourage your student to take over the strategy with support until they use it independently. First introduce and explain the strategy. (see Tutor Tools Glossary in this Quick Reference Guide to learn how to Introduce, Think Out Loud, Model, and Practice). To simplify:

Teaching a new Thinking Strategy (or any new concept) in Four Steps: 1. Introduce, explain the purpose / use of the strategy 2. Model, demonstrate, think out loud about how you (the tutor) do it

3. Guide: Let them try with your support (think training wheels) 4. Release: when they are ready, let them try on their own (remove the training wheels)

Reading Together--Different Approaches for Different Purposes: If the author is talented, even a simple book can with few words can contain depth and messages beyond the text alone. This is where the magic of reading occurs: not in the literal words on the page, but in those ah-ha moments when readers figures out the message that goes beyond the page. For this part of the lesson, you will explain that some books will be full of words the student already knows, and others will have new words to figure out. No matter what though, the goal of reading is to get information from the book or text! The purpose is for the author to communicate with the reader. Collaborate with the student to choose the best approach to get information from the text. Sometimes the student will be highly motivated to get into a book that you know is much too challenging for them to read on their own. However, there are many clues and book features that help us access understanding before you even approach the words. Always start with what the student already knows and can figure out. See if you can figure out what the book is all about together. Then read it to them and let them fill in some words using what they know about prediction and letter sounds. Also keep in mind that if the book is challenging but not of high interest, you are in for a struggle and you should agree on a different book if possible. Each text will be utilized for at least two or three sessions and can be extended to more depending on the length, depth, and level of the book. You are free to change the approach as they become more and more familiar. Remember, reading the words on the page is only the surface level of reading. Repetition and familiarity are absolutely essential to a deeper understanding of language patterns and the author’s message. Remind students that you can learn something new every time you read a book again. Here some ways to talk to students about how to get information from a book whether they can read all the words or few. Kids who aren’t afraid of challenging books are the same ones that become independent readers later.

Ways to get information from a book: ● Check it out (explore the features to see what we can figure out: pictures, title, headings, author/illustrator, table of contents, words we may know or can figure out using the picture or first letters in the word) ● Listen to it (tutor reads and student can predict some words if they want) ● Echo Read (see Tutor Tools Glossary in this guide) ● Read it / Read it again (student reads with help if needed) ● Ask and answer questions

Student Workbook Version looks like this: Ways to get information from a book: ● Check it out ● Listen to it

● Echo Read ● Read it / Read it again ● Ask and answer questions

It’s OK to change the approach if it's not working. In fact, it’s good to go through this process several times until you both get familiar with finding the best approach with the goal of the student understanding the book. Don’t let the student painstakingly pick through a book one word at a time. This will rarely lead to comprehension. Remember this: Challenge = Good, Frustration = Bad. As a tutor, it will take some to figure out the difference. Learning research tells us that too much frustration can actually cause kids to regress so learn to recognize and avoid it. It’s an art, but you will find the sweet spot for your student, even if you feel like you are not moving fast, that’s OK. Every kid needs what they need. Go at their pace, based on that sweet spot. Go back and choose another approach if you need to. Together, choose the approach that allows the student to think about the book, make predictions, discover meaning, and enjoy. It's OK if they are memorizing and repeating (after all we do want them to memorize sight words and vocabulary). This is how early readers get started understanding language and grammar. Also let them know that you will read books more than once, and each time you will look for something new that you can learn. If they can let them practice reading with more and more expression. No robot reading! Memorizing and reciting is better than picking through one word at a time for a developing reader. If they are picking through, try echo reading.

Comprehension Checks: If you are not sure about how to discuss the story with the student, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Head over to your Comprehension Check book and see what activities / questions can go along with the book. These activities will offer several ways to engage and respond to each book. Multiple choice questions may have more than one correct answer and are meant to facilitate thinking and discussion. Many questions will require the student to revisit the text to justify their answers, and if their reasoning is justified, you can allow some flexibility on “correct” answers, but it has to make sense! You probably won’t finish it in one setting. There are only a few questions but the discussion will be rich. Spread the Comprehension Check activity out over a few sessions as you work with the book.

Recap: 3 minutes Remember, the goal is for readers to take the initiative to solve problems. This is the part where we affirm their agency as readers by GIVING THEM CREDIT! Close the lesson by reviewing the reading strategies you practiced. For example, ask, “What thinking strategies did you use today?” or “What did we do today when we came to a word we didn’t know?” They might say, “I looked at the pictures and I thought about the story to figure out the word I didn’t know.” This will also help you know if students need more time or practice with a concept or strategy.

Extension Activities: Whatever time permits Between Warm Ups, Reading Together, and Comprehension Checks, it is likely that you will not be left with a great deal of spare time. However, if you have completed the comprehension check, the book is so good that you want to find ways to extend you time with it over more sessions, check out the Appendix of this booklet. In addition, Warm Ups can be extended, using the Word Families Chart in the appendix along with Word Boxes and Word Ladders. In reality, there are so many word families and patterns you will not have time to cover them all. Again, it’s more important that the student understand HOW to “solve” words than memorize every single combination.

Tutor Tools Glossary How to Help Students Master Reading Strategies

Introduce: Explain a thinking strategy in student friendly terms and discuss why you would use it. Give examples. Follow up with the following tools.

Model: To model is to demonstrate the thinking strategy you wish for the student to start using. Children need clear models in order to know what the strategy looks like in action. Gradually they will move from imitation, into practice with mistakes and guidance, and onto independent use of the strategy. Sometimes you will encourage students to try a skill and they will struggle, which is your cue to model a bit more.

Think Out Loud: This is another form of modeling where the tutor explicitly states what they are thinking or doing out loud to make all parts of the reading strategy apparent to the student. For example, “The word I read did not make sense in that sentence. I’m going to stop and reread.” Or, “I’m going to look at the picture or think about the whole story to figure this word out.” Talking about what you already know about a text, expressing opinions, or asking questions about the texts are also important ways to “think out loud” for students to see.

Practice: When the student is ready to start trying a strategy, encourage them to try it, letting them know you will help if they need. They will move from practicing with your guidance to practicing independently.

Echo Reading: To echo read, simply read a short piece of text at a time and let the student repeat each small bite of the text. Make sure to read with expression and have the student echo with expression. This strategy helps students find the rhythm in the text, recognize language patterns, and build sight word recognition. Echo reading is also a great tool to pull out if the student is picking through a book one word at a time with little expression or success (like a robot). You don’t have to put the book back on the shelf!

You can still find the rhythm, and learn some new vocabulary which comes with more challenging books.

Choral Reading: Another tool to use with predictable texts, poems, and songs, invite students to read along with you after they feel comfortable and familiar with the text. Choral reading does not have to be word for word. Students will chime in on words that they feel more confident about, but they will listen when they are approaching a word they are not sure about. Sometimes they will get into the rhythm and predict a word that is not in the text but it makes sense. This means that they are using what they already know to make sensible predictions. If the prediction doesn’t make sense, you might choose to talk about stopping and rereading until it makes sense.

Another form of Choral Reading is called “cloze” reading, in which you read up to a point and have the student fill in predictable words. This requires them to pay attention not only to meaning and context, but also to look at the letters for clues as to what the word might be.

Ask Guiding Questions: When you are pretty sure a student can try a strategy on their own after seeing you demonstrate, they may still need a little help. If possible start by asking questions that will guide them, but still allow them to try on their own. For example: “What can you look at to figure this word out?” or “What word would make sense there?”. If it's still too hard, then model/think out loud again. A challenge is ok, but avoid frustration.

The most important question: Does that make sense? Good readers make mistakes all the time. But they also self-correct. “Does that make sense?” is the single most important question you can ask a student when they make inaccurate predictions about words or story events. The goal is to get them to start to ask themselves this question without being prompted. To model, you may deliberately make mistakes now and then and wait to see if the student will catch it. If not, you can use the Think Out Loud strategy to stop, ask yourself guiding questions, and correct yourself. This is what good readers do and some kids need to see models of this self-correcting behavior, and realize it's ok to make mistakes. Mistakes are great learning opportunities!

Word Families: A group of rhyming words that share a common spelling pattern at the end of the word. For example: hat, bat, fat, cat or car, far, tar, star. See the Word Families Chart in the Appendix for a list of word families

Your First Call Instructions

1. Once you’re paired, your Site Director will share your student & their guardian’s contact information. Included in that will be parent responses to two open-ended questions which will help you begin to get to know your student: a. Tell us about your child. b. What are your hopes for your student as they join STAIR? 2. For your first call, identify yourself by name and as the student’s STAIR tutor. Express appreciation for the opportunity to partner with the student on reading. Explain that you’ll be using the mailed materials that they’ve received/will receive. 3. Use the parent responses to the open-ended questions about the student to ask a follow up question or two. 4. Share a sentence or two about yourself (your interests, work, family, background, etc.). 5. Ask for the student to join the call, either via speakerphone or by handing off the phone. Be sure to share your excitement about working together on reading. Then begin the Getting to Know You interview on the next page. Write the student’s responses. 6. Allow time for any questions from the parent or student. 7. Confirm the time and date of your first session to dive into the curriculum, and in what technological format. Ask the parent to add your contact information to their device so that they will know it is you calling.

Getting to Know You An Interview with The Student

How old are you? What is your birthday?

Who do you live with (family/pets)?

What school do you go to? What grade are you in? What is your teacher’s name?

Who are some of your friends?

What is your favorite:

● Food

● Color

● Book (s)

● Sport

● TV show

● Movie

● Song

What is your favorite thing to do at school?

2020-21 Book List

If a student starts in Unit 1, they will receive Kits A,B,C, and D. If a student starts in Unit 2, they will receive Kits A, C, D, and E. ( ) = Approximate Fountas and Pinnell Book Level The 13 digit number is the ISBN number for the exact book the student receives.

Kit A: Unit 1 and Unit 2 Students Receive Upon Registration Big Dog, Little Dog: Tales of Adventure (D, 5 books) Dav Pilkey 9781328577443 Pete the Cat 12-Book Phonics Fun! (E-G, 12 books) James Dean 9780062404527 Dr. Seuss’s ABC (L) Dr. Seuss 9780394800301 Cool Cuts (F) Mechal Renee Roe 9781984895578 Happy Hair (F) Mechal Renee Roe 9781984895547 Dragon’s Mask (H) Steve Herman 9781649160683 Clothesline Clues to the First Day of School (J) Kathryn Heling 9781580895798

Kit B: Unit 1 November-December Gossie and Friends: Big Book of Adventures (D-E, 9 books) Olivier Dunrea 9780544779808 Rain (C) Robert Kalan & Donald Crews 9780688104795 It Looked Like Spilt Milk (C) Charles G. Shaw 9780064431590 Rhyming Dust Bunnies (E) Jan Thomas 9781416979760 Cookies Week (F) Cindy Ward 9780698114357 I’ll Wait Mr. Panda / Yo Voy a Esperar Sr. Panda (G) Steve Antony 9781338114157 Where is / Donde Esta el Chavo? (J) Patty Rodriguez 9781947971271

Kit C: Unit 2: November-December, Unit 1: January-February Five Little Monkeys Storybook Treasury (E-L 5 books) Eileen Christelow 9780547238739, 9780547745930 (bilingual) An Elephant and Piggie: Biggie-Biggie (F-H, 5 books) Mo Willems 9781368045704 Good Night, Mr. Panda / Buena Noches, Sr. Panda (G) Steve Antony 9781338299526 Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do (I) Kathryn Heling 9781580892520 Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (I) Steve Jenkins 9780395861363

Kit D: Unit 2: January-February, Unit 1: March-April Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play (J) Kathryn Heling 9781580896030 Grandfather and I (I) Helen E. Buckley 9780688175269 Don’t Touch My Hair (L) Sharee Miller 9780316562577 My Basketball Book (K) Gail Gibbons 9780688171407 Actual Size (L) Steve Jekins 9780547512914 Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story (K) Ruby Bridges 9780545108553 Ira Crumb Feels the Feelings (K) Naseem Hrab 9781771472982

Kit E: Unit 2 March-April Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion (L) Alex T. Smith 9780545914383 Dragons Love Tacos (L) Adam Rubin 9780803736801 Giraffe Problems (L) Jory John 9781524772031 The Bear Ate Your Sandwich (L) Julia Sarcone-Roach 9781984852090 Let the Children March (M) Monica Clark-Robinson 9780544704527 Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin (M) Duncan Tonatiuh 9780810938724 What if You Had Animal Eyes (M) Sandra Markle 9781338101089

Please note that Unit 1 and Unit 2 above simply refer to the Unit that the student started in when they began STAIR. They will receive a group of books based on that level, but they will progress through Units 2, 3, and 4 using these books. Approximate Fountas and Pinnell Book Level can be found next to each title above. There is no exact book level for each Unit, but a range that will look approximately like this:

STAIR Unit 1: Levels C-F STAIR Unit 2: Levels E-I STAIR Unit 3: Levels H-K STAIR Unit 4: Levels J-M

Students who start in Unit 1 students end up with more short, repetitive stories. At levels C-G, the goal is for kids to read a higher volume of books, although they are shorter, to get acquainted with about 200 sight words. At this level you may start by reading and rereading these books to the student. Most students will be able to take over the reading for most of these books when they gain some familiarity. It is ok if they are “memorizing” the words because this is the primary way of learning sight words which often do not follow phonetic “rules”. Don’t worry, you will start using letter sounds to decode words in Unit 2, but if you start “sounding out” before the student is ready, it's a recipe for frustration and stagnation. Level C-G books will also be useful for students in Unit 2 who may know letters sounds, but don’t know many sight words yet. The goal is to get the number of successful independent reads up in order to build confidence and agency. If they think they can’t read, a just right book will show them that they can. If they already think they can read, all the better! Now we are just learning to read better!

Lesson 3.0

Learning Goals: ● Pre-Assessment ● Word Reading ● Hearing Sounds in Words ● Problem Solving Strategies

Prepare for the Lesson: 5 minutes Read over this lesson. For this lesson only, you will do a pre-assessment in order to get to know what your student may or may not already know about reading.

Initiate the Session Establish contact with the parent/caregiver by phone or device. Check in and see how things are going with the family.

Say: For this lesson, I want to see what our student knows about reading. You are going to be tempted to help but please avoid the temptation. It is very important for me to know what our student can do all on their own. It will help me get an idea of how to help them. ● Please stay close enough to help protect the learning environment from distraction ● (The student) will need a quiet place to sit ● Ask: “Does (the student) have everything they need for STAIR?” Students will have received a new Unit 3 workbook. They will only need the STAIR Unit 3 Workbook today.

Word Reading Take a moment to chat and make the student comfortable.

Say: Now, turn to page 1 of your STAIR Unit 3 Workbook (give some wait time, they will see a list of words). What do you call these? (words) Let's find some that you know. Look at the first word. What is that word? (give wait time) Ok. What is the next word? Etc. (see the list on the next page to follow along as they read).

If the student doesn’t say anything after some wait time say: It's the word that starts with (name the first letter). Still no response? Say: It’s OK, let's go on to the next word.

Put a check by the words that the student knew. If they make a mistake but correct themselves, it counts.

● of ● what ● sit ● ever ● want ● all ● happy ● walk ● has ● sad ● eat ● was ● no ● her

You may ask, “What can I learn about my student from this assessment?” In the early stages of reading, children begin to recognize frequently occurring words, like the ones on this list even before they are skilled at decoding words. If a student reads less than half of these words, hearing, and re-reading predictable and repetitive books like those found in the Pete the Cat: I Can Read collection will help them build this sight word vocabulary up. If they can read 10 or more of these words, then you may turn your attention to exploring more complex vocabulary words while reading together.

Hearing Sounds in Words Say: Now, find the box at the bottom of page 1. Get your pencil ready because I want you to write in the box. I am going to read a story to you. First, I will read it normally. Then I will read it again very slowly so you can write down the words. Read the following sentences at a normal speed.

Mom has gone to the shop. She will get milk and bread.

Then say: Some of the words may be hard. Say them slowly and think about how you can write them. Start writing the words now.

Read the sentence again slowly, word by word. If the student comes to a problem, say: Say it slowly. How would you start to write it? What can you hear?

If the student cannot complete a word, it's ok to move to the next one. We’ll leave that word. The next one is.

When you are finished, ask the student to tell you what letters they wrote for each word and make notes, without correcting their mistakes. You want to know exactly what letter sounds they heard and used while spelling. Write their spellings for each word under the words below.

Mom has gone to the shop. She will get milk and bread.

Clay, M. (2013). An observation survey of early literacy achievement. Auckland, New Zealand: Global Education Systems Ltd

You may ask, “What can I learn about my student from this assessment?” This is not a pass or fail assessment. The student gets credit for every sound they identify. From this quick assessment you can get an idea of what the student knows about using letters sounds. Do they hear vowel sounds in words or leave them out? Do they know many consonant sounds? Do they know how consonant blends like “st” work, or word endings like “ing”? If your student was able to use short vowels easily here, they may be ready to take on some long vowel sounds, vowel “teams” and consonant blends (i.e. st, sl, dr, bl, etc.). Simply follow the suggested warm up activities in this Unit, and see the appendix for even more word building information.

Problem Solving Strategies Say: Before we are done I want you to ask you a few more questions. Write down their answers.

When you are reading and you get to something you don’t know, what do you do?

What do you do when you make a mistake reading or writing?

(Questions adapted from Goodman, Y.M., Watson, D.J., Burke, C.L. (2005). Reading miscue inventory; from evaluation to instruction. Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen Publishers Inc.)

What can we learn from these questions? These questions help us to see if the student sees them self as a capable problem solver with text, or if they even realize that reading involves problem solving. By the time they are in Unit Three, they should be able to tell you some of the things they have learned to do in these situations.

Wrapping Up Say: Wow you really know a lot about reading already. Together, we are going to use what you know to learn even more about reading!

Saying Goodbye (virtual tutoring): Say: It's time to clean up. Put all your materials in your STAIR bag. Is everything back where it belongs? Now where will you keep the bag so you won’t lose it? You might suggest a doorknob in the house. Say goodbye and ask the student to return the phone or device to their parent/caregiver. Use that opportunity to tell the guardian something positive about the lesson, sharing what their child learned. Include goals for next time if time permits. This could also be a brief text message.

Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.1

*Explanation of italicized terms can be found in the Quick Reference Guide *Lesson routine and components are continued from Unit 2.

Learning Goals: ● Introduce the Lesson Components ● Set the goals ● Warm up with word work ● Reading Together ● Recap ● Introduce the Unit Three Thinking Strategies

Prepare for the Lesson: 5 minutes Read over this lesson. The first few lessons will be more detailed as a reminder of the routines, but remember the routines stay the same from Unit 2.

Pay special attention to the Recap at the end of the lesson. Think about the two most important parts you hope they take away from the lesson.

Review Echo Reading under Tutor Tools in the Quick Reference Guide if needed.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes Establish contact with the parent/caregiver by phone or device. Check in and see how things are going with the family. Take a moment to say something positive about the student and share some learning goals. Request the following: ● Please stay close enough to help protect the learning environment from distraction ● (The student) will need a place to sit and write ● Ask: “Does (the student) have everything they need for STAIR?” They will have received a bag to keep their materials in. The contents should include: ● Books ● STAIR Unit 3 Workbook ● Pencil/Eraser ● Sticky Notes

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day or week. Set the goals for the day.

Say: Remember our daily goals? Every day we are going to do two main things. First, warm up our brains and figure out how to read and spell some words. Then

we will work with a book. Today that book will be your STAIR Unit 3 Workbook. Do you have it ready?

Warm Up with Word Boxes: 5-7 minutes If needed, refer to the Quick Reference Guide for a reminder of what's in the students Word Boxes and Sound Cards Kit. You can also download a kit of your own on the Curriculum page found under the Tutor Resources section of the STAIR website: stairbirmingham.org/curriculum

Example Word Family: pull, bull, full, fell, dell Challenge Words: well, will, wall

Note: In this example students have to exchange the vowel sound as well as the initial sound. If this is too difficult, choose another set of words from the Word Families Chart in the appendix with the same vowel sound in all the words. Make a note that you should make it a goal to be able to exchange vowels by the end of the Unit. The Word Families Chart in the appendix also has a list of words to help practice this (in the Unit 2 section) to practice short vowel exchanging.

Letters / Sounds Needed (write the letters you need here):

______

1. From the Word Boxes / Sound Cards Kit in their bag, have the student get out only the sound cards they will need to make the words you have prepared (for virtual, it helps to text the guardian ahead of time to prepare the needed letter/sound cards). 2. Say the first 2 words you are going to make out loud. Say them one sound at a time and then as words again. Ask, “Can you figure out what makes these words the same?” 3. If needed, Model / Think out loud about what you did. Note which sound you changed (beginning/middle/ending). 4. Let them try the next few words with help. Let them add to the list if they want. 5. Say: Now I am going to challenge you. Finish off by trying a few challenge words.

Words we made / Notes: ______

______

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Say: Think about all the Thinking Strategies you have learned to figure out what a book is all about, even if some of the words are hard! Remember, a strategy is a way of thinking to get information. Thinking Strategies help us solve problems when we read. Did you also remember that good readers make mistakes? The good news is that you can use your strategies to go back and fix mistakes. In Unit Three you are going to learn how to use four new thinking strategies to get information and solve problems. I bet you already know some of them. Turn to page 2 in your STAIR Unit 3 Workbook. The title says Unit Three Thinking Strategies, do you see it? Let’s Echo Read the Unit Three Thinking Strategies. Break the sentences up into short repeatable chunks to make echo reading easier. It will probably take a little practice and a sense of humor.

Unit Three Thinking Strategies 1. To figure out what the author wants me to know, I look for clues and think about the story. 2. To figure out what the author wants me to know, I use the words to make a movie in my mind. 3. To figure out a word I don’t know, I can use word chunks. 4. To figure out a word I don’t know, I look for small words inside of big words.

Have a discussion by rephrasing some of the sentences as questions. Oftentimes developing readers are not aware that they are already doing a lot of things that good readers do, such as making predictions, trying to make sense of words, symbols, pictures and signs. Pointing this out helps students to realize that they already know some strategies that good readers use. From now on, you are going to acknowledge when they use strategies that good readers use. In addition, you are also going to show them how to add some new strategies to what they already know.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today. Have the student give you some examples from the lesson. Write the examples down and celebrate them. Have them decide who they will “teach” what they learned today.

Ask: Do you remember what we do in every STAIR Lesson? or What did we do today? (check the ones that apply) ❏ Student stated something about making/spelling words or warming up ❏ Student stated something about reading together / Thinking Strategies ❏ Other: ______

Ask: Now can you teach someone what you learned today? Who will you tell? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Note: Kids love sticky notes and they are easy to burn through so you might mention that it is very important for them to save them for the lesson. When the Unit is done, they can have all the notes that are left.

Lesson 3.2

Learning Goals: ● Continue to review and refresh the lesson components/routines ● Review how to collaborate with the student to select a good way to get information from a book.

Prepare for the Lesson: 5 minutes Read over the lesson.

Pay special attention to the Recap at the end of the lesson. Think about the two most important parts you hope they take away from the lesson.

Use the Comprehension Checks booklet to familiarize yourself with the titles that your student will have to choose from. The STAIR Read Aloud Video Library can be found under Tutor Resources at stairbirmingham.org/read. For virtual tutoring, have this web page open and be ready to open the corresponding video so you have your own “copy” to read from.

If needed, review the Reading Together portion of the Quick Reference Guide.

Prepare to warm up with Word Ladders: Review the words you made with Word Boxes in the previous lesson because you will use those words again today for the Word Ladder. Read the Warm Up section below to prepare.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day or week. Ask: Do you remember what we will do every day for STAIR? It's ok to remind them until they have the routine down. First, we are going to warm up our brains. Then we will work with a book. Today we are going to warm up our brains with a Word Ladder. You will be writing so get your pencil ready.

Warm Up with Word Ladders: 5-7 minutes Remember, the goal is for them to figure out which letter to exchange as they move up the ladder. Place the words in an order that will assure they only have to exchange one letter at a time. Example Word Family: pull, bull, full, fell, dell Challenge Words: well, will, wall

1. Say: Do you remember any of the words we made using the Word Boxes? Let's put them on the Word Ladder. Remember, the goal of a Word Ladder is to get all the way to the top! If you can remember just one, I bet we can figure out the rest. Turn to the Word Ladder section in your workbook and let try!

Remember, if the student struggles, think out loud about which sound to change.

2. Then say: Now I want to challenge you. See if you can hear the sound I change for the next word. Move on to your challenge words. Model/think out loud as needed.

See the Word Families Chart in the appendix for more challenges and options. Students may also suggest words to add. If so, ask them to explain why the word should be added.

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Together, select a book. For virtual tutoring select from the book kit that students will have received for STAIR. IMPORTANT NOTE: Five Little Monkeys: Storybook Treasury, and Elephant and Piggie: are collections with five stories in each book. Each story will have its own video at stairbirminghan.org/read, and Comprehension Check activity in the Comprehension Check booklet.

This is a review from Unit 2, which you and your student will be familiar with, but it is here if you need to review the routine. Say: Some books will be full of words you already know, and others will have new words to figure out. Either way, we can work with the book to get information from it. We will work together to figure those words out and understand the story. Even if the book is challenging, I’m sure we can still figure it out. Do you remember some ways we can do that? Let's take a look at the book we selected and choose how we will work together to figure it out. There is a list of ways to get information from books on page 3 of your STAIR Workbook. Do you remember them? Let’s take a look at it.

Ways to get information from a book: ● We can check it out (we can explore the features to see what we can figure out: Features are pictures, the title, headings, author/illustrator, table of contents, words we may know or can figure out by looking at pictures or the first few letters) ● You can listen to it (I can read and you can predict some words if you want). ● We can Echo Read, like we did with Thinking Strategies in the last lesson. ● You can read it / and read it again (and I can help if you need). ● We can write down new words we want to learn about on a sticky note.

Student Workbook p.3 looks like this:

Ways to get information from a book: ● Check it out ● Listen to it ● Echo Read ● Read it / Read it again ● Sticky Notes

It’s OK to change the approach if it becomes clear that the approach you chose is not leading to comprehension. In fact, it’s good to go through this process a few times until you both get familiar with finding the best approach to work with the book. Don’t let the student painstakingly pick through a book one word at a time. Say: How about we choose another way. I can read and you can help with some words. or Would you like to echo read? At this stage it's OK if they are memorizing. This is how early readers

get started understanding language, grammar, learn sight words, and increase vocabulary. Also let them know that you will read books more than once, so you can change approaches the next time if they want to try a different approach. They may be able to read some books back to you after a couple of reads if they are motivated.

You may or may not have time for a full read through. No worries, you will return to the book in the next lesson. Have the student keep the book in their bag for the next read.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today. When we worked with the book, how did you get information from the book?

❏ Student remembered some examples ❏ Example: ______❏ Example: ______❏ Student needs more practice with this concept

Ask: Now can you teach someone what you learned today? Who will you teach? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

You may also ask, “Can we get information from a book even if some of the words are hard?”

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.3

Learning Goals: Introduce the first Thinking Strategy for Unit Three ● To figure out what the author wants me to know, I look for clues and think about the story (infer what is not directly stated in the text).

Prepare the Lesson: 5 minutes Read the lesson. Pay special attention to the Recap at the end of the lesson.

Using the book, you both selected during the last lesson, prepare to Model and Think Out Loud about the reading strategy above. For virtual tutoring, make sure to have your “copy” pulled up from the STAIR Read Aloud Video Library at stairbirmigham.org/read so you can read or follow along.

Prepare for another warm up with Word Boxes activity using the example word family below (or your own selection from the Word Families Chart in the appendix) write down the sound cards/letters that will be needed.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. You may also ask how many things they read, or heard someone read today. Ask: What do you remember about the different ways we can get information from a book? Give them some time to answer. Today we are going to practice choosing the best way to do that. I am also going to talk about thinking strategies again. First, let's warm up with some Word Boxes.

Warm Up with Word Boxes: 5-7 minutes Example: Word Family: sack, back, tack, pack, rack Challenge Words: neck, peck, deck, speck

Letters / Sounds Needed (Write them here):

1. From the Word Boxes / Sound Cards Kit in their bag, have the student get out only the sound cards they will need to make the words you have prepared. 2. Say the first 2 words you are going to make out loud. Ask, “Can you figure out what makes these words the same?” 3. If needed, point out that they rhyme. Model saying each sound and then blending the words back together on the first and second word. Think out loud about what you did. Note for the student that all you had to change was one sound to make a new word. Note which sound you changed (beginning/middle/ending). 4. Let them try the next few words with help. Let them add to the list if they want. You may help them remember sounds or model again. 5. Move onto the challenge words. Say: Now I am going to challenge you. Instead of changing the beginning sound I’m going to change the middle. Again, if they cannot figure out the letter exchange on their own, model/think out loud. 6. Finish off by trying a few more challenge words. You might say: What sound did we change that time? The beginning, middle, or end?

Words we made:

Exceptions and Extensions: Every phonics rule has exceptions. If the student suggests a rhyming word that does not follow the spelling pattern it's a good opportunity to talk about this. After all, they are using the pattern correctly, phonetically speaking. You might say: That's a great rhyming word, and if it were spelled like it sounds, we could use these letters, but this one is tricky. That's just the way some words are. Let’s write it on a sticky note to do some research later. Here is an opportunity to use a device or a dictionary to look the word up, showing the student even more ways to find out about words. In addition, the written forms of the letters a & g look different than many printed versions. Students may need an occasional reminder.

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Say: Do you remember what we call when you think to figure things out? Give them a moment to remember. The student may recall the word “strategy” but they may not and it's fine to remind them.

Did you know authors and illustrators sometimes want us to know something that is not written in the words?

Today we will start working on a new thinking strategy that will help you figure out what the author wants you to know even if it’s written in the words.

1. To figure out what the author wants me to know, I look for clues and think about the story.

Let's look back at the book we chose last session. I want to show you how I use these strategies to get information from the book. While working with the book, model and think out loud about the strategy. Encourage the student to try if they are ready.

Check the approaches you used below: ❏ Check it out (explore the features to see what we can figure out: pictures, title, headings, author/illustrator, table of contents, words we may know or can figure out) ❏ Listen to it (and predict some words if you want) ❏ Echo Read (see Quick Reference Guide) ❏ Read it / Read it again (with help if you need) ❏ Sticky Notes See the Quick Reference Guide p. 4 for a reminder of how to choose the best approach together. Trial and error is OK!

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: What are some thinking strategies you can use to figure out words and what a book is all about? ❏ Student said something about figuring out what the author wants them to know, looking for clues, or thinking about the story (inferring what is not directly stated in the text). ❏ Used other thinking strategies ❏ Example: ______

Ask: Now can you teach someone what you learned today? Who will you teach these strategies too? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.4 Learning Goals:

Let the student practice Thinking Strategy 1. Perhaps it can help answer Comprehension Check questions. Model / Think out Loud if the student needs continued support. ● To figure out what the author wants me to know, I look for clues and think about the story (infer what is not directly stated in the text).

Prepare the Lesson: Read the lesson. Pay special attention to Recap at the end of the lesson.

Review the Comprehension Check for the book you are working on in the Comprehension Check Booklet in preparation for use during Reading Together.

Prepare to warm up with Word Ladders: Review the words you made with Word Boxes in the previous lesson because you will use those words again today for the Word Ladder. Read the Word Work section below to prepare.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. You may also ask how many things they read, or heard someone read today. Say: Today, we are going to use our thinking strategies to help to answer some questions about the book we have been working with. We will think about what we already know about the book, and use pictures. First, let's warm up with a Word Ladder.

Warm Up with Word Ladders: 5-7 minutes

Remember, the goal is for them to figure out which letter to exchange as they move up the ladder. Place the words in an order that will assure they only have to exchange one letter at a time.

Example Word Family: sack, back, tack, pack, rack Challenge Words: neck, peck, deck, speck

2. Then say: Now I want to challenge you. See if you can hear the sound I change for the next word. Move on to your challenge words. Model/think out loud as needed. See the Word Families Chart in the appendix for more challenges and options. Students may also suggest words to add. If so, ask them to explain why the word should be added.

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Today you continue the Comprehension Check routine. Revisit the book you have been working with. If you have already done a full read through of the book over the past sessions, rather than another full read through today, go back and reread as needed to answer the questions.

Say: Today I want you to show me what you know about this book so far. Look in the STAIR folder and find the Comprehension Check Booklet. Look at the table of contents and let's find (the title of the book you have been working with). We can look back at the book if we need. It's good to look back at parts of the book to answer questions. If we don’t finish, we can continue next time.

Check any other approaches you used today while working on the comprehension check. Be sure to include Ask and Answer Questions: ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: Did you use clues to figure out what the author wanted you to know? What clues helped you figure it out? ● Example: ______

Ask: Now can you teach someone what you learned today? Who will you tell? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.5

Learning Goals: Introduce/Model/Think Out Loud about the next Thinking Strategy: ● To figure out what the author wants me to know, I use the words to make a movie in my mind (use descriptive, action, and sensory words/images to create a mental “video” of a story).

Review and practice Thinking Strategy 1. ● To figure out what the author wants me to know, I look for clues and think about the story (infer what is not directly stated in the text).

Prepare the Lesson: 5 minutes Read the lesson.

It may be time to choose a new book. To prepare for Reading Together ask yourself the following questions.

Questions to prepare for Reading Together: ● What opportunities does this book provide to practice the thinking strategies we have learned? ● Will I need to continue to model and think out loud for the student or are they ready to practice on their own or with just a little guidance? ● What Comprehension Check questions will we work on today? ● Have we finished the Comprehension Check and is it time to move to a new book?

Prepare for another warm up with Word Boxes activity using the example word family below (or your own selection from the Word Families Chart in the appendix).

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Settle in. Ask: Do you remember the new strategy we have been using to figure out what the author wants us to know? Discuss and review the strategy. Today we are also going to learn a new one. First let's warm up with some Word Boxes.

Word Work with Word Boxes: 5-7 minutes Example Word Family: air, hair, pair, chair Challenge Words: sail, bail, mail, tail

Letters / Sounds Needed:

1. From the Word Boxes / Sound Cards Kit in their bag, have the student get out only the sound cards they will need to make the words you have prepared. 2. Say the first 2 words you are going to make out loud. Say them one sound at a tie and then as words again. Ask, “Can you figure out what makes these words the same?” 3. If needed, Model / Think out loud about what you did. Note which sound you changed (beginning/middle/ending). 4. Let them try the next few words with help. Let them add to the list if they want. 5. Say: Now I am going to challenge you. Finish off by trying a few challenge words.

Words we made:

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes

You may be ready to move on to a new book. If so, choose one together. Say: Do you remember the last Thinking Strategy we worked on? Today I want to teach you a new one. I bet you already do this one too.

Did you know that the words in a book can help you make a movie in your mind? You can close your eyes and picture what the author wants you to see. This is our next Thinking Strategy. You can find it in your workbook on page 2.

● To figure out what the author wants me to know, I use the words to make a movie in my mind.

Say: How should we work with this book today? Collaboratively choose an approach that will lend itself to practicing these strategies (on student workbook page 3 if neeed). ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Comprehension Check: Depending on where you are with the book, try to answer one or two questions on the Comprehension Check. Sometimes you’ll be ready, sometimes you won’t. But take a look each time you read together and finish the activity little by little over multiple sessions if needed.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: What thinking strategies did you use today? How did you use them? ● Using clues to figure out what the author wants us to know: Example: ______● Making a movie in my mind? Example: ______● Any other strategies Example: ______

Ask: Now can you teach someone what you learned today? Who will you teach? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.6

Learning Goals: Practice the new Thinking Strategy / Model and Ask Guiding Questions as needed: ● To figure out what the author wants me to know, I use the words to make a movie in my mind (use descriptive, action, and sensory words/images to create a mental “video” of a story).

Review and practice Thinking Strategy 1. ● To figure out what the author wants me to know, I look for clues and think about the story (infer what is not directly stated in the text).

Prepare the Lesson: 5 minutes Read the lesson.

Questions to prepare for Reading Together ● What opportunities does this book provide to practice the reading strategies we have learned? ● Will I need to continue to model and think out loud for the student or are they ready to practice on their own or with just a little guidance? ● What Comprehension Check questions will we work on today? ● Have we finished the Comprehension Check and is it time to move to a new book?

Prepare for Word Ladders: Review the words you made with Word Boxes in the previous lesson because you will use those words again today for the Word Ladder.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Settle in. Ask: Do you remember the two strategies we have been using to get information from books? Discuss and review the strategies. Today we are going to practice using those strategies so that we always remember to use them. I will help you if you need. First let's warm up with a Word Ladder.

Example Word Family: air, hair, pair, chair Challenge Words: sail, bail, mail, tail

Remember, if the student struggles, think out loud about which sound to change.

2. Then say: Now I want to challenge you. See if you can hear the sound I change for the next word. Move on to your challenge words. Model/think out loud as needed.

See the Word Families Chart in the appendix for more challenges and options. Students may also suggest words to add. If so, ask them to explain why the word should be added.

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Say: Do you remember the new thinking strategies we started working on in the last lesson? We are going to practice looking for clues and making a movie in our minds.

Say: How should we work with this book today? Collaboratively choose an approach that will lend itself to practicing these strategies. ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Practice the thinking strategies using the book you have both chosen.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: Now can you teach someone what you learned today? Who will you teach? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.7

Learning Goals: Introduce/Model/Think Out Loud about the next Thinking Strategy: ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I can use word chunks.

Review and practice other Thinking Strategies as opportunities allow.

Prepare the Lesson: 5 minutes Read the lesson.

Questions to prepare for Reading Together ● Have we finished the Comprehension Check and is it time to move to a new book? ● What opportunities does this book provide to practice the reading strategies we have learned? ● Will I need to continue to model and think out loud about thinking strategies for the student or are they ready to practice on their own or with just a little guidance? ● What Comprehension Check questions will we work on today?

Prepare for Word Boxes. using the example word family below (or your own selection from the Word Families Chart in the appendix).

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. Say: Today, we are going to learn a new reading strategy to figure out words you have never seen before? We will also keep using the strategies we have learned already and we will try to answer a few comprehension check questions about the book we are working with. First, let's warm up with some Word Boxes.

Word Work with Word Boxes: 5-7 minutes Example Word Family: moon, noon, soon, toon Challenge Words: zoom, loom, boom, room

Letters / Sounds Needed:

1. From the Word Boxes / Sound Cards Kit in their bag, have the student get out only the sound cards they will need to make the words you have prepared. 2. Say the first 2 words you are going to make out loud. Say them one sound at a tie and then as words again. Ask, “Can you figure out what makes these words the same?” 3. If needed, Model / Think out loud about what you did. Note which sound you changed (beginning/middle/ending). 4. Let them try the next few words with help. Let them add to the list if they want. 5. Say: Now I am going to challenge you. Finish off by trying a few challenge words.

Words we made / Notes:

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Get the familiar or new book ready. Say: Today, let's learn a new thinking strategy to figure out words we don’t know. Sometimes we don’t know a word, but you do already know a part of the word. We call these word chunks. Kind of like a cake, we don’t eat it all at once, we cut it up into pieces. For example, if we know the word moon, we can use o-o-n to read lots of other words like soon, spoon, and noon. So remember: ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I can use word chunks.

You already do this with Word Boxes and Word ladders? Let’s try it with our book today. Use one of the following approaches to work with the book in a way that allows you to model/think out loud about the new strategy. ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Conclude by answering a few questions from the comprehension check for the book you are reading together.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: Which thinking strategies did we use today? See if they can remember, but if not say Did we… ● Use word chunks to figure out a word you didn’t know: Example: ______● Use clues to figure out what the author wants you to know: Example: ______● Make a movie in your mind? Example:______● Use any other strategies Example: ______Ask: To whom will you teach these new strategies? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.8

Learning Goals: Practice the new Thinking Strategy / Model and Ask Guiding Questions as needed: ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I can use word chunks.

Review and practice other Thinking Strategies as opportunities allow.

Prepare the Lesson: Read the lesson.

Prepare for Word Ladders: Review the words you made with Word Boxes in the previous lesson because you will use those words again today for the Word Ladder.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. Say: Today, we are going to keep practicing the new thinking strategy we learned in the last session. We will also keep using the strategies we have learned already and we will try to answer a few comprehension check questions about the book we are working with. First, let's warm up with a Word Ladder.

Warm Up with Word Ladders: 5-7 minutes

Remember, the goal is for them to figure out which letter to exchange as they move up the ladder. Place the words in an order that will assure they only have to exchange one letter at a time.

Example Word Family: moon, noon, soon, toon Challenge Words: zoom, loom, boom, room

Remember, if the student struggles, think out loud about which sound to change.

2. Then say: Now I want to challenge you. See if you can hear the sound I change for the next word. Move on to your challenge words. Model/think out loud as needed.

See the Word Families Chart in the appendix for more challenges and options. Students may also suggest words to add. If so, ask them to explain why the word should be added.

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Get the familiar or new book ready. Say: Today, let's practice our new strategy while we work with the book. Can you remember the new strategy? If the student cannot remember, it's ok to remind them by saying...

As a reminder the new strategy is: ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I can use word chunks.

Then we will try a couple of Comprehension Check questions. Use one of the following approaches to work with the book in a way that allows the student to practice the strategies. ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Conclude by answering a few questions from the comprehension check for the book you are reading together.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: Which thinking strategies did we use today? See if they can remember, but if not say Did we… ● Use word chunks to figure out a word you didn’t know: Example: ______● Use clues to figure out what the author wants you to know: Example: ______● Make a movie in your mind? Example: ______● Use any other strategies Example: ______

Ask: To whom will you teach these new strategies today? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.9

Learning Goals: Introduce/Model/Think Out Loud about the next Thinking Strategy: ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I look for small words inside of big words.

Review and practice other Thinking Strategies as opportunities allow

Prepare the Lesson: Read the lesson.

Prepare for another Word Boxes activity using the example word family below (or your own selection from the Word Families Chart in the appendix).

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. Say: Today we are going to learn one more strategy for figuring out words we don’t know. We will also keep using the strategies we have learned already and we will try to answer a few comprehension check questions about the book we are working with. First, let's warm up with Word Boxes.

Word Work with Word Boxes: 5-7 minutes Example Word Family: old, sold, hold, told, mold Challenge Words: mend, send, blend

Letters / Sounds Needed:

1. From the Word Boxes / Sound Cards Kit in their bag, have the student get out only the sound cards they will need to make the words you have prepared. 2. Say the first 2 words you are going to make out loud. Say them one sound at a tie and then as words again. Ask, “Can you figure out what makes these words the same?” 3. If needed, Model / Think out loud about what you did. Note which sound you changed (beginning/middle/ending). 4. Let them try the next few words with help. Let them add to the list if they want. 5. Say: Now I am going to challenge you. Finish off by trying a few challenge words.

Words we made / Notes:

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Get the familiar or new book ready. Say: Today, let's learn a new thinking strategy to figure out a word we don’t know. It is very much like the last one we learned. ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I look for small words inside of big words.

Maybe you already do this? Let’s try it with our book today. Use one of the following approaches to work with the book in a way that allows you to model/think out loud about the new strategy. ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Conclude by answering a few questions from the comprehension check for the book you are reading together.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: Which thinking strategies did we use today? See if they can remember, but if not say Did we… ● Look for words inside of words to figure out a word you didn’t know? Example: ______● Use word chunks to figure out a word you didn’t know? Example: ______● Use clues to figure out what the author wants you to know? Example: ______● Make a movie in your mind? Example: ______● Use any other strategies? Example: ______

Ask: To whom will you teach these new strategies today? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.10

Learning Goals: Practice the new Thinking Strategy / Model and Ask Guiding Questions as needed: ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I look for small words inside of big words.

Review and practice other Thinking Strategies as opportunities allow.

Prepare the Lesson: Read the lesson.

Prepare for Word Ladders: Review the words you made with Word Boxes in the previous lesson because you will use those words again today for the Word Ladder.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. Say: Today, we are going to practice the new Thinking Strategy we learned in the last session? We will also keep using the strategies we have learned already and we will try to answer a few comprehension check questions about the book we are working with. First, let's warm up with a Word Ladder.

Example Word Family: old, sold, hold, told, mold Challenge Words: mend, send, blend

Remember, if the student struggles, think out loud about which sound to change.

2. Then say: Now I want to challenge you. See if you can hear the sound I change for the next word. Move on to your challenge words. Model/think out loud as needed.

See the Word Families Chart in the appendix for more challenges and options. Students may also suggest words to add. If so, ask them to explain why the word should be added.

As a reminder the new strategy is: ● To figure out a word I don’t know, I look for small words inside of big words.

Conclude by answering a few questions from the comprehension check for the book you are reading together.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: To whom will you teach these new strategies today? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.11

Learning Goals: Review and practice any Thinking Strategies that need continued practice.

Prepare the Lesson: Read the lesson. Questions to prepare for Reading Together ● Have we finished the Comprehension Check and is it time to move to a new book? ● What opportunities does this book provide to practice the reading strategies we have learned? ● Will I need to continue to model and think out loud about thinking strategies for the student or are they ready to practice on their own or with just a little guidance? ● What Comprehension Check questions will we work on today?

Prepare for Word Boxes. using the example word family below (or your own selection from the Word Families Chart in the appendix).

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. Say: Today, we are going to practice using any Thinking Strategies to find out what a book is all about, and even figure out words you have never seen before? We will also try to answer a few comprehension check questions about the book we are working with. First, let's warm up with some Word Boxes.

Word Work with Word Boxes: 5-7 minutes Example Word Family: eat, seat, treat, cheat, heat Challenge Words: hear, fear, smear Letters / Sounds Needed:

3. If needed, Model / Think out loud about what you did. Note which sound you changed (beginning/middle/ending). 4. Let them try the next few words with help. Let them add to the list if they want. 5. Say: Now I am going to challenge you. Finish off by trying a few challenge words.

Words we made / Notes:

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Get the familiar or new book ready. Say: Today we are going to use any Thinking strategies we need to figure things out while we read.

Let’s try it while we are working with a book today.

Use one of the following approaches to work with the book which will help you model/think out loud about the new strategies. ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Conclude by answering a few questions from the Comprehension Check for the book you are reading together.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: To whom will you teach these new strategies? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.12

Learning Goals: Review and practice any Thinking Strategies that need continued practice.

Prepare the Lesson: 5 minutes Read the lesson. Questions to prepare for Reading Together ● Have we finished the Comprehension Check and is it time to move to a new book? ● What opportunities does this book provide to practice the reading strategies we have learned? ● Will I need to continue to model and think out loud about thinking strategies for the student or are they ready to practice on their own or with just a little guidance? ● What Comprehension Check questions will we work on today?

Prepare for Word Ladders: Review the words you made with Word Boxes in the previous lesson because you will use those words again today for the Word Ladder.

Initiate the Session (virtual tutoring only): 2-3 minutes See lessons 3.1 & 3.2 for a reminder of how to prepare for the learning.

Set the Goals: 2-3 minutes Ask your student about their day. Say: Say: Today, we are going to practice using any Thinking Strategies to find out what a book is all about, and even figure out words you have never seen before? We will also try to answer a few comprehension check questions about the book we are working with. First, let's warm up with a Word Ladder.

Example Word Family: eat, seat, treat, cheat, heat Challenge Words: hear, fear, smear

2. Then say: Now I want to challenge you. See if you can hear the sound I change for the next word. Move on to your challenge words. Model/think out loud as needed.

See the Word Families Chart in the appendix for more challenges and options. Students may also suggest words to add. If so, ask them to explain why the word should be added.

Reading Together: 20-30 minutes Get the familiar or new book ready. Say: Today we are going to use any Thinking strategies we need to figure things out while we read.

Let’s try it while we are working with a book today. Then we will try a couple of Comprehension Check questions.

Use one of the following approaches to work with the book in a way that allows the student to start practicing the strategies. ❏ Check it out ❏ Listen to it ❏ Echo Read ❏ Read it / Read it again ❏ Sticky Notes

Conclude by answering a few questions from the comprehension check for the book you are reading together.

Recap: 3 minutes Say: Before we are done I want you to tell me how you got smarter today.

Ask: To whom will you teach these new strategies? (mom? dad? sister/brother? cousins? grandparents?)

More Student Responses / Examples / Additional Tutor Notes:

Lesson 3.13

IMPORTANT VIRTUAL TUTORING NOTE: If you are confident that your student is about ready for the next Unit, go ahead and let your site director know so we can arrange to send you and your student the materials.

Goals: ● Post-Assessment ● Word Reading ● Hearing Sounds in Words ● Problem Solving Strategies

Prepare for the Lesson: 5 minutes Today you will do a post-assessment in order to see if your student is ready to move on to Unit 4.

Initiate the Session Establish contact with the parent/caregiver by phone or device. Check in. Say: Do you remember when we did the pre-assessment at the beginning of our Unit? It's time to check in and see if we need to spend a little more time in this Unit or move on. Please avoid the temptation to help. It is very important for me to know what our student can do this all on their own. It will help me know how to proceed. Remember: ● Please stay close enough to help protect the learning environment from distraction ● (The student) will need a quiet place to sit ● Ask: “Does (the student) have everything they need for STAIR?” They will only need the STAIR Workbook today.

Word Reading Say: Today I want you to show me what you know about reading. I am going to ask you some questions. Do your best. It's OK if you don’t know an answer or word. We can skip that part and move on. Just do your best to show what you know.

Turn page 16 of your STAIR Unit 3 Workbook (give some wait time). Look at the first word. What is that word? (wait time) Ok. What is the next word? Etc.

If the student doesn’t say anything after some wait time say: It’s OK, let's go on to the next word.

Put a check by the words that the student knew. If they make a mistake but correct themselves, it counts.

● the ● an ● does ● fun ● here ● all ● from ● day ● time ● play ● good ● now ● night ● some

Mastery: If the student can read 10 out of the 14 words, they are ready for Unit 4. If they read less than ten, it may be worth your time to focus even more Level C-F books (like the Pete the Cat: I Can Read set of books. Its ok to read these books more than once until they are mastered). These books are mostly composed of site words.

Hearing Sounds in Words Say: Now, find the box at the bottom of page 16. You are going to use this space to write. Get your pencil ready. Now I am going to read a story to you. First, I will read it normally. Then I will read it again very slowly so you can write down the words. Read the following sentence at once at a normal speed.

The boy is riding his bike. He can go very fast on it.

Then say: Some of the words are hard. Say them slowly and think about how you can write them. Start writing the words now.

Read the sentence again slowly, word by word. If the student comes to a problem, say: Say it slowly. How would you start to write it? What can you hear?

If the student cannot complete a word, it's ok to move to the next one. We’ll leave that word. The next one is…

When you are finished, ask the student to tell you what letters they wrote for each word and make notes, without correcting their mistakes at this time. You want to know exactly what letter sounds they heard and used while spelling. Write their spellings under the sentence below.

The boy is riding his bike. He can go very fast on it.

Mastery: This is not a pass or fail assessment. However, compared to the pretest in lesson 3.0 we hope that students are hearing familiar sounds and spelling words strategically. Students will get more practice with long vowel combinations in Unit 4.

Problem Solving Strategies Say: Before we are done I want you to ask you a few more questions. Write down their answers.

When you are reading and you get to something you don’t know, what do you do?

What do you do when you make a mistake reading or writing?

(Questions adapted from Goodman, Y.M., Watson, D.J., Burke, C.L. (2005). Reading miscue inventory; from evaluation to instruction. Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen Publishers Inc.)

By the end of Unit 3, the goal is for the students express an expanding knowledge of multiple strategies that they can use to solve problems when they come to something they don’t know or when they hear a mistake in their reading. Out of the four new Thinking Strategies, at least three should come to mind along with others from previous Units. It is even possible that they have constructed other strategies that work in these situations, in which case, by all means give them credit as long as the strategy leads to a better understanding of the text. However, abridged strategies that can change the meaning of the text or prevent understanding (skipping words without trying to replace them with something that makes sense, random guessing without considering either meaning or letters) are red flags. If the student is not searching for meaning, and self- correcting, more time may be needed with select Thinking Strategies.

Wrapping Up If the student has demonstrated sufficient progress. Say: Wow you are really learning quickly! I can’t wait to see what you do with the next Unit!

If the student has not demonstrated sufficient progress, you may decide to extend the unit to spend more time with any concepts that need more work. But remember, many of these concepts will “spiral” into Unit 4, so if they are close, we recommend moving on. Consult with your site director.

Additional notes:

Appendix

Word Families Chart

It is true that readers occasionally have to slow down and say one letter at a time to figure out a word, but efficient readers learn to look for and use patterns (or chunks of words), sometimes even before they know all the letter sounds. There are many predictable letter patterns and words that can be used with the Word Boxes and Word Ladder games. This list is not exhaustive, but it provides a jump-off point to helping children begin to recognize and use common letter/sound patterns. You do not have to go in order and you don’t even have to stay within your Unit, just so long as the student isn’t frustrated. Feel free to mix and match. If you are reading a book together that has good examples of a pattern like contractions, by all means, use that as a teachable opportunity.

Unit Word Family Combos for Word Boxes and Word Ladders Unit 1 The goal in Unit 1 is for students to understand that letters are the building blocks of words, name upper and lower case letters, put them in alphabetical order, and identify words that start with each letter. Unit 2 an, on, in, if, is, as, am, at, it fan, ran, pan, can, man, men, pen, ten hat, cat, rat, sat, fat, fit, hit, sit met, set, pet, net, not, hot, lot, lit red, bed, fed, led, lid, kid, did, hid tap, sap, lap, map, mop, top, pop, stop mad, bad, sad, dad, did, lid, mid pig, big, wig, rig, jig, jog, log, hog mug, bug, rug, hug, hut, nut, cut all, ball, tall, call, fall, ill, bill, will, wall shop, ship, shin, chin, chop, chip, chat, chill fish, wish, dish, dash, mash, cash, the, that, this, than, then, them me, he, she, no, go, so, my, fly, try day, say, yay, may, lay, pay, way mow, row, tow, low, show, bow ear, dear, hear, near, rear, tear, fear eat, seat, meat, heat, beat, neat, cheat, treat it, it’s, he, he’s, she, she’s, that, that’s

To practice distinguishing and exchanging short vowel sounds: put, pat, pet, pot, pit, sit, sat, set, sit, bit, bet, bot, but, bat

Unit 3 and, band, sand, hand, land, end, bend, send, lend tall, fall, hall, wall, well, tell, sell, bell, ball pull, bull, full, fell, dell, well, will, wall see, bee, beet, feet, meet, flee, tree moon, noon, soon, toon, zoom, loom, boom, room air, hair, pair, chair, sail, bail, mail, tail car, bar, tar, jar, far, fur, blur air, pair, fair, hair, chair, stair, star, stir cake, make, bake, take, lake, like, pike, hike woke, poke, joke, juke, puke, nuke, duke sack, back, tack, pack, rack, neck, peck, deck, speck ick, pick, sick, sock, lock, luck, tuck, buck quick, quack, quit, quip, queen, quail yip, zip, zap, yap, yet, yuck, zip, zap, zig, zag old, sold, hold, told, mold, gold, fold, bold fuss, pass, lass, less, loss, boss, toss off, buff, tuff, tiff, stiff, stuff, sniff boss, bossy, fuss, fussy, buff, buffy, stuff, stuffy buzz, fuzz, fizz, buzzing, fizzing, fizzy, fuzzy yuck, duck, dunk, funk, sunk, sank, sink, link sing, sang, song, long, limp, lamp, lump, pump I, I’ll, she, she’ll, we, we’ll, he, he’ll, they, they’ll, you, you’ll is, isn’t, are, aren’t, do, don’t, won’t was, wasn’t, has, hasn’t, have, haven’t black, blank, plank, clank, clunk, flunk, plunk frank, crank, drank, drink, drunk, trunk, truck trap, trip, drip, drop, drab, grab, grip stiff, staff, stamp, stomp, stall, small, smell, spell team, dream, steam, each, breach, east, feast, beast opt, apt, act, fact, fast, fest, best, west, elf, self, shelf walk, talk, stalk, chalk, chair, cheer, cheering book, took, look, cook, cool, fool, wool, pool loop, goop, hoop, scoop, stoop, droop, drool

Practice long vowels with silent E site, bite, bike, rake, brake, stake, stoke, spoke base, chase, chose, rose, pose, hose, those, nose ice, nice mice, dice, spice, spike, like mile, pile, pipe, life, wife, mine, fine, dine slime, lime, time, dime, dine, dune, dude, rude

Unit 4 bubble, babble, rubble, rabble, rattle, battle, paddle, piddle, middle, little Note: Words tumble, fumble, mumble, jumble, crumble, stumble, grumble with more bigger, better, letter, litter, latter, ladder, batter, tatter than 4 heat, reheat, preheat, seat, reseat, unseat, repeat, replete sounds treat, mistreat, trust, mistrust, use, misuse cannot be cool, uncool, do, undo, done, undone, tie, untie assembled in happy, handy, dusty, rusty, belly, smelly Word Boxes fry, frying, fried, try, trying, tried, cry, crying, cried (with the peep, deep, beep, weep, cheer, chair, cheap exception of faces, races, males, miles, smiles, piles, tiles those with try, tries, cry, cries, dry, dries, fly, flies “ing” - the rap, rapping, dig, digging, trip, tripping, dip, dipping, etc. only sound nice, nicer, make, maker, take, taker, move, mover, time, timer, trade, card with trader more than paw, saw, law, claw, slaw, slew, blew, flew, new, chew one sound on now, how, wow, pow, cow, meow, town, clown it). Words of joy, boy, toy, soy, coy, cow, how, now, pow any length loud, cloud, proud, house, mouse can be oil, soil, boil, toil, foil, coil, coin, join created on baked, baking, make, making, take, taking, like, liking, hike, hiking, Word etc. Ladders, payed, paying, played, playing, (said), saying however. spied, spying, tried, trying, cried, crying Batman, napkin, inside, outside, hideout, butterfly, goldfish, haircut, rainstorm, (any simple compound word, ect.) big, bigger, biggest, small, smaller, smallest, long, longer, longest, short, shorter, shortest, least, most, great, greater, greatest

Comprehension Extension Activities for Reading Together: This is a list of activities that can be done using discussion or can used as a writing prompt. Each provides an opportunity to examine a book in greater detail and become a part of the creative process ourselves.

1. Use sticky notes to annotate the book: write down new vocabulary words, mark your place, or write down questions before and during reading, make notes of things you don’t want to forget, or keep track of new sight words (those words that cannot be figured out using the Thinking Strategies, for example: “would” or “because”). 2. Give an opinion about the book. Back it up with details from the story. 3. Recommendations: Tell someone else why they should read this book. 4. Retell the story in order (using ordinal words like, first, then, after that, finally, last, in the end, etc). 5. Talk/write about the problem/solution. 6. Make up a different ending. Write and illustrate it. 7. Describe your favorite character. What are they like? What do they do/think/say? How do they change through the story? 8. What does this story remind you of? Have the student tell another story they know from their life or from another book. 9. Who does this character remind you of? Tell why? 10. Write and illustrate a “parallel text”, a story that follows the same predictable pattern or story structure, but has a different set of details or outcomes.

High Quality Discussion Starters

Why should we read this book? What does/did (name of the author or illustrator) want us to learn/think/do? Does that make sense? How do you know? (give evidence from the text) Where/When/Why does this happen? What caused______? Who are the characters? What is ______like? How do you know? How does ______change? How? What words tell you about ______? How? Can you think of another word to use instead of ______? (try it in the same sentence) Why did the author/illustrator use _____? Who is telling this story? Do ______’s feelings change? Why? What did they/you learn? What does the (illustration/picture/graph/map) help you figure out? What is the problem? Why? How did ____ solve the problem? How would you solve it? What does ______remind you of? Do you agree with (author/character)? Why? What is another good title/ending for this book? Why? What questions do you (still) have?

Parent - Tutor - Family Communication Guide

Principles for interacting with families & students ● This isn’t school - Because we’re one-on-one, we can adjust pacing and make sure each student gets what they need. Take the time to attune to the topics, books, & conversations where your student comes alive. Look for ways you can bring playfulness, wonder, and joy into sessions. We want students to want their caregiver to answer the phone! ● Avoid taking missed connections personally. Caregivers and parents want the best for their child, and they want reading tutoring for their child, even if they aren’t able to make that happen by answering the phone. Some sessions, and some tutor & student pairings, simply will not work out. Communicate those cases, and we’ll reassign tutors as new students register. ● Parents are the experts on their child - Listen well and ask thoughtful questions anytime, but especially when you run into problems. ● You are a guest being “invited” into the home, virtually, of your student. Our respectfulness toward families’ access to technology, scheduling, and competing responsibilities is crucial.

Specific Tips for Bumpy Sessions ● Enlist the support of the caregiver in earshot if the student’s surroundings are not conducive to tutoring. Make polite requests if background noise is an issue. ● Let the curriculum be your friend - keep the session moving by using the timing guidelines, change gears if the student is frustrated, take a 1 minute brain break and ask a student to get their wiggles out with you. ● Troubleshoot with the parent at the end of a call if you are having difficulty. ● Ask for support from your Site Director when you are having trouble connecting with a caregiver - avoid working from a place of frustration. Your Site Director will have specific suggestions to troubleshoot missed connections with caregivers and other issues that may arise.

Safety Tips ● Immediately end the call if the student wanders into the bathroom with the device or there is nudity of any kind in a video call. Call the parent back to explain the problem and document it with the Site Director. ● Request that the caregiver remain in earshot throughout the session. ● All STAIR parents/guardians are aware that there will be no in-person meetings for STAIR tutors, students, and families while our program is Virtual. You build both physical and emotional safety by never requesting to meet in-person during the course of virtual programming.

Brain Breaks for Virtual Tutoring (Source: https://www.weareteachers.com/brain-breaks-for-kids/)

1. 3, 2, 1 blastoff!: Instruct student to stand and then squat down with their hands on the ground in front of them. Together, count down 3, 2, 1. When you get to zero, they should push up like a rocket, jumping as high as they can—letting all of their energy burst from their center. 2. Doodle Break: Set a timer for 1 minute and let your student silently doodle with pencil and paper or a dry erase board and marker, then ask them to tell you about your picture. 3. Try some facial gymnastics and let your student get their silly on for 30 seconds. Tell them to wiggle their eyebrows up and down as fast as they can. Then try to raise one eyebrow at a time. Then switch back and forth between a smile and frown. 4. Break out the hot hands: This is a good break when you sense a weariness in the air. Ask your student to rub their hands together vigorously until they warm up. Tell them to close their eyes and place their hands over their eyes. Instruct them to breathe deeply as they clear their mind and refocus. 5. Energize in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Get hearts pumping with a quick sequence of exercises. Call out 5 actions for your student to do as quickly as they can. For instance, 5 jumping jacks, 4 pushups, 3 sit ups, 2 squat jumps, and 1 tree pose. 6. Make Xs and Os. Walk your student through the following exercise: Sitting in a chair with your feet on the ground and legs together, curl your body into your lap, folding yourself into a tiny O shape. Next, open your arms and legs wide, forming an X shape with your body. Pull back into an O shape, then back out to an X shape. Repeat three times. 7. Energize by instructing your student to touch their left elbow to their right knee, then touch their right elbow to their left knee. Switch back and forth going slowly at first, building speed until they are going at a vigorous pace. Next, do some windmills by standing tall with their feet shoulder-width apart and their arms stretched out. Bend at the waist and touch their right hand to their left toes, then their left hand to their right toes. Switch back and forth. 8. Stir the pot. Have your student visualize they are standing in front of an enormous cauldron. Inside the cauldron is an ooey-gooey pot of caramel. Take hold of a large stirrer and plunge it to the bottom of the pot. Slowly begin to stir in a clockwise direction. Have them use their whole body to help get a full range of motion in their wrists and shoulders. Instruct them to throw their hips into the action. Then reverse the direction! 9. Just jump! Sometimes kids just need to bounce their energy out. Have them pretend they are bouncing on a mini-trampoline (this will keep their movement on a vertical plane instead of all over the room) and give them a minute to let loose!