This class is aimed at early readers and writers, typically in grades 1 or 2. We will begin class with a Morning Message, where the teacher acts as scribe and each student provides a sentence. 
Each class, students will contribute to a morning message by creating a sentence the teacher will scribe.
The class will read aloud the finished composition.
The class will count words and read the words individually in random order (with increasing accuracy).
Students will then compose their own journals with at least three sentences. 
The teacher will help individual students with conventions and spellings as needed.
Students can also draw an accompanying illustration.
Students will read their work aloud to the class. 
Morning Message is an important start to any literacy program and your child is likely familiar with one from his or her own classroom. The greeting stays the same all year long. This provides lots of scaffolding and opportunity to build fluency. We will then read it chorally and next, students will call out the words as I box them in random order. This forces the students to look at the individual word and read it. This is a well known reading trick that really improves reading recall. Sight words are a huge piece of the morning message but so are any words that your child generates to make sentences. This is the beauty of Morning Message, your child will learn to read and write the very words he uses when he speaks. This makes reading and writing purposely for your child! Students will write at least three sentences in a journal composition and share it with the class before the end of the class. This relaxed class will bridge emergent readers with practice during the winter break.