The first 30 minutes of our school day is devoted to a program called "Walk to Read" where students go to one of nine different teachers /aides to get reading instruction on their level. We were a little leery of this program when we first heard about it, but now we all really seem to enjoy it. The students like being in small group and focusing on their strengths or gaps.
I teach a group of six students with a program called SIPPS. It's a wonderful program for my low bunnies, but it can be a little dry. So to encourage the kiddos to try their hardest we promote a "Fun Friday." I think the name says it all! I try to find games that are appropriate for their level and that focus on phonics and sight words.
Today we played Shark! Found at Dana Baker's awesome blog. It's similar to BANG! but with the dolch words written on fish and then the mean old shark comes and eats them. The kids LOVED it! They were very dramatic about the shark eating their fish. Too cute! Please check out her site for more fun games and activities. I chose the kindergarten version of Shark! because the 1st grade words are too challenging for my low guys, but she has it all. 
Happy Fun Friday!
