Choice Lit Topic: Teaching Reading
Our contributors lead reading workshops in classrooms with creative flair. Over the past 12 years, we’ve filled our site with loads of suggestions, tools, and tips for using engaging books throughout the curriculum to hook kids on reading. Here is where you will find many stories of successful and not-so-successful workshop days, and what we learned from them. We bring these stories to life through hundreds of video examples.
Results
Nonfiction Word Hunt Part II
Finding new words to follow is always a fun part of our word wall routine. Students love to go back into texts to find words that they are curious about....
Main Ideas in Nonfiction
In this whole-class lesson, 5th grade teacher Karen Terlecky and her students consider how main ideas work in nonfiction texts. The lesson includes reading and discussion of a short text...
Conferring Close-Up: Test-Taking Strategies Part II
Samantha Bennett's energizing book, That Workshop Book: New Systems and Structures for Classrooms That Read, Write, and Think, asks teachers to reflect on their classroom environments and teaching practices. Bennett...
Student Reading Interview: Assessing Ana
Principal Karen Szymusiak interviews Ana, a second grader, to learn more about her strengths and needs as a reader. Here are some sample reading interview questions: How would you...
Test-Taking Strategies Part III: Whole Class Debrief
I am captivated by teachers' abilities to maximize time with students. Only an elementary teacher can check students' understanding of multiplication facts, conduct a class survey based on a student-created...
Inferring Read Aloud Part I
Using picture books to teach strategy instruction is not only popular, but works. When my sixth graders see me pull out a picture book during the first week of school...
Supporting Thoughtful Book Choice
In this video filmed in the spring, Franki Sibberson helps her 3rd and 4th grade students think through what books they might select for independent reading. The discussion ranges from...
Teaching Inferring with Picture Books Part II: Partner Shares
When my sixth-grade students are given the opportunity to share their thinking after a read aloud, it does several things for their learning. First and foremost, kids listen to each...
5th Grade Strategy Group on Summarizing
In this strategy group, Karen Terlecky brings together three of her 5th graders to reread a nonfiction article shared with the whole class. They discuss main ideas, and do a...
Teaching Inferring with Picture Books Part III: Whole-Class Debrief
Following a read-aloud and small group discussion, I like to debrief with the class about each group's conversation. There is a level of accountability here. My students know they are...
Teaching Rereading During Class Read Alouds
I teach my fourth graders the power of rereading using the mentor text Goblins in the Castle by Bruce Coville. In this video, you can see that we use rereading...
Keeping the M
In an age of standardization, when even preschoolers are expected to perform flawlessly on literacy tests such as letter naming and recognition, it is important for early childhood teachers to...
Moving into “Big Fat Chapter Books”: Conferring with Elyse
In this conference with seven-year-old Elyse, Joan Moser helps her set a reading goal that will help her move into "big fat chapter books." In the debrief with Gail Boushey,...
Book Matchmaker: Texts for “Outdoorsy” Boys
I received this request from Carolyn: "Can we tackle the age-old problem of books that get ten-year-old boys jazzed about reading? I had many boys this past year...
Narrative Nonfiction in Fifth Grade, Part 1
In this lesson from a fifth-grade classroom, Aimee Buckner guides students in a notetaking process to help them understand the qualities of nonfiction narrative writing.
From Cross Checking and Retelling to Main Ideas: Helping Advanced Readers Develop Skills
In this five-minute video, Gail Boushey confers with Amanda, a second-grade student reading at a fourth-grade level early in the school year. In the conference, Gail helps Amanda set a...
Planning for a Year of Author Studies (TEMPLATE)
I plan author studies for my students at the start of the year. I think about the range of authors we might study, what authors work best at different times...
Just Because They Can Doesn’t Mean They Should: Choosing Age-Appropriate Books for Literature Circles
"Whatever you are doing tomorrow, cancel it! You have got to come and see Jan's literature circles." That was the message that Patty, a literacy coach, left on my voicemail....
The Other Buddy: How Partnership Programs Help Older Readers
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" shouted a well-groomed, confident-looking boy. "Sorry," muttered his assailant. The third graders were entering the classroom to read with their first-grade reading buddies. The "assailant"...
Hooked on Series: Great Series Books for Transitional Readers
Most of us have memories of a series that we loved. When I was a child, I was hooked on Nancy Drew mysteries. My grandmother had every one of the...
Planning for K-3 Author Studies (eGUIDE)
"Planning for K-3 Author Studies" is an eGuide designed for use by teachers working alone or with partners. The guide includes grids for monthly and year-long plans, suggested authors and...
