Music has always been integral to the Wilson Branch RfG program. Our day begins with warm-ups and singing, followed by rhyming and practicing sight words to prepare the children for the main activities.

Ms. Wanda introduces the book Hey, That’s My Monster and invites the students to examine the cover for clues. “What do you think the story is about?” she asks. As she reads aloud, Ms. Wanda pauses to assess the students’ comprehension with questions like, “Is the girl in the story scared?” and “How do you know?” Beyond gauging understanding, Ms. Wanda’s questions encourage empathy, as she invites the kids to consider whether they would feel scared if they experienced what the book’s protagonists are experiencing. As the story progresses, Ms. Wands asks the children to describe the main characters and to continue predicting what will happen throughout the story.

When she finishes reading, Ms. Wanda asks the children to take turns sharing about their favorite part of the story. Hands shoot up, as each child wants to share their opinions.

The next task is to look closely at each of the beautifully illustrated pages and describe each of the monsters. As the children shout out unique characteristics—spiky hair, yellow fur, sharp teeth, slimy—Ms. Wanda seeks their “help” spelling the words, which she writes on giant Post-it notes. Following the story and review, the children head to their tables to make and write about their very own monsters.

Using construction paper, googly eyes, pre-cut body parts, and other craft supplies, each child creates a monster of their own, names it, then writes a description of it. Ms. Wanda reminds them to begin each sentence with capitalization and end each one with punctuation. She also helps the students spell words, space their writing appropriately, and explains how to be descriptive. The children unleash their creativity and make amazing monsters, each one as unique as the child who created it.

Children are allowed to finish their monsters during snack time. Then they watch the video version of Hey That’s My Monster. Afterward, every child puts their monsters on the table, introduces them by name, and tells the others about their monster. For homework, the instructors ask the children to continue thinking about their monsters, to write in their reading journals, and to add more details to their monster descriptions.

The session ends with a goodbye song and a preview of tomorrow’s activities.

A Window Into
READy for the Grade 2024

Stetson Branch

Room 211 C hums with activity, as children work in small groups, one-on-one with instructors, and independently, to develop specific skills based on their individual needs. One child learns long vowel sounds, while another explores blended vowel sounds. Several students read quietly by themselves. Others listen to audiobooks on the library’s tablets or computers.

Instructors situated around the room work with individual students, hearing them read, providing tips and phonics reminders, or reviewing sight words. The program coordinator has also strategically placed students in small groups around the room to collaborate on specific skills or play a literacy game. As each child completes one assignment or lesson, they move to another that involves different strategies, whether that means working one-on-one with an instructor or joining a group game.

At noon, the children break for a pizza lunch, which fortifies them to play literacy-enhancing versions of competitive games, like Sight Word Jenga and SPLAT. Some kids compete; others cheer for their peers.

Children move easily from learning games to independent work to individual tutorials.

The day winds down with a celebration of everyone’s hard work and concludes with a visit to the children’s library downstairs. As they walk, the students chat excitedly about the books they look forward to reading. Each child selects a book and goes home smiling, ready to enjoy the book they’ve borrowed.