Do your students need to practice their inferencing skills with a Picture of The Day? Students need to practice their inferencing skills before becoming really great at them as independent readers. Students can infer during Morning Meeting Classroom time while also working on their observation skills. A fun picture of the day is important for students to build relationships, connections, and have diverse conversations.
Morning Meeting Sharing Ideas
Last school year I came up with a socially distanced way of incorporating morning meetings. Students had to sit at their desks while we began our Morning Meeting activities. I would pull up all of our Morning Meeting activities for the day on my computer to be projected on the Smartboard. After students came in with their breakfast, we would start our Morning Meeting Question of the Day. Next, we would infer with our Picture of The Day and discuss our Fact of The Day. We also corrected a spelling meme and reviewed one math and reading skill.
“Morning Meeting is an engaging way to start each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for success socially and academically.” –Responsive Classroom
“Morning meetings are an excellent way to help students transition from home to school and help them get ready to learn. In addition, these meetings can help you connect with your students, help students build relationships with each other, and promote an overall sense of community in the classroom.” –Centervention
How Can a Picture of The Day Help Your Students?
Students are able to practice their inferencing skills while having fun with their classmates. Students can then use their newly practiced skills while independently reading. Additionally, students look closely at the picture to identify and observe just like they would for shows, movies, and books.
After viewing this picture, “What do you see?” “What are you observing?” “What inferences can you make”? These are all questions you can ask your students after showing a picture. Students who make an inference may say, “The lady is screaming because she is scared of the ride.” Students who are making inferences will tell us what they are thinking rather than just seeing. Students who are able to take the next step into inferences will be able to use that thinking skill while reading.
How to Use Picture of The Day
Students can use the picture of the day during morning meeting time with other activities. Additionally, the picture of the day can be used as a writing response during centers or during instructional time. If you do not have time for a structured time to implement it then it could be used as your students are coming into the room and students can either discuss or jot down their thoughts.
Academic Achievement Example
Closing the gap in reading is hard to do! One of the ways we did this last school year was by utilizing various activities during morning meeting like a picture of the day! There is a lot of research on using pictures with students in the classroom. Macie Hall from Innovative Instructor Blog wrote, “Instructors have reported that their use of images in the classroom has led to increased student interactivity and discussion. Teaching with images can also help develop students’ visual literacy skills, which contributes to their overall critical thinking skills and lifelong learning.” Two researchers completed a study on using picture descriptions in enhancing communication skills and it showed that, “the students’ communication skills increased as a result of integrating picture descriptions in classroom activities, which in turn enhanced the students’ overall participation.”
If you want to build strong relationships and work on closing the reading gap with your kids, click the link to purchase the editable Picture of The Day. There are 185 Google Slides, one for every day of the school year! If you do not like a picture, you can edit or change it!
If you end up liking the Picture of The Day Google Slides, try my most popular product to use in the classroom, Morning Meeting Questions.
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