As a teacher of gifted students, I’ve come to expect the unexpected. Most students demonstrate asynchronous development. Others are bright but underachieving. Still, other students are not truly gifted, but are bright “teacher pleasers,” with the sort of behaviors that make teachers lives easier. What I did not expect was to find three students in […]
reading strategies
Using Reading Journals For Reluctant Readers
I have several reluctant readers in my class. And when I say reluctant, I mean pulling-teeth-digging-in-heels-won’t-read-unless-they-are-required-to reluctant readers. And even then it’s still difficult for them. They understand the importance of reading for information and meaning, but more often than not comprehension is lost in translation due to several of them struggling with dyslexia. So […]
Part IV: Reading to Learn: Comprehension
The purpose of reading is to learn. A text has the ability to transport us to other times and places, it can expand our knowledge and experience base and it is everywhere in our worlds. Understanding words, texts, passages, poetry, and books is an important part of reading. It is the end goal. To teach […]
Part 3: What’s The Word? Decoding Skills in Reading
To teach your students to read you must know where they are. It is important to understand their current instructional reading level (accuracy and comprehension combined) as well as their fluency level. If you are unsure how to test your students and gather this data, check out my recent article, “See Jane Read.” Students below […]
Guided Reading With Early Readers
Guided reading is an instructional method used in many elementary classrooms. It is an approach I use daily and without it would not be able to create successful readers. Guided reading is when the teacher works with a small group of students. During this time, the students apply and practice effective reading strategies while reading […]
Reading Strategies – By Kids, For Kids
One of my favorite things to do is read. Before bed each night, I crawl under my big cozy covers, grab whatever current novel I’m reading and disappear for at least thirty minutes into a different world. Usually I lose track of my thirty minutes and I’m shaken back into the real world by my […]