Class #54--Pilot Language Arts

Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 9:20 A.M. Pilot Language Arts Class. Class #54 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. Mrs. Mollett wastes no time in having the boys and girls “circle up” on the rug. The students say the alphabet in succession (one boy says “A” then the next says “B”). Mrs. Mollett mixes it up by having a student start with a letter in the middle of the alphabet. Next, the students read aloud from a card, and then the appropriate person has to respond. “I have red. Who has yellow?” a girl asks. Then a boy responds, “I have yellow. Who has blue?” I am very impressed with the pace of the replies and with the students’ reading ability! The class transitions to the table area, where Mrs. Mollett reads a book aloud about a cat. The book, in keeping with the first activity, has many “color” words. The students are soon writing lower case letters on a "fish" worksheet and coloring in the sections of the fish with the right color. Mrs. Mollett checks in with each student to make sure the letter formation is correct. As the students finish, they take an individual "Spell-A-Puzzle" to the rug and hone their reading and fine motor skills. Amazingly, there is another activity before the period ends. The students will be illustrating a book; the first step, today, is to read the book. The eager pupils take turns reading pages aloud. Great job, Pilot Class!