The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Reading Instruction!

Instructional time is precious to all of us! It seems there is always something infringing on my time. One day it is a special program in the gym, the next it's a fire drill. Then there are the daily time eaters to contend with. So, it's imperitive that every minute of teaching time be used to the fullest. That's especially true with reading instruction. It doesn't matter if it's a whole class lesson, or one to a small group, instruction needs to follow solid research on what really works. What does work? Below are seven teaching habits that have been shown, by research to increase reading comprehension. I know we all use most of them, but take a look and see if there's one or two you could add into your instruction. They really do make every minute count!

1.  Monitoring comprehension 

As kids read they need to be able to "catch" themselves when meaning is lost. They need to know when they don't understand what is going on, figure out what they don't understand and use strategies to fix the problem. Teachers can use story maps, summarizing activities and think-alouds as part of their instruction to help with monitoring comprehension. 

2. Metacognition

This just means that students learn how to think about their thinking. Questions teachers use before, during and after reading help to set a purpose, monitor understanding and check the student's understanding after reading. Keep a list of questions for both fiction and informational text in your lesson plan book or guided reading book to keep them handy. Metacognition is critical for successful reading comprehension and needs to be taught to most students.

If you would like questions for before, during and after reading informational texts, you can download a freebie on another post of mine at: Here Comes Guided Reading: Freebie

3. Use of Graphic Organizers

When students use a graphic organizer it forces them to dig into the text. They help kids make connections between concepts and how they are related, help students see the differences between fiction and nonfiction, and help them write good summaries. There are LOTS of free ones on the Internet. Here are a couple I like: Graphic Organizers from Edhelper   and Graphic Organizers from Education Place

4. Text Questions

Answering text questions gives kids a reason for reading, focuses their attention, helps them think as they read, helps them monitor their comprehension and review what they have learned. Teachers can use questions such as: right in the text questions. The answer is explicitly given in the text. "What color was the sky?"  Questions that are in the text, but require thought. "Why was Jack feeling sad?" Questions that require students to use prior knowledge, "How do you think Henry felt when he was lost his dog? What in your life helps you understand how he felt?"

5. Generating Questions

This one takes some very explicit instruction. Teaching students how to ask their own questions about the text involves teaching them how to make questions about the main idea, the plot, the theme and so on. By making up their own questions students not only realize if they can answer their own questions or not, but helps them understand if the really do understand what they are reading.

6. Story Structure

Research tells us that when students receive instruction in story structure, they improve comprehension. so keep instructing and reviewing  characters, setting, events, problem and solution.  Story maps helps with this.

7.  Summarizing 

A student who can summarize understands the text. It helps students decide what is really important in the story and put it in their own words. Only a reader who fully comprehends a story can do that. Summarizing helps students identify the main ideas, decide what is really important in the story, and remember what has been read.


There are a number of ways to teach these 7 habits:
Modeling for students
Direct instruction
Guided practice

Happy Teaching!!  If you have any other ideas please add them below!



Adapted from Reading Rockets: Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension by C.T. Adler

Do you need a resource to help you teach guided reading? Check out:

Follow me on Pinterest for TONS of ideas and freebies:

Dragons Den Curriculum on Pinterest

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Shhhhh! Figuring Out The Mystery of Silent Consonant Letters

Silent letters can really make a kid's head spin! It takes a lot of practice to learn how to spell these tricky words. The videos and games below will help make it easier…and more fun!

Here are three videos kids are sure to love, and they help unlock the mystery of these silent letter mysteries.

Silent Letters H, K, W, and B

                                                 Silent Letters mb, tech, gh, sch, kn

                                                                  

You can't help but love this silent letter song…kids will love it too!

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This is a print out game called "Rhubarb, Rhubarb" for silent letters. 

This is so, so perfect for centers!

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Get great handouts and game cards for silent consonants at this great site!

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This site help give a little much needed spelling practice with silent letters.

If you need a resource to teach the silent letter combinations of gh, wr, kn, gh and mb…check out the resource below by clicking the cover:

Literature is Magic!

Kids love a good story, and when kids find the perfect story for them, it really is magical! What better way to help them "dig into" a great book than by using the Common Core Standards. They really help kids think through their reading. That's so important as they head out into the world (and college) to become knowledgeable and engaged lifelong learners. I've found some great videos to help teach students about the different elements in  literature. Some ideas to use with chapter books are also included below, plus a freebie to use with your guided reading groups. Enjoy!

Chapter Book Ideas:

1. Create a newspaper that could be found in the town in which the story takes place. What kinds of things are going on in that town? Included advertisements and drawings. This helps students really understand the setting and how it impacts the characters.

2. Create a poster to promote the book in your local book store. Some students may even like to create a TV add for the book and record it.

3. Design a board game based on the book. A new pizza box (I've gotten some donated by pleading the poor teacher card : )   Students design a game board based on the story, game pieces and create questions for other readers to answer.

4. Create a comic book based on the chapter book.

5. Design a new book jacket for the book.

6. What happens once the story is over? Ask students to write the first chapter of the character's next adventure.

7. Write a letter from the villain in the book explaining the reasons he/she acted the way he/she did.

8. Retell the story in a poem.

9. Ask students to design ten questions about the book, and an answer key. Ask students to exchange questions to answer.

We all love a good video...especially kids!  You all will enjoy these!!

Parts of a story

Asking and answering questions

Genres of Fiction

Great rap for the five themes

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How about that freebie?

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If you need some great resources to make teaching literature a snap, check out:

5 Simple Steps to Make Guided Reading Work Better!

Is that even possible? Yes it is!  Basically, there are 5 "shifts" that need to happen in every classroom. Fortunately, these shifts reflect the kind of teaching our students need in the 21st century. So how does that translante into our teaching? Below are the five shifts, and what they look like in the classroom.  (adapted from "Eye on Education" by Lauren Davis. For original article see: http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/ccdocuments/5thingsccss_davis.pdf)
Artwork from Ron Leishman Digital Toonage

1. Lead high-level, text based discussions: When students discuss a text as a group, start with questions grounded in the text. Opinions should come only after good text understanding. Teachers can start by discussing word choice, details and arguments given in the text. Make sure questions promote deeper thinking of the text.

Many students will need to learn how to be good participants in this type of discussion. Before starting any text discussion go over the following goals for student discussion:
      a. speak at least three times
      b. Agree or disagree with someone, but use details to support your view
      c. Ask a question
      d. Keep an open mind…changing your opinion can show a willingness to learn.

2. Focus on process, not just the content: The Common Core Standards stress the importance of student discovery. Of course they need content, but how students come to understanding is crucial. For example, students should not memorize a list of words and their meaning. Instead they should be given the opportunity to connect new vocabulary to their own lives. Use notebooks, blogs and opportunities in the classroom to incorporate new vocabulary organically.

When it comes to research, the Common Core stresses that students should have "extensive practice" in doing short purposeful research. As a result of repeated practice, students will understand the process of research and use it to become self-directed learners.

3. Create assignments for a real audience and with a real purpose: Students need experiences writing to real people with real concerns and ideas. The idea of "pretend you are writing to…" should be limited. For example, if there is a concern within the school (food, bell, recess etc.) discuss with students possible solutions, how to address the person being written too (you get more bees with honey than vinegar!), and how to construct a logical argument. These skills serve students as life-long skills, rather than simple writing assignments that do not have a real purpose.

4. Teach argument, not persuasion: The Common Core draws a distinction between persuasion and an argument. Persuasion appeals to the audience's self-interest, wants or emotions. An argument, on the other hand, uses logic and reason to support a view and change minds. It is also they type of writing needed in college. For example, instead of persuading the principal that students need a longer recess, they should construct an argument based on research that shows the effects of recess on students and their learning.

5. Increase text complexity: Research shows that our students have not had an opportunity to read enough complex texts. Don't rely just on the Lexiles or formulas you find. Use your own judgment. If you have a child that loves baseball, he or she will be willing to work through more complex text than on something he or she has no interest in. Look for balance. It shouldn't be so easy that it isn't challenging, or so hard that students give up.

Ok, That will make your guided reading lessons work better, but how about easier.  We all need at least a little "easy" to keep sane!  Check out these sites from my guided reading series. You will need to click on the picture once to pull up the pinterest repin, then click on the picture again to get to the site.

Still have questions?  Don't miss these great sites! Click on the picture.

Reading Rockets has answers to most all of your questions!

Reading Simplified helps guide you through the guided reading process.  This includes re-reading, word work and more!

This blog post  really does help you plan your guided reading!

This article from the NWEA is about how to close reading gaps with differentiation and scaffolding.

This short and sweet article from Scholastic is called, "5 steps for Success with Guided Reading"

This great article is perfect for new teachers!!

If you need resources for your guided reading program, check out these resources by clicking on the cover!

The Low-Down on Informational Text

The Common Core puts a big emphasis on teaching informational text. That's because most of what we read as adults is informational text. In fact, much of what kids read is informational text too! Informational text is much more difficult than literature to teach, and to read.  It's got a lot of  "meat" to it.  It's important to follow some simple tips for making informational text easier for kids to read.

What does that look like in a guided reading group?

It only works if students learn how to read informational text.

1. Before reading the text set a purpose, preview the text features, predict which text structures will be used in the text. Discuss what the author wants to answer, explain or describe.

2. Informational text often has text features, such as headings, graphs, charts, italicized words, table of contents, captions, maps, illustrations, labels, glossary and index. Be sure to do a text-walk before reading the article or book to look for some of these text features. Discuss why they are important to this particular text

3. Informational text uses five different text structures to give information. They are:
          a. description
          b. sequence
          c. problem/solution
          d. cause/effect
          e. compare/contrast
    While reading an informational book, stop to talk about and identify the text structure the author is using and discus why it is used.

4. Information texts are written to inform, persuade, or entertain. The author's purpose in writing the book or article often determines the text structure. For example, if the book is about the Civil War, it will have a lot of sequence as it talks about events throughout the war. It would also include cause and effect to explain why certain battles took place when they did. Discuss which text structure is being used in the book and why.


Would you like to see what this looks like? This video is an especially good one!

                         

Tips to make Information Text make sense

1. Allow students to choose the area they want to learn more about. This is especially true when first learning how informational text is different from fiction. Students usually have a number of things they are passionate to learn more about. Use this passion!

2.  Students read better when they feel like they are improving. Use the standards with your students. Ask them to choose one area they have mastered, and one they are working on. This gives them a strategy to work on as they read, rather than working on everything at once.

3. When students read a page and answer 9 or 10 questions, reading becomes about work, not reading. Asking students to think about what they have read allows them to spend more time actually reading. Areas to think about (and even jot down) are questions they still have, or areas of confusion. The more kids read, the better readers they become.

4. When students read informational text to get information to make or do something, the reading becomes more fun. Students can use the information for a classroom TV program, poster, puppet show, and the list goes on. This makes a student's learning authentic.

5. Use technology. This is where our kids live now and in the future. It makes learning fun and teaches them the skills they will need as they grow up.

6. Read informational text to students in class. This helps students become familiar with its conventions. Listing to this type of text is also useful for building knowledge and vocabulary. Research suggests that kids are more likely to read informational text independently if their teacher has read it aloud to them (Dreher & Dromsky, 2000).

Why focus on Informational Text?

Theres more reasons to focus on information text than just to meet the Common Core. Informational text is highlighted for a reason:

1. As students progress in school, they will be reading more and more informational text. Learning how it works, and how to read it now puts them on better footing to handle the reading demands as they go through school. A person's ability to read and comprehend information text will determine their success in school, the workplace, and society.

2. Real life reading is mostly nonfiction. It's everywhere. Magazines, Web-based reading, directions for games, newspaper and even signs along the road use informational text.  It's how people understand the world around them.

3. Learning the strategies needed to read informational text help students improve reading comprehension across all reading.


Do you have a good idea for teaching informational text? Be sure to add it in the comments below!

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest at:

https://www.pinterest.com/janbernard10/

If you need resources to help you teach informational text, check out the resources below by clicking the cover:

Games, Activities and Reading Stuff!

There's nothing I like using more in centers than games and task cards! They both make practice a lot more fun! When kids love an online game, they go home and find it on on their own computer. What do you get? MORE practice…while they think they're just having fun! And those giggles you hear while they work, that's pure joy to a teacher's ears!

I've found some great reading games and activities! I Hope your kids really enjoy them! You may want to include the web address of some of them in your newsletter or blog!

Kids can play games like Plural Girls and Rooting Out Words, plus read comics and play Mad Libs Junior….terrific for centers! This particular game is under the "game" section on the right hand side called "Stay Afloat"

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FunBrain ALWAYS has great games, by grade level too!

You can't do better than  PBS Kids

WOW!  This one is perfect for interactive whiteboards and tablets.  It has worksheets, teachers guides and more!

This is a great site for reading comprehension! It gives a short selection to read, then questions for kids to answer. (from Toon University)

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This is a great one! Not only do kids read, but they have to use a dictionary to figure out the answer. Awesome!

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This site is a goldmine! It has everything a teacher needs to teach comprehension including  Power Points,, games…the works!

If you are interested in reading task cards, check out my resources below for 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade!