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Literacy

The Literacy Team at Aspen Creek is made up of two interventionists and three experienced and dedicated para-professionals. All are committed to supporting and building upon each student's strengths and abilities.

Through middle level reading clinics, primary guided reading groups, intermediate literature intervention groups, writing instruction, and math intervention, students have a myriad of ways to improve their literacy skills and strategies every day.

Deanne Davies

I am a teacher with over 19 years of experience in elementary and middle level classrooms. I received my undergraduate degree in English from the University of Colorado and finished my Master's of Science degree in Reading and Literacy in 2006. I coordinate the literacy support for all elementary students K-5. In addition to assessing students, coordinating ILP's, reporting to the district, and communicating information with teachers. I also act as an interventionist on the RTI team, helping to build the program for students at Aspen Creek and conducting small E-block groups at each grade level to build upon students' strengths.

Jennifer Castillo

Jennifer Castillo is in her third year of working at Aspen Creek K-8. She has two children of her own at the school so she has a vested interest in the literacy development of all students here. She is an eager learner and has become an integral asset to the literacy team.

Melinda Dvorak

Melinda Dvorak is in her third year of working with small reading and math groups. She has a wonderful rapport with all students, elementary and middle alike. She makes a huge impact every day with all students.

Connie Kraemer

Connie Kraemer is a dedicated guided reading and math instructor with over nine years of work at Aspen Creek alone. She is a seasoned veteran when it comes to working with all elementary grade students.

Mary Bray-Gorham

I have 25 years of experience in Boulder Valley as a classroom teacher, teaching all elementary grades throughout that time, three years as a Literacy Coach, Teacher Trainer, and Staff Developer, two years as a Literacy Specialist/Interventionist. I earned my degree at the Universit of Colorado and finished my Master's Degree in Literacy while working full time in the classroom. I have taught two Literacy graduate courses at Regis University to teachers in the Master's Program and have taught several writing pieces at the University of Colorado within the Literacy Master's Program. I have served on many District committees to continue to provide instruction and reporting at the cutting edge. I have spoken at four Statewide Literacy Conferences for teachers, administrators, and community supporteres about Literacy Learning (CCIRA). I love Literacy Learning and believe that students with a command of Literacy Strategies will be successful citizens throughout their lives. I love to read and write myself and always believe that my students can and will be successful! With strategic, explicit instruction based on individual developmental needs, daily assessment of learning allows me the opportunity to evaluate the developmental needs of each student I work with.

Learning Links

Technology Supporting Literacy

Below are some great academic websites that your child may choose to use to practice skills learned at school. Please be aware that we recommend parental supervision as the websites on the internet can change from time to time. Please remind your child NOT to give away any personal information on any of these or any other website.

1. www.Starfall.com

this website has many opportunities to practice literacy skills

2. www.spellingcity.com

This is a great website to practice your child’s weekly spelling words through interactive games such as crossword puzzles, hangman, etc. The computer can even test your child’s spelling by saying the word aloud and having your child type it in.

3. www.funschool.com

Click on ALL games to bring up the game section. Select from language arts (spelling, word recognition, vocabulary, etc) , science, math, geography and history. Great for preschool through 2nd.

4. http://www.ahisd.net/campuses/cambridge/library/chilauth.html

This site has links to favorite children’s authors.

5. http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/gooey.html

This is a fabulous site for Kinder through second. The game speaks to you and skills such as alphabet, letter sounds, listening for sounds within words, putting words in order to make sentences, poetry, spelling high frequency words (with the computer modeling), etc . The site is color coded from beginner to more advanced.

6. http://www.littleexplorers.com/DictionaryA.html

Children’s picture dictionary- the amount of information on this site boggles the mind!

7. http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html

Website teaches about the solar system

8. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/portal/site/Kids/menuitem.f977d82a49287d81b92c3010ca248a0c/?vgnextoid=9e18edfab621d010VgnVCM1000006640a8c0RCRD

National Geographic For Kids- video, activities, games and stories

9. http://www.english-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htm

Variety of games to teach language arts- more intermediate grades

10. http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

Does your child struggle with handwriting? Make practice sheets for home on this site!

11. http://www.mrcpl.org/literacy/lessons/sight/index.html

This site helps your child read stories that have 10 high frequency words in them. They can receive help reading stories with the help of their mouse.

12. http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/picturematch/

Beginning letter sounds, short and long vowels

13. http://readwritethink.org/materials/wordwizard/

Word Wizard** A Making Words activity- use tiles to make words and build from one word to make another word.

Activities from Sadlier-Oxford

14. **Long Vowel Sounds**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade_k_1/long_vowel_grk1_nav.htm

15. **High Frequency Words**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade_k_1/high_fre/hifreq1.htm

16. **Rhyming Words Memory Game**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade_k_1/rhyming_k_1/hifreq.htm

17. **Name the Pictures Short Vowels**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/name_pict/name_pic1.htm

18. **Name the Pictures Long Vowel Sounds A, I, O**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_66/long_vowel_2_3a.htm

19. **High Frequency Words** more difficult

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/frequency/highfreq2_3.htm

20. **Long Vowels E and U**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_76/long_vowel_2_3b.htm

21. **Name the Picture Long Vowel Sounds**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/name_pict/name_pic2.htm

22. **R-Controlled Vowels**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/r_vowel/r_vowels.htm

23. **R-Controlled Words**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_142/begin_dia2.htm

24. **Blends** Beginning and ending consonant blends

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_106/blends.htm

25. **Beginning Digraphs**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_128/begin_dia.htm

26. *Final Digraphs"

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_128/final_dia.htm

27. **Vowel Digraphs** Vowel digraphs such as oo, ea, au, aw, etc.

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_142/middle_dia.htm

28. **Vowel Dipthongs ou and ow**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/dipthongs/dipthongs.htm

29. **Dipthongs oi, oy, and ew**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/dipthongs/dipthongs2.htm

30. **Fly By Contractions**

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/flyby/flyby1.htm

31. Make rhyming words with a magnetic poetry board

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Games/mag/spelling.html

Other educational websites you might be interested in to support math:

1. www.Mathfactcafe.com

This website allows your child to practice basic math facts (which all children need to become efficient with), allows you to print off worksheets for your child to practice and it gives your child the opportunity to practice telling time.

2. www.aplusmath.com

This site allows your child to practice basic math facts (timed if you’d like them to race against the clock to practice getting them in 3 seconds or less) and practice counting money.

3. www.coolmath.com

opportunities to practice math

4. www.iknowthat.com

A great site to practice math, art, science, fun and more (skip the registration and go right to the games)

5. http://www.mathplayground.com/

An interactive site to practice math, logic and just have fun! (Anything from fractions, protractors, word problems, flashcards, etc.)

6. www.Funbrain.com

On this site your child can play math car racing. There are many math games including one that your child can make change with!! Be sure to click on the 2nd grade skills.

7. www.scweb4free.com

Interactive website that includes math flash cards, games and printable worksheets to practice math.

8. www.Thinks.com

This site has great online games and puzzles

9. www.figurethis.org

Math challenges for the whole family!