Reader’s Workshop

Metacognition is used by young readers to improve their reading comprehension so they may engage more successfully with a text.  Students should be taught how to use strategies and skills to monitor their understanding so they may become strategic and confident readers. When students rely […]

Making Connections while reading will improve reading comprehension.  Teach your students the three ways to make connections and make their learning visible with Guru Anchor Charts.  Assign each of your students as a reading guru and display these anchor charts throughout the year to foster […]

What are Context Clues? Context clues are an essential tool for understanding the meaning of an unknown word. They are the words, phrases, or sentences surrounding an unfamiliar word that provide hints or clues to its meaning. Here are some effective ways to teach context […]

Rainbow annotating a text is a fantastic way to improve your student’s reading comprehension and retention during close reading. By marking up the pages with colorful notes, they can actively engage with the material and make it more meaningful to them. This is especially important […]

The RADD short answer response strategy is a successful tool that many teachers use to support their students. In this article, you will learn how to engage your young writers with the help of a RADD Toolkit. (Affiliate links are included in this article, thank […]

The Dilemma: Do you get as frustrated as I do when you send off your Reading Partners with an “Off you go!” and instead of diving right into a good book together, you overhear this: “But you chose the book last time!” “It’s my turn […]

Visualize this! It’s a Thursday afternoon. There is a buzz around school that there is a possibility of a “Cold Day” tomorrow! Below zero temps were blowing our way…  Not a Snow Day… but a “Brrrrr, it’s a bitter Cold Day”!  Teachers and students alike are […]

The Reading Mat will provide your students with a visual reminder of how to keep track of what they are reading and build stamina! This system will also encourage your students to reread and build their fluency!  Oh, yes! Begin by adhering the “My Reading […]

It’s that time of year again and as teachers we are torn between soaking up the last days of summer vacay and prepping our classrooms and resources for another school year!  Let it be a great one! To help you get your year off on […]

This Back to School Listening Library includes 24 stories with SafeShare.tv QR codes and one Retelling Story Map. You can use these during your Daily 5 centers: Listen to Reading or as whole group Read Alouds! All SafeShare.tv QR code links are safe to share with […]

Teachers have an endless to do list at the end of the school year. One of those tasks is to reorganize your classroom library. By level, By genre, In baskets, On shelves… …In the Book Hospital… If you are like me, I am always perplexed […]

These last couple weeks of school are just flying by with all the hustle and bustle of our End of Year celebrations. I am so very proud of all that my firsties have accomplished this school year. The end of the year brings such a […]

Students read nonfiction to LEARN and to become experts on one topic of study. Most importantly, they celebrate what they have learned by sharing it with others. Students love to read nonfiction text almost as much as they love to learn about ocean life. However, […]

Why not take your Word Work one step further? I have disguised Read to Self as a bit more… Word Work… and my firsties don’t seem to mind. Yours won’t either. It’s a Win-Win!  Read on! Read to Self Word Study Assignments In addition to […]

As part of our Daily 5 routine my students follow a “Must Do” and “Can Do” list.   In addition to my students’ Word Work during our Daily 5, one of their “Must Do” items is to Read to Self. During this time the children […]

Creating a classroom map is a great tool to help manage classroom procedures throughout the day. I’m sure that your students buddy up during workshops, math and have independent reading book nooks.  Use this classroom management strategy in order to avoid any confusion, and debates […]

My students absolutely adore our (beanie baby) Reading Friends and poster set! As I introduce the many reading strategies at the beginning of the year I always have a little help from our “Reading Friends”. Our reading buddies help the students focus on becoming good […]

At the start of the school year, I administer the The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) to my students. After I calculate the results and determine their independent reading level I have a conference with each student and we discuss their level. If you look closely […]

Do you know these letter sounds? They will help you learn to read. Our word wall has evolved so much throughout the year! It brings me such happiness when I see my young writers looking at the wall to find the words they need in […]

I have a wonderful class this year, but I’m finding that my Listen to Reading Center is in need of a boost.  Raz-kids is not cutting it any longer so I am starting off 2017 with a new routine.  I created 23 SafeShare QR code […]