Reading is Thinking!

Hello, all!  It's Andrea from Reading Toward the Stars with a little bit of thinking while reading for everyone!

At this point in the year, I spend a lot of time with my students working on thinking about what they are reading.  We do a lot of comprehension activities that include so many different hands on ways to get kids excited about reading.  We love using this thought bubble to show that we are thinking while we are reading.  You can read more about that on my blog in this {post}.

I read the book Ruby the Copycat to my third grade students, and they used it to tell us what they were thinking while I was reading.

In Ruby the Copycat, Ruby is the new girl in school.  She copies everything the girl in front of her does, resulting in a loss of friendship.  Then she copies her teacher, and her teacher makes it clear that she needs to be herself.

The next day they read books of their choice and wrote something they were thinking while they were reading.

 I love it because we filled up my "Reading is Thinking" bulletin board.  Here is what it looks like now that we have done some reading and thinking!

What fun it is to see what they were thinking while they were reading!  Some of them retold the story, while others told us something the characters could do to solve a problem.

I am linking this up with my own blog's Book Talk Thursday!  If you have good books to share, please feel free to link up anytime! It is open through much of November!

  

Reaching Readers with Online Books

Greetings from one long, lost blogger!

Hello!  It's me--Jennifer--from Stories and Songs in Second!

My summer hiatus from this royal kingdom of literacy lovers is now over! 

Know that I am glad to be back to share a wonderful website that I recently discovered!  I've used RAZ Kids, a program purchased by my school district, as my "go to" online reading resource for many years, but am going to add EPIC to my student's list of Daily 5 Listen to Reading choices this year!

I've been very impressed with the variety of literature choices provided at Epic--Books for Kids, and really like that many of the titles included in their different libraries are current, quality trade books.  There is a balance of fiction and non-fiction, and you can tailor your menu to your student's interests.

In order to show you how easy-peasy it is to sign-up for your account, I took a series of screen shots so that you'd have a picture tutorial!  I am not the most techno-savvy person, but was able to set up my account on my home laptop, and plan to access it on my iPads at school as well!  There is also an iPhone app!

I love the Scaredy Squirrel series, but don't own many hard copies.  I am looking forward to sharing more of the stories with my second graders using EPIC on my classroom SmartBoard!  I am also looking forward to sharing information with my students' families so that they can access our account at home and READ, READ, READ! 

I hope that you'll be able to use EPIC effectively this year to reach and teach more readers!  Click

{HERE} to get started!

In closing, I'd like to share this fun set of promotional posters I made for the annual literacy initiative in my building.  Maybe you can use them in your classroom or school as well?!?!   Click {HERE} to download it!  

The "We have read _____ picture books," "We have read ______ chapter books," and 

"Your teacher is reading...." posters were inspired by the ever-wise Pernille Ripp.   She writes over at Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension, and shares my love of picture books and fills her classroom with them.  I look forward to encouraging a classroom community of children who are passionate about books this year, and hope you will too!

As always, thank you for allowing me to share my story!  Continue to keep calm, teach on, and hold a song in your heart!  Feel free to visit me over at Stories and Songs in Second this week where there is a back-to-school celebration going on!

Educational Resources from the National Park Service

It's Jen from An Adventure in Literacy. I've spent the last three summers traveling coast to coast on cross country trips. One of the highlights of these trips is the opportunity to hit all of the national parks. Most people know about the amazing beauty and natural resources that national parks offer, but I'm here today to share some of the educational resources too.

The majority of national parks have bookstores in their visitor centers. In addition to park resources, most of them have an AMAZING selection of children's books. There are nonfiction books to learn more about the features and characteristics of the park. There are also fiction books related to the parks. I'm talking about quality children's literature.

Carlsbad Caverns even had a book display by the elevators highlighting a few books!

Some visitor centers will give you 15% off with a teacher id on some items. As with all teacher discounts it depends on the park and can change at any time, but it never hurts to flash that teacher id and just ask!

If you have children of your own they can take advantage of the free Junior Ranger program. The program is individualized for each park, but it usually requires some sort of learning activities specific to the park and a junior ranger patch. You can read more about the program here.

If you're not near the visitor center resources, the National Park Service also offers some great web based resources. There is a kids page as well as a teacher page where you can search for lessons and resources. You can also visit the websites for individual national parks for educational resources. Just click on "Learn About the Park" then "Education".

National Parks are America's largest classrooms. Be sure to take advantage of all of the educational resources they have to offer. Do you have a favorite park or park resource that you use for education? Leave us a comment. We'd love to check it out!

Using Student Names to Teach Early Readers

Creating a love of reading can begin with student names.  Student names can be as unique as each student.  Even if they have a "common" name, they make it their own.  Use what they bring with them to make them stronger.

Read a Book

Everyone has probably heard of Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes.  It is such a quintessential kindergarten book.  Watching Chrysanthemum love her name, then fret over her name, then finally LOVE her name again with the help of the wonderful music teacher is heart-warming.  I read the book to students then send home their name in bubble letters for their first family project.  They'll send it back in a week later, decorated and unique.  I also love A my  name is Alice.  It's a fun play on beginning sounds. I love giving the students a fun oral activity with the sound chart:  _____ is on the ____.  They'll write silly sentences like:  Austin is on the apple.  It certainly brings the giggle. Finally, my favorite book about names is an oldie:  Just Only John. It's about a little boy named John who doesn't like his boring name so he takes a magic spell to get a new name. Of course, in the end he wants to be "just only John." It's the cutest story.

Name Chart

Please, please, please have a name chart.  Make it with them.  I'm not a fan of putting names on the word wall...because some names aren't easily decodable.  You can add a picture, if you'd like.  I usually highlight the beginning letter.  Sometimes, I circle all the A names, B names, C names, and so on.  We use the name chart to find letters in the alphabet.  I can use the name chart to help decide who is going to write a letter during interactive writing.  I can also use the name chart to find similarities and differences.  We can also use the name chart in the Fab 5 Center.  They have to write 5 Friends Names on the provided paper.  Do it.

Anchor Charts

Use their names all over the room.  How many letters in your name?  What letters are in your name? How many syllables are in your name?  How many vowels?  Use their name!

Art, too.

After reading Ten Apples on Top, a wonderful counting book, have the students draw their picture and count apples for each letter of their name.  (I usually use small Ellison(c) cut-out apples.)  They have to count, write, spell, create, order...and it's all with their name.

Writing Sample Plus!

This is the formative assessment our students will complete the first week of school.  At first, it's a listening, gluing and ordering activity.  They'll get the write paper, a pink "I" square and a blue "am" square.  Students will be asked to find the square with the circle in it and put a circle of glue stick inside the square.  Then, they will put the pink "I" square on the spot.  Next, they will find the square with an "X" in it and put an "X" of glue stick inside the square.  Then, they will put the blue "am" square on the spot.  Finally, they will write their name (with a model) independently.  They will also be asked to draw a picture of themselves.

First Partner Activity

Students can have a name model in their hands and you'll direct them to find a friend who:

• has 1 letter the same as their name.

• has 2 letters the same as their name.

• has the same number of letters as their name.

• get creative!

And we've just begun.  Are their any name activities you'd like to share?

I hope you have a wonderful September..and celebrate their names.

The Pros and Cons of Computerized Reading Programs

Many school systems use computerized testing as part of reading incentives and comprehension monitoring. Today, I thought I'd share with you some of the pros and cons of using Accelerated Reader and other computerized testing programs for evaluating the comprehension of independent reading material. Certainly, this has been a topic of debate as many reading researchers look at it's effectiveness and like any program, it has been used positively by some and misused by some. 

6 Reasons Why You Should Read Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Welcome to Literacy Land!  It's Lauren from Teacher Mom of 3 here today to talk about a book I just finished reading.  As soon as I started Wonder by R.J. Palacio, I knew that I had to share it with you!

Wonder is a book that is destined to be a classic.  It's one of those books that draws you in, and you don't want it to end.  I could have read this realistic fiction novel in a few hours, but instead I savored it by only reading a few chapters each evening.  For me, it's also one of those books that is so incredible that it's hard to put into words.  You just have to read it to fully experience it.

  With a mixture of humor, sadness, and relatable themes, the book has the reader on a roller coaster of emotions.  From the very beginning, I was drawn to the main character, Auggie, a ten year old who has been homeschooled until now, the beginning of his fifth grade year.  Auggie was born with facial abnormalities and dreams of being ordinary, fitting in, and making friends at his new school. The book chronicles his unbelievable first year at Beecher Prep.

Why You Should Read WONDER

1.  R.J. Palacio called her debut novel a "meditation of kindness".   It is a beautiful story of kindness and how it isn't always easy to step outside of our comfort zones, but it is so worth it.

2.  Along with kindness, the book is rich with other themes such as anti-bullying and having compassion, acceptance, and empathy for others. Students will be able to relate to these themes and how Auggie desires to want to fit in, not stand out.

3.  With so much to discuss, the book makes for a memorable read aloud, as a literature circle selection, or as a whole-class novel.

4.  Auggie's English teacher, Mr. Browne has a precept for each month of the year for his students (and the reader) to ponder.  You may have seen his September precept floating around on Pinterest or Facebook:  When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.  And so the kindness theme begins!  

5. The author's craft is just stunning! From the shifting points of view to character development to vocabulary, and theme, the book is artistically woven together. And as a result, the story teaches, entertains, and inspires the reader to be a better person.

6.  After reading, you will be amazed at how one kid, one little kid, can change and affect an entire school. And then you can encourage students to Be the change you want to see in this world {Mahatma Gandhi}.

7.  You will be encouraged by the message of hope that is in the book.  Yes, there is hope, always hope, and YOU can overcome what seems like insurmountable challenges.

Suggested Reading/Grade Level

When I first read the synopsis on Amazon, I immediately wanted to purchase it for a read aloud with my 8 and 9 year old sons that are entering third and fourth grades. The suggested age level is 8-12 years old and the grade level is 3-7.  However, I felt that the book would be best enjoyed by 5th-7th graders because the plot development and some of the content is abstract and complex  For example, the symbolism and the precepts require some literacy analysis that third and fourth graders may not be ready for.  Part of the story line includes the talk of boyfriends/girlfriends and dating. I knew my boys would be turned off by that!

The book has a Lexile of 790, a Guided Reading level of U and a DRA level of 50.

If you plan to use the book in your classroom, here are just a few classroom resources from Teachers Pay Teachers that I found:

Free Resources From Teachers Pay Teachers

• Choose Kind Poster and Student Bookmark
• Mr. Brown's Pecepts from Wonder
• Symbolism in Wonder
• Reading Group Student Packet for Wonder
• Plot, Chart, Organizer, and Diagram for Wonder
• Choose Kind Project

Have you read Wonder?  What are some wonderful ways you have used the book in your classroom?  

Getting Ready For Kindergarten Literacy Learning

                   

Hello everyone, Tara from Looney's Literacy here. Welcome back to school if you've started and even if you haven't,  I wish you all the best year yet!

I always love this time of year because everyone is so eager to be back. Everyone has rested and rejuvenated. We're learning rules and procedures and we're trying to create a safe culture in our building. I wanted to share some insight I've gained over the years and just this past week which was our first week back.

As an interventionist,  in a building-wide  Title I  district we no longer have criteria for students to qualify for Reading or Math Title I services. They are all Title I, including the staff! Because of this change, we've had to really rethink who receives small group pull-out services and who receives individual services.

Over the past couple of years we've used a literacy learning continuum, MAP & SAT scores  and BOY / MOY  benchmarks for service recommendations.  We have grade level team meetings twice a month to discuss any formative assessment data and who needs extra support.

So today, I'm going to discuss Kindergarten literacy learning and how we determine needs for extra support at the beginning if the year. I can't stress enough,  the importance of developmental milestone awareness. Developmental milestones that include both fine and gross motor development, speech and language development, social and emotional development, and brain development. (They really did know what they were doing when they included child development & psychology as  required courses in the Education Department.)

While literacy learning  is not a linear path, there are developmental milestones that need to be in place to help literacy learning become a  little easier. I like to observe Kindergarten for a week or so to see if I notice recurring behaviors that might raise some red flags regarding some of these developmental milestones. I make sure to see them using a writing utensil (for correct tri-pod grasp), setting on the carpet (spacial awareness & sensory seeking ), participating during their brain break (gross motor activity - because of time constraint I'm unable to observe during recess and P. E. but if I have concerns I ask the teachers about these times), during  independent work time an at the end of the day (social & emotional). Here's a brief list of things I watch for (click image to download document):

I record my observations on this sheet:

At our fist team meeting we'll discuss the teachers' observations and concerns and my observations and concerns. Then we decide how we're going to address the needs. Sometimes it's just a suggested strategy that a teacher uses in the classroom. If needed, I  might work with a small group in the classroom or pull-out. In the most severe cases,  we'll pull out individual students. Some examples of severe cases we've had in the past include, unable to speak in complete age- appropriate sentences, students who have a fist grasp with writing utensils, unable to use scissors, unable to write their name, unable to hear rhymes, etc. 

Stay tuned for more literacy learning strategies for K-6th,  as the beginning of the year continues to progress. You be able to find those here.