My firsties get so excited when the ability to blend sounds together to make words starts to click! They start sounding out anything and everything they come into contact with. Inevitably though I have two or three students in my classroom that things don’t ‘click’ quite as readily as the others. This is definitely a […]
reading
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, Educational Apps, English Language Learners, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Inquiry Based Research For John Steinbeck's Novel 'The Pearl'
I want my 8th-grade students to learn more than just the standards – I want them to learn strategies to learn, and how to utilize the best tools to show their learning. I remind them that in high school, college and careers they will be responsible for making decisions about how they create projects, and […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
The Reading Paradigm: Quality vs. Quantity in Reading Instruction
When you first started teaching reading, did you think your students had to read all those books that come with the reading program? I did. I opened my box, pulled out the teacher’s manual, organized the basals, decodable readers, and leveled readers. We would read the story in the reading book (basal), then break off […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Guided Reading: Different Kids, Different Text
Today we have a plethora of resources available to use in our classrooms. This allows students to get a meaningful text at their level. Matching text to students allows them to read more independently, practice note-taking skills and learn about classroom standards or content in a meaningful way.  Each student in our classroom comes to us […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Making Connections in Reading
Readers process text in many ways to make sense of what they are reading. There are proven strategies strong readers use to help comprehend and process text.  For the first six weeks of school my fourth graders have been practicing making connections.  This skill involves using the text in the story or article to connect to your […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Uncategorized
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? The Math and Reading Versions
In school math was a subject I approached with trepidation. I usually was the last kid in class asking my teacher to check my problems so that I could continue my homework when I was at home. Here at The Educator’s Room, we’ve written about math instruction intensively especially with the introduction of new tests based […]
Posted inBook Review, Current Events in Education, Elementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
Read Alouds With A Purpose For Third and Fourth Graders
I have been working through several books this summer to read aloud to my students; books that I’ve never  read to them before. I love my old standbys but really wanted to find some books that could strike up some discussion instead of just entertain. I have read twenty-five books and have chosen the top […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Middle School
Give Students What They Want to Read for Reading Practice
The middle school or high school classroom library can be an important tool in making students life-long readers, but how to choose what goes into a classroom library for independent reading? Providing the books that student want to read is different than pre-selecting books that students should read. Yes, educators believe that students should read selections from the literary canon, for example, those […]