I have been working with schools lately regarding Guided Reading, and one principal asked me to put together a list of tips (basically reminders) for teachers who are implementing Guided Reading. Teachers were so grateful; I thought I might share it with others. Below is my list! Guided Reading is the heart of Reading Instruction. It is the time where students apply all the reading strategies taught throughout the literacy block. Students should be reading independently most of the time during Guided Reading, while teachers monitor and make notations of reading behaviors. An instructional leveled text is a text that students can read...
Read More Post a comment (0)Every one of us recognizes the book introduction as a key aspect of the "before" reading component in guided reading. Imagine you are introducing Native Americans at the Time of the Explorers to a group of 3rd graders. You activate their schema about Native Americans, tapping into their prior knowledge and making connections to their life experiences. You frame it this way: “Tell me some things you know about Native Americans.” Their responses vary, most are on point, a few surprises! In other words, a typical beginning to your small-group lesson and one that starts your students on their journey...
Read More Post a comment (0)It would be difficult to overstate the importance of academic vocabulary to our students’ success in reading, the content areas, and beyond. In Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL (2005), Suzanne Peregoy and Owen Boyle frame it this way: What we know in any content area is distilled in the vocabulary we own in that subject. In other words, our academic vocabulary, the words we control, manipulate, and communicate with, reflect the content we know at the conceptual level. For all of our ELs, but most especially those who enter the country in middle or high school, academic vocabulary acquisition is a...
Read More Post a comment (0)OK – I finally did something I told myself I would never do. My daughter’s writing notebook was sitting on the table (open of course) and I couldn’t help myself – I had to peek! My heart sank – the title read “Sad Tears.” Wow – I was completely torn! I felt that it was wrong to read it (that goes against our privacy policy in the house), but the title had me worried. So I called for her to come to the kitchen and when I asked her about her notebook, she was more than happy to read it...
Read More Post a comment (0)I discussed word study notebooks in one of my previous blogs. There has since been a request for more examples including images. Word study is an alternative for traditional spelling instruction. Traditional spelling instruction involves a list of spelling words, memorization, and a test on Friday. Word study is a way to teach phonics, vocabulary, and spelling. Word study instruction utilizes approximately twenty words per week that are studied in many ways in order for students to make generalizations in words in relation to patterns, sounds, and meaning. Word study notebooks include various activities, including sorts and word hunts that...
Read More Post a comment (0)The other day, my son asked me why I like to read and his dad doesn’t. Good question! I really didn’t have an answer, other than thinking about the way I grew up. In my childhood, household reading was what we did. Every night before bed, my parents read to me. As I grew older, I was allowed to stay up thirty minutes past my bedtime to read on my own (motivating me even more—who doesn’t want to stay up late?). Reading was simply a habit I developed early on and luckily still enjoy doing today. Now, as my own household winds down (kids...
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