Mrs. Wishy-Washy

I was so excited to be contacted by the people at Hameray Publishing to review 2 of their Mrs. Wishy-Washy books!  The two books are from their new book collections of leveled readers for Kindergarten to 2nd grade classrooms.  They are from The Joy Cowley Collection and The Joy Cowley Early Birds Collection from author Joy Cowley!  The books can be purchased as a set or individually.  Read the review and then check out a huge contest, and a mini-giveaway!

The first book I had the opportunity to review was "Wishy-Washy Clothes" by Joy Cowley.

This book comes from The Joy Cowley Early Birds Collection.  The book has the repetitive phrase "The ____ put on the _______.  Children can easily figure out what goes in the blanks by using the pictures.  It's a silly book as it has animals putting on the clothes.  The back of the book includes great questions for Before, During, and After reading.  It also tells you the comprehension skill that the questions focus on, features of text in the story, and the high frequency (sight) words.  Excellent book for guided reading groups or independent readers for middle of the year first graders.  The guided reading level is F or intervention level 9.

The 2nd book, I had the opportuity to review comes from The Joy Cowley Collection and is called "Mrs. Wishy-Washy and the Big Wash" by Joy Cowley.

This book tells the story of Mrs. Wishy-Washy not having any water to do the wash so she gathers the animals in the back of her truck and heads to town to find water.  They go to different places in town.  Will they find the water for the wash?  You will have to read this great book to find out!  This book is excellent for guided reading or independent reader toward the end of 1st grade or beginning of 2nd grade.  It is a guided reading level I or intervention level 15.  It would also make a great read aloud.  It also has the features of text (onomatopoeia is one), before, during, and after questions and activities, and the comprehension skills.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review.  All opinions are my own and this is not a compensated post.

How would you like to win or help a teacher win 90 new titles from The Joy Cowley Collection and The Joy Cowley Early Birds Collection by Joy Cowley?  You will also get finger puppets and 3 audio CDs valued at over $400!  Click the picture to check out the contest!

I am also thrilled to host a mini giveaway for a Mrs. Wishy-Washy Big Book!  The big book will be for Mrs. Wishy-Washy and The Big Wash.  See the review of the smaller version that I reviewed above.  Fill out the Rafflecopter Form to enter the giveaway!  The giveaway will go live at midnight eastern on the 9th and it will end at 11:59pm Eastern on the 14th of April 2013.  Be sure to also visit Hameray Publishing on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/hameray/ and facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Hameray  Remember you get entries on Rafflecopter for the giveaway by following them on Pinterest and liking them on facebook!

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Share with us in the comments what Mrs. Wishy-Washy activities you do with your students.

Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings.  Keep on smiling!

Grouping - C.A.F.E.

This summer I have delved into a couple of books that are making me rethink or at least tweak the way that I have taught reading in the past.

The two sisters Joan and Gail (www.the2sisters.com) discuss in their CAFE book, the difference between guided reading groups and strategy groups.  In guided reading groups children are at the same or close to the same reading level.  You may call them by color groups: blue group, yellow group, red group, orange group or maybe you gave them animal group names: horses, dolphins, tigers, and bears. 

Strategy groups are where you are working on one strategy with a group.  You may have your higher reader or two in with a lower reader or average readers.  Everyone is simply working on the same skill.  It could be comprehesion or accuracy or something else.  At times especially in the primary grades you very well could have a group or two that are on the same reading level, but you are focusing on the strategy that they need. 

Often times in 2nd grade I noticed that my highest reading group had different areas they needed work on.  Some needed heavy comprehension while others could read enough words to be in the high group, but couldn't read words they had never seen.  Rather than plugging in some of both strategies as I had been doing, it seems like the best bet would have been to form strategy groups.  I should have used the phonics screener data that I had and put those needing word work in another group even if it meant being in with my lowest readers.  Of course the higher level reader would have a higher level book! 

I am proud that my students have always made huge reading gains, but I believe this format may help them make even bigger learning gains.

Click the book to head to Amazon and grab yourself a copy!  All opinions of the strategies above are of my own!  Be looking for other opinions of this great book in the near future!

So my question to you is how do you teach reading groups?  Do you do it by guided reading levels or by strategy?  What do you feel the advantages are of each?

As always thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings!  Keep on smiling!