Topic: Reading

Before we were teachers, we were readers−readers who understand the power reading has to change our lives from the new characters we meet, the new places we visit, and the new lessons we learn.

A wrap up of the PLC series posts from 2017-18 year.

Whole-class novels can offer a method of teaching that allows us to ignite a sense of community in the classroom.

If you read aloud regularly to your students, you know: there is no time in the day quite like read aloud time. A good read aloud can bring a group together like nothing else, can provide a foundation of camaraderie, trust, and respect in a classroom.

Patricia Vitale-Reilly's book Supporting Struggling Learners: 50 Instructional Moves for the Classroom Teacher provides practical strategies for empowering students with the right tools to grow and learn. In this video, Patricia talks about providing strong study skills.

This book is for teachers who want to revive the art of analytical writing in their classrooms—from teachers of middle-grade writers who are making their first foray into analytical writing to teachers of experienced twelfth-grade writers who are looking ahead to college where their professors will expect much, much more.

The study guide includes easy-to-use worksheets, reflection questions, and workshop strategies to invigorate reading instruction in your classroom and guide students through difficult texts.

Have you ever conferred with students who struggle to determine what information is really important? A clearly stated purpose for reading multiple sources can make the difference between productive and unproductive reading and thinking for many students. Here's what that might look like...

All students, those that gravitate toward nonfiction and those that don’t, need opportunities to engage with nonfiction not just during nonfiction reading units, but all year long.

if you have a good readers workshop going in your classroom I give you a hi-five and say keep it up! There are, though, a few caveats that might cause you to consider the whole class novel approach...

The use of different formats helps authors shape the same information in different ways. As a result, diverse sets of sources promote critical thinking.

In this following video, Kate walks you through what you can expect to find in her new book, A Novel Approach, and shows you how you too can find a student-centered, balanced approach to teaching reading.

I believe we can teach whole class novels in ways that increase independence, ability, and engagement. We can keep our novels, but we may need to change the way we do them.

In the upper grades, students don’t often move up reading levels as quickly as they do when they are younger. But that said, it’s still important to take note when a student has been in the same level for what seems like too long.

Here, Jen has created a handy downloadable chart to illustrate the connections between goals in The Reading Strategies Book and The Writing Strategies Book.

Many students are already social media experts. Tapping into their knowledge to channel them to try new books and to reflect on their work can be powerful.

It may seem strange to think about cultivating focus. Although natural abilities can vary, focus can be improved, cultivated, and taught.

Because of the myriad ways writing workshop and oral language development are linked, it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.