Reading comprehension is the ability to read something, process what is saying, and understand what is saying. As an English teacher, I feel like teaching reading comprehension is one of the most important things that I teach my students. While students can be strong readers, sometimes they struggle with understanding the deeper meaning behind the […]
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Posted inBack to School
A Student-Curated Reading List to Combat Learning Loss
With the holidays just around the corner, most teachers are gearing up for some time off and some much needed rest and relaxation. While these breaks can a wonderful time to re-charge for both teachers and students, sometimes progress made throughout the semester can be lost. For example, in 2015, Oxford Learning put out an article […]
Posted inBack to School
From Book Tastings to Blind Dates: How to Encourage a Love of Reading in Secondary Classrooms
As a first-year English teacher, there were lots of questions that I hadn’t expected to have to answer in my classroom. The most surprising question, however, was this one: [bctt tweet=”“Do I have to read in this class?” ” username=””] Now, in my head, there are many sarcastic and snarky comments that I could think […]
Posted inLiteracy
Word Sorts: A Pre-Reading Strategy for Frustrated Students and Teachers
If I were to ask my middle schoolers what the hardest subject is for them, I can tell you right now, a majority (especially sixth graders), would say science. Even though my kids typically love science labs, they despise all of the reading that accompanies them. When I talk to students about what makes reading […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Disrupting Thinking: Stop Focusing on Leveled Reading
Each summer I try to squeeze at least a couple professional books into my summer reading pile. This year, I knew I wanted to read Kylene Beers and Robert E Probst’s new book, Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. Teaching my 8th graders not just to read, but to love to read has been my main goal. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Boosting Critical Thinking Skills Through Guided Reading
by: Candice Yamnitz Guided reading: HOT stem posters, language objectives with higher DOK questions, and lesson plans designed with student thinking in mind, OH MY! In my dual-language 4th-grade classroom, we were set! The students were going to be critical thinkers. This eventually did happen with 100% of my students, but it wasn’t the whole […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Reading Response Prompts for Nonfiction
In March, I shared how I create reading response prompts for my 8th-grade ELA students. Since then, I have gotten inquiries from other content areas about what sorts of prompts are appropriate for nonfiction texts. Many of my students choose to read nonfiction, but sometimes, we all read nonfiction together. Other content areas tend to […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Close Reading and Deep Thinking = “Textploration”
My focus in this piece will be on inspiring truly close reading and deeper thinking as a facet of ELA instruction. When a reader can go beyond recall; go beyond simple inference and analysis, and go spelunking deep into reflection on and evaluation of story characters and elements (while using the text to support their […]