Reading Strategies
Are your students buried in post-its? Oversharing with those text-to-self connections? Parroting back comprehension tips but rarely applying them when they are actually reading? Our contributors sort through what works with strategy instruction, and have wise advice for avoiding superficial approaches to developing comprehension skills.
Latest Content
First Grade Read Aloud: Sergio Saves the Game
Katie DiCesare reads aloud Sergio Saves the Day to her first graders as part of a unit on understanding literary characters.
Decoding and Meaning: Conferring in 4th Grade
Tony Keefer confers with Amanda, a fourth grader who comprehends texts well, but struggles at times with fluency, decoding, and book selection.
Assessment to Grouping: Fifth-Grade Group on Character Traits
Karen Terlecky meets with two fifth graders who both share the same need identified on a recent formative assessment, inferring character traits.
They Can Sing and Define It, But Can They Use It?
Melissa Styger rethinks the way she teaches reading strategies, emphasizing putting them to use over defining them.
Kindergarten I-Pick Minilesson
It’s never too early to help students learn to make wise choices for independent reading. Mandy Robek reviews the I-Pick strategy for choosing appropriate books with her kindergarten students.
The “Tys” of Student Research: Safety and Credibility (Primary Research Series Part 2)
Heather Rader shares the second installment in our primary research series.
Poetry and Fluency Minilesson in Second Grade
Sean Moore uses the poem “The Busy Ant” for partner work and discussion of fluency and vocabulary with his second graders.
Shared Reading and Annotation in 6th Grade
Gretchen Taylor explains how she uses that old chestnut The Outsiders with her sixth graders for shared reading and to build skills in annotating text. The article includes a video example of a small group.
Backing Up and the Bossy E
In this conference with second grader TJ from Sean Moore’s classroom, the strategies of backing up and rereading as well as attending to the “bossy e” are discussed.
Eliminating the Conga Line: Teaching Young Children About Strategic Thinking
Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan manage to synthesize workspace cleanup, student independence, and a concrete analogy for strategy work in classrooms.
Tracking Thinking While Reading
Melissa Styger confers with a fourth-grade student using a template to help students track thinking and comprehension.
Conferring, Rereading, and Comprehension
Aimee Buckner confers with Brendan, who is rereading Hoot and needs some strategies for holding his thinking.
Enlisting a Student as Coteacher
In this second video in a two-part series, Sean Moore invites second grader Isaiah to present his learning to the class.
Conferring to Coteaching
In this first video in a two-part series, Sean Moore confers with second grader Isaiah. Sean prepares Isaiah to share what he is learning later in the writing workshop.
Running and Middle School Reading Goals
Gretchen Taylor helps her middle school students analyze their needs as readers and set benchmarks for growth.
Conferring About Tracking Characters
In this video from a 4th grade classroom, Aimee Buckner confers with a student who is reading The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson.
From Rages to Rags: Conferring with Conner
When to let a child guess, and when to give the correct answer in a reading conference? That's the struggle for 2nd grade teacher Sean Moore as he confers with Conner.
Rereading Strategy: Conferring with Emily
Sean Moore confers with 2nd grader Emily about the strategy of rereading for comprehending reading and writing.
Focused Independent Reading in Second Grade
Sean Moore demonstrates how he helps students focus their independent reading with preparation and then with discussion after reading.
Inferring Small Group in 5th Grade
Karen Terlecky meets with a small group in her 5th grade class to discuss the strategy of inferring.
Conferring About Inferring
This reading conference from Katie Doherty’s middle school classroom builds on the whole-class lesson, and demonstrates the value of partner reading for older students.
Middle School Conferring About a Series
In this video from Katie Doherty’s sixth-grade classroom, Katie confers with a student who has returned to a series book she had previously rejected. Katie weaves in talk about strategies, particularly inferring (a focus of whole-class minilessons).
Accuracy and Comprehension: Conferring in Second Grade
In this video from Sean Moore’s second-grade classroom, Sean confers with a student who comprehends text well but has some issues with accuracy.
Next-Read Stack: Conferring for Independence
Franki Sibberson explains the value of "Next-Read Stack" conferences for fostering independence, and includes a video example.
Conferring About Chunking Words in Second Grade
Sean Moore confers with a 2nd grader who is learning the strategy of chunking words in reading. Notice how Sean focuses the student, refers to previous conferences, and previews an upcoming whole-class reading.
Stop and Track: Conferring with a Fifth-Grade Reader
In this conference with a 5th grader, Aimee Buckner shares two strategies — one to use when putting a book away between readings, and another to help keep track of characters in a complex narrative where the point of view is constantly shifting.
Fluency in Focus: Conferring with Jake
Gail Boushey confers with Jake, a seven-year-old who is setting a reading goal of developing fluency. After the conference, she debriefs with Joan Moser.
Main Ideas, Summaries, and Notes in a Reading Conference
In this conference with a fourth grader, Aimee Buckner tackles text choice, notes, and main ideas all in less than five minutes. You’ll notice teachers observing in the background; the conference is part of a demonstration lesson sequence.
Conferring About Rereading Strategies
In this conference with a fourth grader, Aimee Buckner guides a child to think more deeply and critically about a book being read to the whole class, Goblins in the Castle.
Grades K-2 Fluency Lesson
In this video from a K-2 multiage classroom, Joan Moser and Gail Boushey ("The Sisters") present a fluency lesson to the whole class.
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