Cupp Publishers, Inc. is pleased to announce that we have revised the Dr. Cupp Reader® Booklets for the 2004 school year..... 
 

February 2004 Online Monthly Newsletter
by Dr. Cindy Cupp

Dear Educators and Parents,

The focus of this newsletter is “Teaching Tips” aimed at improving reading instruction.  Section Two, “Teaching Tips,” will provide suggestions for meeting the needs of students who are still having trouble blending sounds.

The new Dr. Cupp Readers® and Journal Writers will be available in April!  Please see Section Five for a sneak preview of Reader 1.  The writing component is now eight pages long and the parent/home connection is now an integral part of the program.  Lesson Plans are also much easier.

Educators and teachers have permission to make one copy of any part of this Online Newsletter.  Please contact me for written permission if you would like to copy any of our other material.  Federal copyright laws protect all of our material.  Please do not break these copyright laws. 

Section Nine is a sure favorite with a special Valentine for the children.

Wishing you a successful month with many smiles, hearts and flowers!

Cindy Cupp
Currently, President, Cupp Publishers, Inc.
Retired, Director of Curriculum and Reading, Georgia Department of Ed.
Always, A Reading Teacher

The February Online Newsletter contains these sections:

Section One       Johnny Isakson’s Washington Update 

Section Two       February 2004 “Teaching Tips” from Cindy 

Section Three     Power Point for improving Sight Word recognition
 Linda Severa, Tyrone Elem., Fayette, GA 

Section Four       Hop’n Pop Party Success -
 Beth Usury, North Harlem Elementary, Harlem, Georgia  

Section Five        New Reader Booklets – Reader 1

Section Six         Copyright Notification

Section Seven     New Song – Teacher Teacher, Teach Me to Read

Section Eight        Georgia Reading Council Annual Conference - Free Material!!!!!

Section Nine        A special Valentine for the children

Section One:   Johnny Isakson’s Washington Update

Over the past year, I have hosted many educational listening sessions with teachers, parents and administrators from across Georgia to discuss ways we can improve education for all children.  One of the main topics of discussion has been special education, specifically the testing requirements for special needs children under No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  I brought many of these comments back to Washington with me and shared them with Members of Congress as well as Secretary of Education Rod Paige. 

As a result of your input and that of teachers around the country, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) recently released a new rule that allows local school districts to provide alternate tests for those students with the most severe cognitive disabilities.  This rule change is proof that Congress and the DOE are listening to the concerns that teachers and administrators have with NCLB and making necessary changes to the law.

Another important topic at many of my listening sessions has been the upcoming reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA).  As Congress works to reauthorize this program, I have reported many of your concerns and ideas to House Education Chairman John Boehner and other Members of the Committee.   However, the Committee wants to hear more—and would like to hear it directly from you.

Please visit http://edworkforce.house.gov to submit your input directly to the House Education Committee members.  To be most helpful to the Committee, please cite specific IDEA regulations that you think need to be changed or eliminated and why.  It is also helpful if you provide specific examples of how certain IDEA regulations are hindering or helping you deliver a quality education to special needs children.

As a member of the Committee, I look forward to considering your comments and working with you to improve education results for students with disabilities. 

Johnny Isakson

Note from Cindy – If you would like to provide input concerning No Child Left Behind, be sure and follow up by visiting the website listed above.

Section Two:     February 2004 “Teaching Tips” from Cindy

If you would like to copy this section and Section Seven, click here for the information in a Word document.

A. Sound blending words –  This information is VERY important!

If you have any students who cannot sound blend a word, please follow these suggestions: 

1. Students must be automatic on both the initial consonant sound (onset) and the vowel and final consonant sound (rime or word family).  Example:  If you want a student to sound out the word cat, the student should automatically say /c/ /at/.  If students are not automatic on both the consonant sound and the “a” rime you want them to use when sounding out the word, stop phonics instruction until students are automatic on both the onset and rime.

2. It is very important that students automatically know the “a” rimes.  I have written a little song that will help students learn these “a” rimes.  See Section Six below–  Teacher, Teacher- Teach Me to Read™

3. The teacher will select a three-letter word beginning with a consonant sound the student knows automatically.  The word must contain an “a” rime the student knows automatically as well.  The student will practice sound blending the onset and rime and then say the entire word together.  For example:  /c/ /at/   /cat/.

4. As new consonant sounds and “a” rimes are introduced, students MUST become automatic on these sounds and rimes before he or she tries to use them in sound blending words.

B. Oral Fluency Practice

If students are not fluent readers, the following suggestions might be helpful:

1. “Sing” Hop’n Pop - When students practice saying their words during Hop’n Pop, ask them to sort of sing the words. Their voices should not stop between words.

2. Tape record reading - Tape record students individually reading a paragraph from Dr. Cupp Readers® booklet. Students should practice the paragraph and then tape record their reading again.

3. Echo reading – One student reads the paragraph or sentence.  The teacher calls on the next student to echo back or re-read the text.

4. Buddy Reading - Students take turns reading the paragraph to a buddy.

5. Reading for an audience – Students think of a situation where they might orally read in front of an audience, brother, sister, etc.  Students practice reading and then actually read in front of an audience.

Steps: 

1. The teacher holds up any word card with a three-letter word containing a short “a” sound. The first student sounds the word out.  The teacher tells the student to pretend the “a” was erased and the letter ___ was put in its place.  The teacher names any of the other four vowels.  The student must be able to substitute the new vowel sound and say the word.  Example:  The word shown is tap.  The student sounds out the word tap.  The teacher then says, “Take out the ‘a’ and replace it with an ‘i’.”  The student must then be able to say tip.

2. If the student answers correctly, the teacher says, “Short ‘i’ rocks.”  The student then turns to the child sitting next to him or her and names the next vowel.  The next child must then substitute the new vowel.  If the student is correct, the teacher responds with, “_____rocks.”  The game continues until everyone has a turn.  If a child makes a mistake, the teacher helps the student say the word correctly.  The student corrects the error and continues with the game.

D. Game - Hop’n Stop

This is a game variation for Hop’n Pop.  Students work as a team to catch Hop’n Pop in their reading groups. Preparation:  The teacher needs a timer and a list of sight words.
Steps:

1. The timer is set for the Goal Time for saying the sight words.

2. The timer is started and the first child goes down the first list of words and says as many words as possible.  If the student makes an error, the teacher stops the child and helps the student correct the error.  The next student then picks up where the first student was stopped.  The second student says as many sight words as possible until an error is made.  When the second student makes an error, the error is corrected and the game is picked up by the next student.

3. Students continue to say the words as quickly as possible until either the timer goes off or the word list is completed and the Goal Time is met.

4. If the students beat the timer, they catch Hop’n Pop!  If one student says all the words without missing a word, then the team gets a bonus point.  The game continues until all students have a turn.

Section Three:     Power Point for Improving Sight Words
- Linda Severa, Tyrone Elementary, Tyrone, Georgia

If you would like to download this Power Point presentation, click on the links below. 
This Power Point presentation will take approximately three minutes to download.
 

Part 1

Part 2
 

The following letter was sent to me by Linda Severa.  Mrs. Severa is a  paraprofessional at Tyrone Elementary and created the Power Point presentation of the Sight Words. 

Note from Linda Severa:

     I have been a paraprofessional at Tyrone Elementary School for twenty years, working with kindergarten, first grade, the early intervention reading program and the Title I reading program.  It has been my lifelong dream to become a teacher. My husband and I have been married for thirty-five years and we have three children and two grandchildren.  Since all of my children have gotten their college degrees, I decided that it was my turn so I enrolled at Georgia Military College and obtained my Associate Degree in Science in Education and I am now completing my final requirements for my Bachelors degree in Early Childhood at Mercer University,  I will be graduating in December of this year.  I enjoy creating games and hands-on manipulatives in order to help children learn and to supplement my income and also to use these funds to develop more ideas.  I am looking forward to living out my lifelong dream. 

Sincerely,

Linda Severa

Martha Hall is the kindergarten teacher who works with Linda Severa.  Ms. Hall sends this message about the Power Point presentation:

We are very lucky that our school population includes many students that come to Kindergarten already knowing a few sight words.  I have used the Dolch sight words slide show of words (1-50) after the first month of school.  After our top reading groups got to story 8 or so, I started using the next 50 Dolch words, and this continues, adding more words as the students increase their sight word vocabulary in Reading.  I will use the Jack and Jilly Sight Word Slide Show the same way.

We use the slide show at various times during our school day.  Whenever there is a spare 5 minutes, we go for it! Some days we may use it twice, in the morning and the afternoon.  Many days it is just one time.

Some of the students do learn ahead of the others.  I consider this a motivating factor.  The other students want to be able to “lead” the class, showing what and how many words they can identify.

I plan to start a chart that will list the exact number of words each student knows. Parent volunteers (which we are lucky to get sometimes) can use the slide show at school with individual students, without putting the slide show on the scan converter, and keep track of which words the students do or don’t know. The volunteers could make word cards for the words the students didn’t know. Without volunteers, I will use it at “nap time” with individual students the same way.

I have found that just making a “chart” out of a piece of construction paper, and calling it a “CLUB,” makes students want to work harder to learn the words, their phone numbers, or tying shoes.

If you want any more information, let me know.  Thanks for your support and on-going interest in our Super Successful Reading Program (from Cupp Publishers)!

Martha Hall

Kindergarten Teacher

Tyrone Elementary 

Section Four:     Hop’n Pop Party Success
Beth Usury, North Harlem Elementary, Harlem, Georgia

Beth Usury from North Harlem reports great success using the Popcorn Party invitation.  This is a picture of the first grade students enjoying the Hop’n Pop Party.

Invitations to a Hop’n Pop Party were sent home with North Harlem First Graders before they went home for Christmas holidays.  A signed calendar showing that they had reviewed their words at least 10 days during the holidays was their ticket to a popcorn party held January 9th.  The children enjoyed their snack of popcorn, and the teachers were thrilled with how much they remembered after being out for the holidays. 

Section Five:  New Reader Booklets – Reader 1

If you click here, you will see a sample of Reader Booklet 1.  Please allow at least 3-5 minutes to download.

We are mailing samples of Reader 1 and Reader 36 to all schools that have purchased our material during the last 12 months.  Be sure to look for the large white envelope that should arrive any day at your school.

Price List

Order Form

Section Six:   Copyright Notification

Please remember that our materials are protected by federal copyright laws.  Do not copy our material without written permission from me.

Section Seven:    Teacher Teacher- Teach Me to Read™

I wrote this little song as I was driving on I-16 about half way between Metter and Dublin….so you could call this the Halfway to Dublin Song or Teacher Teacher-Teach Me to Read™. 

Preparation – The teacher will need a set of cards that has all the “a” rimes the students have learned.  For example:  If students know only two rimes, such as /at/ /an/, then make duplicate copies of these two rimes.  You need seven cards.  Cards could be /at/ /at/ /at/ /at/ /an/ /an/ /an/.  As students learn additional rimes, then replace the duplicates with the new rime.

If you like to use chart paper instead of cards, then list all the “a” rimes the students should know.  If students know fewer than seven “a” rimes, then the teacher will write duplicate rimes.  When students are singing Teacher, Teacher, the teacher will point to the rimes on the chart paper or chalkboard.

Sing the following words to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or the ABC song….both have the same tune.

Teacher Teacher

Teach me to read.

Short “a” rimes are what I need.

at, an, at, an, at, an, at

an, at, at, an, an, at, at

Continue to sing the song and mix up the rimes after singing each verse.  You must have seven rimes or it won’t work.

You may also substitute the following:

Teacher Teacher

Teach me to read.

Consonant sounds are what I need.

Students would then sing the consonant sounds. You must have seven consonant sounds or it won’t work.

or

Teacher Teacher

Teach me to read.

Short vowel sounds are what I need. 

Students would then sing the sounds for the short vowels.  You must have seven vowels or the tune won’t work.  Repeat two of the vowels 

or

Teacher Teacher

Teach me to read.

Sound blending words is what I need.

/c/     /at/  /cat/      and      /b/  /at/  /bat/

/m/  /an/  /man/     and     /f/ /an/  /fan/

Section Eight:   Georgia Reading Council Annual Conference

                                    Free Material!!!!!

I will be presenting at the Georgia Reading Association in Atlanta on Thursday, February 26 from 4:30-5:45.  Please come to the presentation or stop by our booth.  The first 100 people to visit with us and bring a copy of their Word House Book will receive a FREE 2004 CD, The Word House Book™.  I will also give away the new CD to the first 50 people attending my presentation.

If you have not registered for this conference, click here for the registration forms.

Section Nine:    Our special Valentine for the children!

Jack, Jilly and Hop’n Pop would like to send this valentine to all the children. 

Please either copy this card for the students or show it to them from this Online Newsletter.

Click here to download the card.

Bethany Thompson is the artist and graphic designer for this Valentine.  You might remember that Bethany is also the illustrator of The Word House Book™.  This would be the perfect time to show the children Bethany’s picture on the back cover of The Word House Book™.  Bethany grew up in Cordova, Alaska.  Cordova is on the south central coast of Alaska.  She now lives in Incline Village, Nevada.  Incline Village is a small town on Lake Tahoe.  This would be a wonderful opportunity to have a science and geography mini lesson about the areas of Alaska and Lake Tahoe. 

At right: Bethany Thompson and her sister, Iris

The following questions for the children might be helpful:

1. Why do you think the illustrator of your Valentine card chose to use snowflakes and a snowman on the card?

2. When Bethany was growing up, do you think Valentine cards in Alaska included snow?  Why or why not?

3. Compare the illustration on your Valentine card with some of the pages in The Word House Book™.  Are the illustrations alike in anyway?

4. Let’s find Cordova, Alaska and Lake Tahoe on our map.  What is the temperature in these two areas?  What is the temperature in your town.  Compare the temperatures. 

Wishing you a super month in February!

Be sure to continue to follow our ongoing research.  Click the Research link on this webpage.