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Running records are used by teachers to keep records of students reading fluency.
Advantages:
-Teacher can keep up with each student and their reading levels
-Easy to follow up on
Disadvantages:
-Students may be absent on their day to read to you and they don't get reviewed

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I keep this Running Record Coding Sheet in my Guided Reading notebook so running record markings always look the same! You can grab more Guided Reading tools here! Guided Reading Printables Word Work

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Rubrics are scoring guides that teachers use to assess student work.  There are usually a few levels for every point.
Advantages:
-Students know exactly what they need to get full points
-Teacher has something to grade off of
Disadvantages:
-May be a blurry line between different levels
Scaffolding:
-Can translate this rubric to their native language so parents at home can also help them.

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I love making rubrics for things! Here are a few rubrics I've used for writing assignments. They are pretty standard, but helpful none the ...

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Partner reading is used when students are reading with one other student to practice fluency in reading.  They usually have a worksheet to work through to work on comprehension of the story.
Advantages:
-works on fluency
-good comprehension by reading and listening
Disadvantages:
-students may play with their friend
Scaffolding:
-If two ELL students you can have them work together on a book with both languages in it
-lower level reading books

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| | Filed Under: Reading

I have been using partner reading in my classroom since my first year of teaching. I find that it is really motivating for my more reluctant readers, as well as highly engaging for all of my readers.

Today I want to share what I am currently doing for partner reading in my reading intervention classroom. These ideas are very low maintenance on the part of the teacher once you set them up, but really help promote some good discussion and authentic reading experiences.

Once you decide on what you expect your students to do in partner reading, write it down and go over it with the students. Your students could provide input, if you wish. Here are some very basic expectations that I used this year for my reading intervention group in the beginning.

I wanted to ensure both partners were reading, but I did want to provide a choice in how they read. Some students, in the beginning, are not as comfortable reading out loud and I did not want that to hold them back. So, they have a choice to read out loud or both read silently.

Even though I don't mind if the partners read out loud or silently, I do want them regularly discussing the book with their partner. We do a lot of talking about how the more you discuss and think about a book, the stronger your comprehension and enjoyment. I also set the expectation that they must use a quiet voice while discussing.

And finally, I give a few expectations for discussion. Now keep in mind that the group I have this year are not used to discussing books nor are they avid readers. They need a bit more structure in the beginning.

After doing that for a week or so, we moved into more advanced discussions and I gave them sentence stems to keep in their reading notebooks to refer back to as needed for ways to start a discussion. Some of the students don't need the stems at this point but it definitely helps my English Language Learners and other students have a way to start the discussion. Click on the image below to download the printables.

I am lucky enough to have an entire shelf dedicated to partner reading books. The students know to come to this shelf and select a new book when they finish the book they are reading. Some of their favorites are the "How I Survived Series" and some highly engaging, low readability books that I purchased from this High Noon Books. If you have extra money in your book budget, I highly recommend checking out these books. They are written specifically for older readers that read a significantly lower levels. Even if you don't teach struggling readers, these books are great for partner reading because they can be finished in about a week.

No matter what books you decide, try to have a dedicated section of your library for partner books and label them accordingly. Below is a picture of our growing partner library. Click here to download the partner reading labels I have on my baskets.

I do love books and prefer my students read from my partner reading book selection, however I have a few students that actually prefer to read articles or passages with their partners. I keep a selection of high interest passages or news articles available for those students to read. I also have magazines that some students prefer to read from time to time and those work perfect for partner reading as well.

Those are just a few ideas for partner reading that have worked well for me over the years. Do you use partner reading in your classroom?

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Filed Under: Reading I have been using partner reading in my classroom since my first year of teaching. I find that it is really motivating for my more reluctant readers, as well as highly engaging for all of my readers. Today I want to share what I am currently doing for partner reading in my reading intervention classroom.

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Sentence combining is what is used to teach students how to use conjunctions.
Advantages:
-students will use more complex sentences
-students can learn more words to use to combine sentences
Disadvantages:
-can be boring
Scaffolding:
-this is a hard concept for ELL students so using this technique will help them to understand

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Sentence Structure {5 Lesson BUNDLE} Grammar PowerPoints & Printables

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This is a BUNDLE of my 5 sentence structure lessons, focusing on key grammar skills (like subjects and predicates, subject-verb agreement, and compound sentences) through interactive PowerPoint lessons and printables. Read the reviews!Packed with unique memory aids, fresh practice sentences, tons of...

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This resource gives many ideas for integrating technology into your reader's theatre.  There are many apps available on iPads to use during your lesson on reader's theatre.
Advantages:
-Make activity more engaging
-Integrates technology
-Easy to use
Disadvantages:
-Could become distracting
-Need access to classroom set of iPads
Scaffolding:
-Could use google translate during lesson

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Anchor Charts are a quick and easy way to get the point across to actors and directors. This fun chart from Alycia Zimmerman gives great suggestions to teachers and students. For Some great prop ideas see:

Prop Ideas

http://www.ereaderstheater.com/prop-ideas.html

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Reader's Theater Anchor Chart by Alycia Zimmerman

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Anchor Charts are a quick and easy way to get the point across to actors and directors. This fun chart from Alycia Zimmerman gives great suggestions to teachers and students. For Some great prop ideas see: Prop Ideas http://www.ereaderstheater.com/prop-ideas.html

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A book talk is a strategy used to preview a book before reading it to the class.  It is used to predict and infer things about the book before you begin reading.
Advantages:
-Gets students engaged before reading
-Could have students do their own book talks to persuade others to read it
Disadvantages:
-Could be difficult for students who are not comfortable talking
-Not all students will be interested
Scaffolding:
-Find books to connect their native culture or even language
-Have translations of your books available

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The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller, once said that we make time for what we value.

Therefore, it ' s essential, when lesson planning, to write "Independent Reading" in first. That way it doesn ' t get pushed aside when the week gets busy. Face it: all of the weeks are busy! And i f you ' re not filling the days with important work, how exactly are you having your students spend their time?

That being said, I try to start every class period with a Book Talk and Independent Reading. With some 180 days of class, my students are exposed to tons of new titles to support their choice reading. This is a priority, so we do right when the bell rings.

It looks something like this:

"Does anyone have those days where you feel like your family doesn't really get you or have time for you? The book I'm going to chat with you about today speaks right to those feelings."

This has to be brief. Don't stress about doing anything fancy. A lot of the time, I connect back to movies or TV shows that I know my students enjoy. For example, last week I chatted with my students about Lauren Myracle's Shine. All I did was ask, "Who is brave enough to watch crime shows on TV?" This interest in all things CSI was enough to get them interested.

"Today's book is Ask The Passengers by A.S. King. You'll find it in our realistic fiction section. We also have King's Please Ignore Vera Dietz and Everybody Sees the Ants."

Sometimes, I'll connect it to other titles by the author or similar books by other authors. This helps remind students of other books we've talked about, read, or watched the book trailer {Here's my playlist of book trailers on YouTube. Note it's not a comprehensive list of all the great book trailers out there.}

"I'm going to read you a passage right from the beginning where our main character Astrid is talking about this lack of connection with those around her."

I generally only read a page or two of the book. Sometimes, I have myself organized enough to mark the page early that I want to read; however, most of the time I flip through the book during passing period to find the scene that I want to share.

"Who would like to be on the waiting list?"

Various students will raise hands enthusiastically. I sometimes write names of students on a sticky note and place it on the front page of the book.

After that, I no longer hold responsibility for the waiting list. You are relinquished from this responsibility, too. You've got too much on your plate to manage this business.

Once the first student on the list finishes the book, he/she passes it to the next kid on the list. If that kid isn't ready for it, he/she moves to the next name. If no one is ready for the book at that time, the book returns to the shelf and waits for someone there.

Don't worry. If the book is on their To-Read List, they'll come back to it when they're ready.

The point of the waiting list is to build hype for your reluctant readers. It allows them to get a clear visual summary of what type of reader might read this type of book.

"Be sure to add this title to you To-Read list, if you're interested."

Any time my students are Speed Dating, doing a Book Waterfall, or listening to a Book Talk, they take out their To-Read Lists.

I used to use a printed document for their To-Read lists, but I ' ve found it ' s easier for me and more authentic for the kids to just create a To-Read list in the back of their Writer ' s Notebooks.

This is not very "fancy," but it builds on those life-long reader skills. I don't know any adult reader that maintains a printed document of their upcoming titles. Some of my more tech-savvy students choose to use the Goodreads app on the phone or Chromebook to keep track of these lists.

Whatever format a student chooses, To-Read Lists should provide space for students to quickly jot down the title, author, and genre. This helps kids find books that we previously talked about.

I don ' t know about your students, but at the start of the year mine continuously ask,

" Mrs. Beaton, what ' s the name of that one book you told us about a few weeks ago? You know, that one where <insert vague comment here>. "

Creating a To-Read list falls under Donalyn Miller ' s Reading in the Wild idea about teaching kids to always have a reading plan. It builds independence.

Imagine the next time you ' re conferring with a kid. You ask Jeremy what he's planning to read next. He responds right away by saying, " Oh! I ' ve got like five good things on my To-Read list! "

Whoo hoo! Friends, this is independence. Well done.

But wait-there's more! If you haven't done so already, be sure to join my mailing list to receive posts sent directly to your inbox: Follow Erica Lee Beaton on WordPress.com

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The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller, once said that we make time for what we value. Therefore, it ' s essential, when lesson planning, to write "Independent Reading" in first. That way it doesn ' t get pushed aside when the week gets busy. Face it: all of the weeks are busy!

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Reciprocal teaching is when the teacher allows the students to teach a small group what she has been teaching during class time.  This will usually be one lesson that you have taught recently so the students will have schema built up.
Advantages:
-students learn more by teaching to others
-students will understand more by using their own language to describe the skills
Disadvantages:
-students may be teaching it incorrectly
Scaffolding:
-Students may have some of the instruction in their native language
-Allows students to practice with a few students

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If you have tried to implement reciprocal teaching in the past and vowed to never try it again, this is for you! I streamlined the entire process from beginning to end, and I have even included a template for students to complete while working in groups, making everything that much easier. The reciprocal teaching method is listed below from start to finish. I begin with a brief description of the strategy. Then I jump right into explaining an efficient process for implementing reciprocal teaching in your classroom.

What is Reciprocal Teaching?

Reciprocal teaching is a collaborative strategy for improving reading comprehension. It encourages students to think critically about a text using four different reading comprehension strategies. Ideally, students will learn valuable tools that they can then begin to apply when reading independently. Reciprocal teaching also gives students a chance to work cooperatively, providing them with an opportunity to strengthen their communication skills.

Identify the text or section of text you want students to analyze, and read it together as a class. When you are finished reading, let students know that they will be put into groups of four, and each group member will be responsible for a specific task. This is a great time to pass out the reciprocal teaching guided worksheet- you can download it for free below. Next, explain each reciprocal teaching role by walking students through the guided worksheet. Part one of the worksheet will be completed independently, and part two will be completed collaboratively. The questioner is responsible for formulating two questions based on the text. The clarifier must find two unknown words or ideas in the text. The summarizer draws a picture that represents the main idea of the text. Finally, the predictor is responsible for predicting what might happen if the text were to continue.

Break students into groups of four, and assign roles to each group member. Each group member should have a copy of the text and the reciprocal teaching guided worksheet. At this point, the students should have their name, date, and role filled in on the top of the guided worksheet. Remind students to only complete part one of the worksheet, and that it is to be completed independently (no talking). Setting a timer for ten to fifteen minutes works well for this portion of the activity.

It is now time to move on to the collaborative portion of the lesson, which should take about thirty minutes depending on the abilities of your students. Resetting the timer will help to keep students focused and on task. Groups will start with the questioner box. The questioner will read the two questions he/she came up with for part one. The rest of the group will record the questions. Next, the group will work together to answer the questions. Answers to the questions should be written in part two of the questioner box. After completing the questioner box, groups move on to the clarifier portion. The clarifier states the two unknown words or ideas he/she came up with to complete part one. The rest of the group records those words/ideas on their own paper. The group then works together to define or explain the unknown words/ideas, recording the answers in part two of the clarifier box. A dictionary may be provided to groups that have a hard time defining words using context. Third, the summarizer shows the group the picture he/she drew to represent the main idea of the text. The rest of the group will draw a similar picture on their paper. Working together, the group will then complete part two of the summarizer portion by writing a two or three sentence summary on the lines provided. Last, the predictor reveals his or her predication if the text were to continue. The groups members record the prediction on their own papers. Then the group works together to find clues or evidence in the text that support the prediction. Groups are finished when the entire guided worksheet is completed.

Done! Hopefully, this streamlined process for implementing reciprocal teaching is something you will continue to utilize for different texts throughout the year.

Click Below to Download the FREE Reciprocal Teaching Guided Worksheet

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A Simplified Approach To Reciprocal Teaching | Literacy in Focus | A Blog For Teachers

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If you have tried to implement reciprocal teaching in the past and vowed to never try it again, this is for you! I streamlined the entire process from beginning to end, and I have even included a template for students to complete while working in groups, making everything that much easier.

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DRTA is directed reading thinking activity, which is used to make predictions while reading.  The students will stop, confirm or revise their predictions.
Advantages:
-students use this to predict during their reading
Disadvantages:
-students could not be using their background knowledge to make accurate predictions
Scaffolding:
-students can use a translation dictionary to make predictions

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Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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The Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) is a comprehension strategy that guides students in asking questions about a text, making predictions, and then reading to confirm or refute their predictions. The DRTA process encourages students to be active and thoughtful readers, enhancing their comprehension.

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A paragraph hamburger is a strategy used for beginner writers.  This is used to show visually how to create a good paragraph.
Advantages:
-good for visual learners
-helps students piece together a good paragraph
Disadvantages:
-may not be able to write enough for each part.
Scaffolding:
- ELL students write instructions in native language to assist students

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The close procedure is an assessment teachers use to gather information about readers' ability to choose which words would fit in a blank.  A teacher can use an excerpt from a story and blank out every fifth word.
Advantages:
-Teachers can easily assess
-Could use as both learning tool and assessment tool
Disadvantages:
-Student is not learning new information
-Not as engaging
Scaffolding:
-Could provide a translation in native language