This just my opinion, but I think AFTER reading together in a small group is when the hard stuff happens. When we are doing pre-reading or during reading activities we naturally support our students. After reading though, we expect our students to go straight into independent work. We go from a high level of support to no support. In my mind, we have to find a way to balance this, so the students are supported at all times. Four Corners I like four corners because most teachers are familiar with this game and it is easily adaptable. I would suggest… View Post

The purpose of activities DURING reading is is monitor understand. You can do this in a variety of ways. These quick activities to do when reading together in a small group are perfect for helping students monitor their understanding while reading. Support My Statement This is one of my FAVORITE quick activities to do when reading together in a small group because you can use it for so many different reading strategies. First, decide on a statement and share it with your students. As you read, it is their job to find sentences that support your statement. Character Maps Character… View Post

There are different ways to set your students up for success before you even begin reading. The main mission before reading is to build background knowledge and give students a purpose for reading. Below, you’ll five five quick activities to do before reading to set a good foundation for your students. Background Bubbles Background bubbles help you determine what students know about a topic. Begin by developing a few words that are related to the topic. In this passage, students will be reading about four illnesses. Before diving in, I took time to discuss what my students already knew about… View Post

Have you ever had a student who reads so beautifully, but then struggles to comprehend what they’ve read? I spent the first few years of teaching wondering how to help them. They could read the text. Why couldn’t they understand it?! I struggled with how to improve comprehension in fluent readers. With a few years of experience, a little bit of research, and a whole lot of trial and error, I figured out why those students could read so fluently but lacked comprehension. There are four potential things that could be impacting their comprehension. They Lack Reading Strategies Fluent readers… View Post

Reading skills & strategies are two words that are often used interchangeably. And I’ll admit, I’ve totally used the two words incorrectly on more than one occasion. Every textbook company, every book that you read, every list that you may have Googled will have a different list of reading skills and strategies. I kept thinking, “Why is there not a big momma list of the skills and strategies that you need to know to be able to be a good reader?” Well, here’s the answer: Every reader and every text requires different skills and strategies. What are Reading Strategies? Reading… View Post