Thankful For Reading Resources

 

Hi everyone! Who's Thanksgiving break has started? I was polling my page fans on The Reading Tutor/OG yesterday, and couldn't believe how many of you get the whole week off! Lucky! I always got Thursday and Friday off and that was it. However many days you get, I'm sure it is well deserved.

I have another question. Who loves finding online teacher resources? Here's a round up of five great resources to bookmark or share with a work colleague. I have to thank my fellow teacher bloggers for helping me with this one. It was so funny how they came up with the same ones I was thinking of when I polled them for ideas. You may not have seen some of these, so you'll definitely want to give them a try while you're on Thanksgiving break. Unless you're one of those people shopping on Black Friday, Yikes! Those crowds can be pretty fierce for some holiday deals.

1. Newsela-This site is a collection of high interest non-fiction articles for grades 3-12. This can be one of your go-to sites if you're searching for close reading passages. You can create an account, and assign articles to your students to read. One nice feature is you can change the reading level to suit the needs of your students. Then assign questions on the article to monitor their comprehension. This is one of the best online reading tools for differentiating your reading instruction.
2. Read To Me-LV- This site is a lot like Storyline. Famous actors and actresses read picture books aloud for your students or child to follow along. Any opportunity a child has to hear more a proficient reader other than their own teacher or parent read to them is a good thing.
3. Into The Book- I love this site when I introduce comprehension strategies. The videos show real students trying the strategy out and modeling it for your class. Into The Book supports you and your students. You can print out mini-posters and lesson plans for each comprehension strategy.
4. FCRR- The Florida Center For Reading Research has a search engine for all areas of literacy. Once you enter what you're looking for by skill, strategy and grade level, you'll find incredibly useful lesson plans and ready to print student materials. I always recommend this one to teachers, who really don't have a lot of money to spend on classroom materials, but need quality lessons.
5. Starfall- For all you early childhood educators out there, Starfall is a goldmine. Do you have your families use it? I find to be a nice alternative if you can't afford the ABCmouse.com subscription at home. You'll find plenty of early childhood literacy skills and much of it is narrated or has audio components. The cheerful graphics always appeal to younger readers.

Now you have 5 resources that truly span grades Pre-K to 12! Are there any you'd like to add? Please comment below. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. See you back here in December!

10 Ways to Motivate Your Readers

What do you think of when you hear the word, "Project"? Maybe art supplies (or the lack of them), creativity, or perhaps, "There goes my relaxation time!" Well, I have students who are incredibly excited to share their enthusiasm for reading whenever it's time to make a project, and today, we'll explore ways to motivate, celebrate, and increase reading with your students through projects and other motivational techniques.

Teaching Cause and Effect

Hi! It's Bex here from Reading and Writing Redhead to talk a little about cause and effect. I don't know about you but my students always find cause and effect challenging - especially when I ask them to think in reverse-given an effect, what is a cause that could have led to it.

Cause and effect is a type of analytic thinking that is so important for students to understand. It helps them understand why things happen the way that they do. Did you ever think about how many people grow up and take on careers in which they spend tons of time thinking about cause and effect? Some of the most obvious are detectives, doctors, psychologists, but what about electricians who try to figure out why the fuse keeps blowing, meteorologists who are determining why it is raining so much, entrepreneurs trying to figure out why their product is not selling, or how about us teachers trying to figure out why Susie is struggling with reading fluency when she has all her phonics skills down pat?!

Understanding cause and effect  is a lifelong tool. Students will not only need to understand it in school, but they need to be able to recognize it so they can understand what is happening in their personal life and the world at large-to understand actions and consequences and to describe what is going on in deep detail.

Are you looking for some ways to teach cause and effect with your students? I rounded up some ideas from around the web for us. Take a look and please also comment and let us know how you like to work on this in your classroom!

• You can create a cause and effect chain link with your students. Cut out construction paper strips and have students write a cause from a book they read on one color of construction paper and an effect on another color, then join them together to for a chain. Students can connect a series of events from a story or book they read or something they wrote themselves.

• Some great ideas for teaching cause and effect involve manipulatives where students can move around causes and effects so they match up. Check out the great ideas and a freebie to use with the fabulously funny Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type over at the Applicious Teacher here. 

• If you like to do crafts with your kids you might like a cause and effect project like this one for Diary of a Spider at the blog Tattling to the Teacher. Students would need to illustrate 4 causes and effects that relate to story events and then glue them onto the spider craft. Check that out here.

• I have a freebie you might like, too. It is a simple match up activity and you can grab it by clicking here or on the image. 

                                                            .

• Anchor charts are really useful for students when they are trying to figure out new concepts. There are all kind of terrific anchor charts for cause and effect you could check out for ideas.

• This one has some great information and you could use it as a model for one you do with your own class. one It's origin on the web is unclear.

                                                   

• Here is another one with mystery origins - it is an anchor chart using Angry Birds to help illustrate cause and effect. I think this could be very successful! Or what about Minecraft?  My students are obsessed with it and I think could talk to me in great detail about cause and effect in the game.

                                                 

• And finally there are some terrific videos out there that can be springboards for lessons on many  so many concepts. I found a video from Pixar called For the Birds  that would be great for teaching cause and effect. Take a look!

                                        

Fluency Rubric

Hello Literacy Land friends! 

Last month I stopped by to share some information that I learned at a Smekens Education workshop.  The post was all about the power that punctuation has on fluency. Today I wanted to share just a few more fluency tips that I received and tried out!

Smekens suggested that fluency be taught intentionally.  Students cannot work towards something that they don't understand.  One way to help this understanding is though a fluency rubric.  The rubric is to be created with/by the students and over time.  You can check out the other suggestions that they have for this rubric by clicking HERE.

I really wanted to build some lessons around the idea of this rubric.  My thought was that if I built this foundation and the expectation, then students would work towards it throughout the rest of the year.  Here is what I decided to do:

Day 1: Introduce the rubric and the term fluency; read "Wolf"
Day 2: Introduce the power of punctuation on fluency with the book "The Monster At The End of This Book"
Day 3: Introduce phrasing using "Wolf" and a concrete ribbon lesson
Day 4: Practice phrasing (swoops) and rhythm through poetry

The following terms are used on Smekens fluency rubric: "robot reader," "skateboard reader," and "robot reader on a skateboard."  I liked these terms because I think my first graders can relate to them.  They are more concrete than just a smiley face or sad face.

So on day 1I decided to jump right in and explain the three parts to our rubric.  Then....we did not add anything else.  Instead, I just read to them.  I read "Wolf."

If you have not read this book, it is perfect when introducing fluency.  The wolf is learning to read.  As the story goes on, students get a pretty good understanding of what it means to read with fluency because the wolf goes through these different stages.  After listening to the story, my students were able to quickly add to our rubric.  They told me that a robot reader may read too slow or too fast but that a skateboard reader is not going too fast or slow.  Along with this, they added that robots are choppy and boring, while skateboards are smooth and interesting. (Yes!!!)

As each day progressed, we added to this rubric. 

After reading this text on day 2, students were able to tell me that skateboard readers sound like the character and change their voice by using punctuation.  Robot readers do not.

The discussion about phrasing on day 3 is a tad bit trickier because I think it is sometimes hard for their little ears to hear how we group words as speakers and readers.  I try to make it as concrete as possible by using index cards, ribbons, and lots of movement.  You can read my full post about these activities at Curious Firsties. 
On day 4 we actually put the phrasing into action using phrasing swoops with a poem.

This helped all the lessons come together for them and they were able to add even more to the rubric about rhythm and phrasing.

As the lessons came to close (although we will focus on fluency all year long), I realized that they had actually learned a lot about how fluency should sound and not sound.  They loved the texts that we read and were very engaged.  But most importantly, my first graders came to understand that they would all be robot readers and skateboard readers this year.  I told them that as learners we can't be skateboard readers all the time.  Reading can be challenging and when it is we sometimes become robot readers.  I know I would fall into that part of the rubric if I was reading a medical journal.  But I went on to explain that as we read that challenging text more often, we become skateboard readers.

It is the cycle of learning and we are all on it.

Have you tried using a fluency rubric in your classroom?  If so, where there any lessons or books that you found to be helpful?

Non-Negotiables for Reading with Emergent Readers

Hi, I’m Cathy Collier and my blog is The W.I.S.E Owl (Where Instruction Supports Excellence) at www.cathycollier.com. I have become the crazy OWL lady. When I went back in the classroom after a 2 year “sabbatical” as a reading specialist, I couldn’t have a BEE classroom because the lady across the hall was already the BEE lady. So…I wanted something no one else was using. So when I decided to decorate my classroom in OWLS I was told I was crazy. Yes, I am personally responsible for OWLS in your classroom. (hehe)

I am also kinda a control freak when it comes to teaching reading to kindergartners. I have a passion for emergent readers and writers and truly believe kindergarten is more important than ever. There are a couple of non-negotiables in teaching reading.

Non-Negotiable #1 – Guided Reading Instruction EVERY Day
That’s what I mean…EVERY day! Students not only need lots of exposure to lots of text, but they need it consistently. The hour of guided reading and literacy centers is a given. The centers are set up to create independent learners, so that my guided reading groups are pulled every day. Starting with predictable texts in Level A, students are forming good reading behaviors from the beginning.

Speaking of Good Reading Habits…

Non-Negotiable #2 – Fix-It Strategies

When I was teaching at a previous school we adopted school-wide fix-it strategies. This is valuable. Every student in the school hears the same words for the same skill. When they leave kindergarten the first grade teacher doesn’t have to reinvent the “fix-it” wheel…they can expand on what they already know. An area reading specialist created the Reading Toolbox of fix-it strategies. I love this. I had a toolbox with physical things to represent the strategies.  

My school adopted more specific fix-it strategies…not themed. Teachers have the posters on their wall and they were sent home on bookmarks for the parents. I made desktop fix-it strategies that are taped to my reading table. As the students get stuck on a word, I can point to the strategy to remind them how they can fix it. It is far more powerful for students to learn to fix the interruption in their reading rather than rely on a teacher or parent to help them. 

Non-Negotiable #3 Independent Reading at the Guided Reading Table

After instruction and a book walk, students must be afforded the opportunity to read the entire text in an uninterrupted format. This is not Round Robin reading. Round Robin has its own special soap box in my mind. Reading the entire text is important for fluency, comprehension, and practice with reading strategies. I ask the student to my immediate right to begin reading. When student #1 finishes the cover and title page, I direct student #2 to begin. When student #2 finished the cover and title page, I direct student #3 to begin, and so on. The routine in my classroom is to read the book over and over until I tell them to stop. This is typically when the last child reads the book 2 times. The students read in a soft tone a bit higher than a whisper. As the students read at their own pace, they are reading for understanding. I listen to each child read a page or two before moving to the next student. The predictable text makes it easy to hear mistakes (even if you are not focused on that student). You can quickly turn your attention to that child and help the child make corrections for the mistake. (The perfect opportunity to use the desk mats for fix-it strategies.) To give a visual cue for your students, I am sharing my Reading Fix-It Set.  You can access it by clicking the image below.

Non-Negotiable #4 Independent Reading is not just recommended. It’s necessary. 
Students must be given the time to practice reading. We wouldn’t expect to become a prima ballerina, professional athlete or concert violinist without practice, so we cannot expect students to become prolific readers without practice. Having the time scheduled is just the start. Students need to be encouraged to read when they finish early. 

Students in my class have a bag of books that are leveled texts. These books are given at the guided reading table and they have gotten instruction on these books. They also have 2 areas in my classroom for self-selected books. The first area is the leveled library in the room. These books were collected over the years and have single copies of books. Students know their reading level and they are allowed to take any book from that level or the levels before it. 

The second area is the classroom library. They can choose from themed books. Most can’t be read independently, but can be discovered and investigated independently. These books are not put in their bag, but in their individual boxes. Let them read to a “buddy” (stuffed animal) or a friend. Teach good routines for reading to a friend. Set norms for taking turns and providing feedback. Kindergartners can do anything when expectations are demonstrated and allowed to be practiced. Sending home guided reading books is another debate. Some schools allow it, some don’t. Regardless, make sure you don’t do running records on a book that has been practiced for days and taken home for homework (but that’s a post for another day).

Thank you for inviting me to post.  I LOVE talking about reading.

Cathy

Reading Aloud with Children

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Well, at least for youngsters who love to read!

Hello, everyone!  It's Andrea from Reading Toward the Stars with good reasons to read with young children daily and encourage parents to do the same!

Studies show that reading aloud to children, especially young children, has a great impact on reading development.  Children who are read to for at least 20 minutes each day actually have been shown to perform higher in kindergarten classrooms than those who don't get that reading time.

I remember learning all of this when getting my Masters, which was something I had never really thought about.  I thought my mom just read to us because she enjoyed it, much like I do now.  The graphic below gives a perfect picture of how reading helps children's vocabulary grow so much.  Which student is going to have the best advantage as reader?

This is true of students who have been read to as well.  Their vocabulary is much higher than those students who have not been read to.

There are many other benefits to reading with your own children (or grandkids, nieces, nephews, neighbors, or even younger siblings).

1.  It helps them learn new vocabulary.  My daughter loves to read the same books over and over and over and over.  We have read the book Freight Train by Donald Crews a million times.  From this book, she has learned her colors and cars on a train.  She can even recite the words in the book.  Such a simple book with a simple message!

2  It teaches directionality.  When you read with a young child, they watch your every move!  They seem to know which page you are on, no matter what.  I have started to point to the words as I read books with my two-year old, and she follows along with me.  Now when she "reads" a book on her own, she looks at the words in a left to right fashion.

3.  Reading aloud aids in comprehension.  Now that my son is in the fifth grade, I still read aloud to him.  Right now we are in the midst of the Harry Potter series.  Since there are no pictures, he has to visualize everything in the book for himself.  When he watched the movie six weeks after finishing the first book, he actually noticed the differences.  It shows me how much he was paying attention to the contents of the book!

4.  Children can ask questions, lots of them!  By nature, children are curious.  So, when reading aloud to them, they can stop and ask questions about what is happening in the book, on their own terms.  In school, the teacher doesn't always stop for questions because there may not be enough time.  While reading the Harry Potter books, my son doesn't always ask the questions right at the moment we are reading.  He asks in the car, in the grocery store, at dinner, and any old time.  Many times he is predicting and wants the answer, but I always tell him that we will have to keep reading!

I have always read aloud to my two kids, since before they were born.  Yes, I was that mom!  My parents read aloud to each of us every single night for as long as I can remember.  As I became a Mom, I realized the importance of reading with my children for at least 20 minutes each day.  And it has worked beautifully!

My son reading to my daughter

Reading with your children, or any children you know, creates readers.  They learn at an early age that reading can be fun and exciting.  They understand that it takes you to places you can only imagine.  They BECOME readers!

Reading aloud doesn't always have to happen at the same time, just make it happen every day!  And what a better time to start than right now!

So, what books do you like to read aloud?

I tested them.....NOW WHAT?

Hello! I am so glad to be back here with my literacy friends!  I have been gone for awhile trying desperately to get caught up on the back to school crazies as well as moving into a new house!  YAY!  Not to mention that TODAY is my oldest son's birthday.  He is 12!  How is that possible???

But the dust is settling and it is time to get busy!  So I am coming today to talk to you about data.....du du dun!  I know it is a word that we all tend to dread, but I am here to help!

It is the time of year when we are all thinking about data.  We have tested our kids and now we have to analyze all of our data to see what we should do next.

I am going to share with you my school wide data wall. I approached my principal with this idea this year, because I think that it is important that we all get a sense of what each teacher is "dealing" with.  It is hard as school to bring every teacher together and make them realize that we are all working toward the same goal.  It is so hard for primary teachers to understand how hard upper grades work to get students to pass the standardized tests and get students to know all of the standards when they are not reading on grade level.  And it is so hard for an upper grade teacher to understand that a primary teacher doesn't just play all day.  They actually work really hard to get students to read and they have to have the BEST management in order to get all those littles doing the same thing at the same time.

So we put together a data wall.  Here is what we did:

1.  Each teacher completed running records with each of their students to find their instructional reading level according to Fountas and Pinnell.

2.  We made our lists of student levels.

3.  I assigned each grade level a color sticky note.  Each classroom teacher created a sticky note for each student in their class by labeling them with the initial of the teacher's last name and the student's class number.  So since my name is Mrs. Hamilton and I teach first grade, I had 23 blue sticky notes labeled H1 - H23.

4.  I used a large bulletin board to make a chart with sections labeled Pre-A through Post-Z.  That is 28 boxes.

5.  Each teacher posted their sticky note in the section on the chart where that particular child was instructionally.  We chose to use the students' instructional levels because we want to look at strategies for teaching our students at each level.

Our Kindergarten students are currently not on our wall since so many of them are Pre-A readers.  We will be adding them at our mid year testing.  Just to give you an idea of our levels, 1st grade is blue, 2nd grade is pink, 3rd grade is orange, 4th grade is green, and 5th grade is yellow.

Now, mid year, we will move our sticky notes to our students' new reading levels and look for trends in growth!  I can't wait for everyone to see how much we move our sticky notes!

Until then, we will spend our once a month reading committee meetings looking for the best strategies for teaching each of these kids at their levels!  Wish us luck!