🔦 Spotlight on Literacy Stations

The Superkids Bulletin. Fun and Creative Inspiration for Teachers of The Superkids Reading Program | Zaner-Bloser

ISSUE 54 | NOVEMBER 2024

Reading lessons in The Superkids Reading Program are designed to be delivered to small, skills-based groups. When you are working with a small group, the rest of your students need work they can do independently. One of the most frequently asked questions from Superkids teachers is, “What are the other kids doing while I am working with my groups?”

At this point in the year, you may be evaluating what is or is not working during this important time of the day. In this issue, we explore tips from Superkids coaches and teachers for managing the classroom during independent work time and activities that will keep your students purposefully busy.

Organizing a reliable system for assigning student tasks during independent work time is so important! Students need to have a clear understanding of where to go and what to do when you are meeting with small groups.

Some teachers prefer students work independently on tasks while seated at their desks. Other teachers like a very structured center rotation where students visit activities in groups and move to the next literacy station at the same time. Some choose to have the children move from station to station at their own pace. You will need to determine the procedure that works best for you and your students.

Here are a few strategies we have seen in Superkids classrooms for letting students know what tasks they should complete while they work independently.

Hop on Board

Some teachers simply write the assignments for independent work time on the board. This first-grade teacher takes it a step further to ensure differentiated independent activities for her students. Every child has the same four tasks to complete, but she creates individual baggies that include Practice Pages, Library text, and spelling activities that meet the needs of each individual child.

Perfect Pockets

Pocket charts are excellent to use for organizing independent tasks. This teacher uses name cards that indicate which children are in each group and cards that include the names of each station to visit. The station names and student cards can be easily moved to reflect the current activities and group members.

Give it a Spin

Station rotation wheels—displayed on a bulletin board or digitally—are perfect for teachers who like their student to move through stations simultaneously. A quick turn of the wheel will direct student groups to their next activity.

Make a List

Many Superkids teachers create checklists for students to complete. The task list can be laminated and remain the same throughout the year, but the activities associated with each task change to reflect the instructional goals of the current unit. When the list is complete, children wipe their checklist clean to prepare for the next group of activities.

There are many resources found in The Superkids Reading Program that are perfect for independent work. While you are working with a small group, here are ten suggestions for independent activities that require very little prep time.

1. Project Corner
Kindergartners can do the Project Corner activities found in your Teacher’s Guide.

2. Skills Practice Pages
Children can complete Practice Pages that accompany the Word Work skills learned during each unit.

3. Reading Practice Page
Provide children with the Practice Page that accompanies the text that was read in their group.

4. Revisit Text
Children can reread the text introduced in their group independently or with a partner. They can also revisit texts from previous units.

5. Reader’s Response
Students in kindergarten or first grade can write and/or draw in response to a prompt about the text they have read with their group. Second-grade students can respond in their Book Talk Journals.

6. Handwriting
Students can complete their handwriting Daily Routine. If the routine includes a sentence, students can read and illustrate the sentence(s).

7. Big Books
Partners or groups can take turns reading words from the Big Book of Blending or Big Book of Decoding.

8. Superkids Online Fun
Children can play games that correspond to unit skills and reread text alone or with a narrator.

9. Activity Pages
First- and second-grade students can use these printable game materials, found in the portal, independently or with a partner.

10. Vocabulary
Students in first and second grade can write sentences and draw pictures to demonstrate their understanding of Words to Know or spelling words taught in the unit. Lessons provide prompts you can use for this activity.

Coach tip: Remember to always check the written work students do independently and give corrective feedback as needed. Without feedback, the mistakes they make can become permanent bad habits. Checking their work also shows children that the work is important and valued, which encourages them to do their best.

The Superkids Bulletin has shared many activity ideas and free resources that are intended to be easy to prepare and are ideal for independent, partner, or group work. We have gathered five of the most popular activities below. Check them out!

Color and Write

For this activity, students color a Superkids Coloring Page and then write about the scene they colored. Or they can write a letter to their favorite Superkid about what is happening in the scene they selected.

Download the Superkids Coloring Pages Set 1 and Superkids Coloring Pages Set 2 today!

Something is Fishy

As you begin each unit, create fish word cards with a focus on decodable words or memory words. Print and laminate the cards, cut out the fish shapes, and attach a paper clip to each fish. Children take turns using a pretend fishing rod (a ruler with a string that has a magnet on the end) to “catch” a fish. Once caught, they read the word aloud to a friend.

Additional Activity: Some teachers print two sets of these cards and create a concentration game. Children lay the card sets face down, flip two cards over when it is their turn, and try to collect the most pairs of matching words.

Puzzles with a Purpose

Use this editable pdf to create Blending Puzzles for each Superkids unit. Students are asked to put puzzles together to form a word, say the sound for each puzzle piece, and then blend the letter-sounds quickly and smoothly aloud.

For students who need more of a challenge, provide practice blending longer words cut into logical word parts.

Bingo!

Print the Big Book of Blending or Big Book of Decoding pages from MyZBPortal.com and let your students play Big Book Bingo! To play, provide each student with a printed page. Create game cards by printing out additional Big Book pages and cutting the words into cards. Children choose a card, read the word, and place it on the matching word on their game board. The first to fill one row across is the winner!

Word Race

Here is another easy to create activity using the Big Book pages. Provide one printed Big Book page, one game marker, and one die to each child at the station. To play, partners take turns rolling a die. The player who rolls reads aloud as many words as the number rolled and then moves their marker to the last word they read. The first player to get to the last word on their game board wins the game.