Patrick completed lesson 3.8 where he used objects to solve word problems. He has grasped the concept of addition, so instead of using manipulatives, he drew an amount of circle next to the word problem to represent the addends in the problem. This was a much more relevant approach based on his understanding. He reviewed the meaning of addition words such as "in all, sum, addends, part-part-whole and order." He completed one of each type of problem with mastery indicating that he was ready to be assessed. He scored a 100%.
Patrick and his peers made "fluff," a science experience that changed matter, as a fun way to remember the l blends; fl, gl, cl, pl, sl. He read Sam the Clam to practice reading l blend words in context. He identified the genre and made predictions. Following reading, he searched for and recorded an example of each of the 5 l blends, and a statement sentence found in the book. He learned how to add details to give more information about a topic, and added a detail to each event he wrote about in his lacrosse piece. He needed prompting to generate ideas. Through conversation, he was able to generate descriptive details. Over time, I want him to make the connection that his writing is an extension of his thoughts, and that when its time to put them down on paper, they don't have to change.
Today Patrick began V/V class by following our routine with the Picture to Picture step. He gave a full description of a kangaroo and bunny picture. Then I put the picture away in order for him to create his own mental image. He did great. Then he proceeded to the next step in our V/V program, the Word Imaging step. Patrick took a quick glance at a picture of an ice cream cone. Then he engaged in an activity where had to change his picture into words. Anytime he was was unsure, he was able to look at the picture again to elicit further details. Then he ran through his structure cards to ensure he did gave a full desription. He did a great job!
Patrick did a great job in keyboarding class today. He is doing very well. He needs some reminding to keep his wrists up, but he has learned all of the keys in the homerow and the row above. He is now learning the keys below homerow. Today, specifically, he learned letters b and n. He is working at Level 3, Stage 8. In Fast ForWord he worked on 4 various games. Patrick sometimes gets bored with this program, but I have seen significant improvement. I remind him of this, and I think this is what helps to maintain his perseverance. In V/V Patrick continued his program in the Picture to Picture step, and has made a leap into overlapping into the next phase of V/V. While the goal of Picture to Picture is to strengthen verbalization, the opportunity to develop imagery shouldn't be missed so Patrick then demonstrated, without looking at the picture, that he can do a little stimulation of imagery. Patrick is requiring less questioning, and therefore he will be overlapping into the Word Imaging phase.
Adding in any order. I tried to trick Patrick by switching the order of the addends, but he knew that the order does not matter it still is the same answer! Patrick also worked on some Wilson reading and did awesome with reading welded words with suffix "s".
