When I was teaching Reading Recovery, one of the great lessons I learned as an educator, parent and co-existing human being in a world of social beings, is that we can not assume that others think the same way we do about anything, reading included. WHAT I LEARNED FROM PARENTS OBSERVING READING RECOVERY LESSONS: As teachers, meaning can feel like the 'given' part of reading. Part of the Reading Recovery program included inviting parents to … [Read more...]
Fun ways to seize teachable moments with K-2s this holiday season!
The holiday season is indeed the season of abundance and gifts, and while the abundance in schools may come in the forms of chaos, germs, behaviors and lost mittens; the gifts come in teachable moments that the Winter holidays provide! From learning about how others celebrate the season, to having a true purpose for writing, discovering math concepts, and for those of us who teach in Catholic and Christian Schools, learning about the … [Read more...]
How reading and writing are linked – tips for building cross-print connections
During my training year in Reading Recovery, one of my students’ reading had taken off and I was finally beginning to feel like I was making progress as a Reading Recovery teacher. The writing was still a struggle, but I figured it would come. I can remember reading about the reciprocal relationship between reading and writing, and hoping that my student's stronger abilities in reading would 'pull up' what was missing in writing. I was less sure … [Read more...]
The top 3 Reading Prompts for emergent readers
Are you teaching emergent readers the very basics of reading, and overwhelmed by the number of reading prompts to choose from? The following top three prompts form the basis of what good readers naturally do. The founder and creator of the Reading Recovery program, Marie Clay, studied the strategies proficient readers used. To put it simply, her research showed that children have the most success reading when they use meaning as their primary … [Read more...]
6 ways to save time and money during a TeachersPayTeachers Sale
If you are a teacher, like I am, you may schedule your resource shopping around Teachers Pay Teachers TpT Site Wide sales. I love to buy clip-art these days, and have learned a few things (at least six) about being strategic during a sale! Here are six ways to make the most of a site-wide TpT sale: Use the categories on the left side of the page to find what you are looking for quickly! Wish list everything ahead of time and get it all … [Read more...]
Motivating students to read for meaning – with humor!
Nothing grabs my students' attention more than something that is downright silly. They know I tend to make the odd 'mistake' when we're reading together, and that reading just HAS to make sense. Whenever I sense someone's attention (or foot, or elbow) beginning to drift, I'll throw in the odd error, for example: Recently, we have completed the Pirate Pals Read and Write and More booklet together, and it occurred to me, again, that when … [Read more...]
How to make reading homework FUN!
“Why does my son keep bringing home books that are too easy for him? How will he learn anything if he isn't challenged?” Make reading homework fun for k-3 students, so they'll become lifelong readers! Reading homework in kindergarten and the primary grades is usually familiar reading. Books that kids have read more than once are considered 'familiar' text, and are an important piece of the early literacy journey. Reading books that are easy … [Read more...]
What reading levels mean and why kids should not have to worry about them
The term 'reading levels' in a broad sense means a degree of reading accuracy, fluency, comprehension on a text with specific guidelines within a given reading system. Organizations, such as school boards, use a combination of systems to measure reading levels. Click here to for the various reading systems explained! Why schools use leveled readers: Leveled readers are used so that teachers can match children with books that … [Read more...]