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Books to Use While Modeling Comprehension

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Books to Use While Modeling Comprehension

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Modeling comprehension strategies is KEY for readers of ALL ages. That's why reading TO and WITH your child is vital, even if they are in upper elementary school! So much of comprehension is silent, meaning our readers never hear or see it. As I mention in our Reading Comprehension Series, we need to be explicit in thinking out loud to SHOW readers how we comprehend and monitor our comprehension when reading.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Modeling our comprehension out loud may seem quite unnatural to some of us. I know it did for me when I first started teaching. That's why I've compiled these book lists as they can help facilitate modeling comprehension strategies with your child. They are written in a way that you can't help but ask questions, or predict what will come next, just to mention a couple. These books are some favorites that I've used over and over again in the classroom, as a reading tutor, and now as a homeschooling mama.

Even if you don't feel your child needs to work on comprehension, these are HIGH quality texts than can be read and enjoyed together any time.

Books for Teaching Reading Comprehension

If you're new to the teaching of reading comprehension, I highly recommend that you get your hands on some of these books you see below {click here or on the image below} and read the seriously amazing ideas inside. If you are a classroom teacher, most of these books are geared towards you, but homeschooling parents can definitely glean from them, too.

My number one recommendation for homeschooling parents or parents in general is 7 Keys to Comprehension by Susan Zimmermann because it is written without as much teacher jargon. If you're struggling to model your comprehension out loud and wondering where to start, Improving Comprehension with Think-Aloud Strategies by Jeffrey Wilhelm is a great read that explains the reasons behind it and steps you can take to make your think alouds ROCK!

And if you're unsure what comprehension strategies are to begin with, you'll find a quick overview of the different comprehension strategies kids need to understand in our post, Comprehension Strategies: Reading Equals Thinking.

50+ Texts for Modeling Comprehension

In the lists below, find our suggested books for each comprehension strategy!

Now you can take these book lists to the library or book store ~
Just download our printable comprehension book list!

Enjoy!
~Becky

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50+ Books for Modeling Comprehension Strategies

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Modeling comprehension strategies is KEY for readers of ALL ages. That's why reading TO and WITH your child is vital, even if they are in upper elementary school! So much of comprehension is silent, meaning our readers never hear or see it.

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Time after time I hear from teachers and caregivers that they have a child who is great at saying all the words right (decoding), but that they have no clue what they have read. Unfortunately, this is a common problem with our young readers. Generally a great amount of effort is directed to teaching a child to decode words yet the comprehension piece is not addressed with the same vigor. Decoding, comprehending and being fluent are all important pieces of being a strong reader and in my opinion should all be given equal modeling time. This week we are going to look at how you can model comprehension strategies for your child.
Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Your support of Growing Book by Book is greatly appreciated.
There are several comprehension strategies that readers can use when reading. These strategies can be modeled for very young children and work equally well for adults. The key is that we model our thinking for each strategy to the learner. When we model, we think aloud while reading to or with the student so that they can hear our thinking about what we are reading. Let's look at what this would sound like as we delve into each comprehension strategy.

Comprehension Strategies

Making Connections

Readers make connections to the text (books, magazines, etc.) using their background knowledge (schema). There are three types of connections: text-to-self (connecting a text to something in your life), text-to-text (connecting a text to another text) and text-to-world (connecting a text to something in the world).
What does it sound like when we are modeling our thinking to a child?
This part of the story reminds me of....

This makes me think of...

Visualizing

Creating a mental picture of the story as you are reading enhances your reading comprehension. I like to tell kids that as you read you turn the words into a movie in your head. Letting children draw pictures about something they have read also helps to develop this strategy
What does it sound like when we are modeling our thinking to a child?
When I close my eyes, I can see...

My mind picture is changing as I read because...

Questioning

Questioning helps to clarify and deepen understanding of text. We often categorize questions into two categories- thin and thick. Thin questions generally have one right answer and can be found by referring directly back to the text. Thick questions generally have more than one right answer and require the reader to use their own thinking plus information found in the text to answer.
What does it sound like when we are modeling our thinking to a child?
I wonder why...

What would happen if...

How can...

Determining Importance

Determining importance involves deciding what information is important and what information isn't essential. This is a key strategy to use when navigating non-fiction text. It's crucial to teach children the features of non-fiction text such as captions, titles, italicized and bold-faced words, graphs, etc. so that they can utilize that information to determine importance.
What does it sound like when we are modeling our thinking to a child?
I think the key idea is...

I'm going to pay special attention to this part because...

I'm going to look through the table of contents and the pictures first to help me get a feel for this text.

Inferring

When we infer, we read between the lines. This can be challenging for students because they have to use the text and their own thinking to develop meaning. Inferring involves predicting, drawing conclusions, finding meaning and using evidence from the text.
What does it sound like when we are modeling our thinking to a child?
When I read_____, I think_____, because_________.

As I read, I'm going to jot down notes of things that I think are important.

Synthesizing

This is probably the most sophisticated of the strategies because your reading and thinking is constantly evolving. You have to summarize, draw conclusions, pull things together and respond. Basically, you are using all of the other comprehension strategies together to shape your understanding.
What does it sound like when we are modeling our thinking to a child?
These are the facts____ and this is what I'm thinking____.

I think the author is trying to...

Reading this passage has or hasn't changed my mind about...

As I read, I'm going to jot down notes of things that I think are important.

Though it's helpful to model each strategy separately, it's important to remember that we utilize multiple strategies when reading and that some are more useful than others when navigating text. Spending time modeling these strategies when reading to or with your child will help your child develop their comprehension while reading.

Would you like to read more about helping your child with comprehension strategies? A great resource for parents and teachers is the 7 Keys to Comprehension by Susan Zimmermann. Susan is also the co-author of one of the best and first books on reading comprehension called Mosaic of Thought.

Interested in texts that can be used to model each comprehension strategy? Check out my favorite texts to use to develop each comprehension strategy.

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Time after time I hear from teachers and caregivers that they have a child who is great atÂ saying allÂ the words right (decoding), but that they have no clue what they have read.Â Unfortunately, this is a common problem with our young readers.Â Generally a great amount of effort is directed to teaching a child to decode words yet the comprehension piece is not addressed with the same vigor.

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As I'm learning all about a new grade, one thing I wanted to accomplish was a math workshop. Another goal of mine this year, is to work SMARTER, not harder. I'm working on that
balance issue. It is hard to have balance when you are learning a new grade level, but it's a great opportunity for me to have a fresh start.

So, here is what I've come up with for my math block.

15 minutes: calendar journals (I AM working on a first grade calendar, but I really want to test and tweak it this year before I offer it to you. I NEED to know that it works for first grade!)

15-20 minutes: Math warm up, number talks, and whole group math lesson

15-20 minutes: math rotations

Meet with the teacher

Math with technology

Fluency practice

Math boxes

Partner games

We do ONE rotation a day. I WISH I could do more, there just isn't time in the day! However, with this management system, I really only need to change the activities ONCE a month. *insert cheers of joy here*

So let's break it down - each student will visit each center once per week. I would love to incorporate more rotations (ala Daily 5), but I just don't have the 90 minute block to fit it in.

1. Meet with the teacher: aka - MOI. During this time, I will meet with a small group of students to work on what THEY need or to reinforce what we have taught whole group. Sometimes it will be center type activities, sometimes it will be partner games, and sometimes it will be a mix of activities!

2. Math with Technology: we will use our ipads or laptaps (more on this later!)

3. Partner Games: We use the Everyday Math curriculum, and new games are introduced every few units. It's important that the kids play these games because they build on them through the grades. AND, the kids LOVE playing them.

4. Fluency Games: the blue basket houses our fluency games. Right now, we are practicing basic addition facts. Some of these are played with a partner, and others are played independently.

5. Math Boxes: these are what are MOST familiar to me! I had so much fun creating these centers based on what the children need, the common core, and what our math curriculum is working on.

Here is what I have in the drawers for October:

Everything is housed in the green drawers. I love these drawers. I purchased them from Ikea about 3 years ago. The children just grab a drawer and find a quiet workspace in the room. Only one person at a time will work in the drawers. I am letting them manage these on their own. The activities are SO fun, that I know they'll want to try all of them.

I don't have every activity in the drawers right now, some I will use during my small group time.

If you're interested in grabbing these centers, you can find them in my TpT shop.

What questions do you have? Post them below!

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As I'm learning all about a new grade, one thing I wanted to accomplish was a math workshop. Another goal of mine this year, is to work SMARTER, not harder. I'm working on that balance issue. It is hard to have balance when you are learning a new grade level, but it's a great opportunity for me to have a fresh start.

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Speaking of reading , I made this spinner as a quick fun way to check comprehension after reading. Instant mini lesson too. Click below to d...

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We have such an awesome opportunity to empower students to set goals and celebrate with them when they reach their goals. Most students don't reflect on their own learning naturally. It's not an innate skill that students have when they come to school. Actually, most adults don't have that skill either. It's something that needs to be taught.

This past week, we've done quite a bit of work in our year-long journey of setting goals in second grade.

First, as I've mentioned in previous posts, I've been implementing Whole Brain Teaching. One of the components is a Super Improver Team. Here's our wall:

Each student has a star and for making improvements, they receive a sticker. When their star has 10 stickers they move up to the next level (blue - learner). They keep going. For every 10 stickers, they move up the levels.

The introduction of the Super Improver Team led to a discussion about how to make improvements and goals setting. What kinds of improvements could students make? What would "count" to get a sticker?

So we started talking about SMART goals. We started with the concept of setting "specific" goals and made this anchor chart of the concept of SPECIFIC. We looked at the word specific in a Frayer Model and looked at some examples and non-examples. That aspect is the most powerful part of the anchor chart. I didn't make it very "pretty", but students got the idea of what they word specific means.

Take a look at more SMART Goal Setting Resources in this blog post.

For our first goal, I decided to focus on behavior. It is a bit more tangible than an academic goal, and students are still learning how to "be" in our classroom, so it's the perfect opportunity to change a few things before they become a habit.

I gave students some ideas on good behavior goals. Basically, I wrote down all the things that have been annoying me, behavior-wise, for the past week. I listed them in a positive light, i.e.: what a student could do, not what they can't do.

I gave students an opportunity to look over the goals with their table groups. Each student chose one goal to work on for the next week.

I put the "Improvements" in page protector sleeves so that I can use them when I conference with a student. I can circle three or four and say something like, "I notice that you could really use some improvement on these. Which one would you like to choose to work on?" That way, there's choice within structure. I can guide what a student chooses, but the student still has choice.

I did add a couple more at the end (on the copy you see above), that aren't necessarily annoying behaviors, but improvements that my quieter students could make. You know, those kids who just sit there, but aren't disruptive!

After students determined what they wanted to work on, I had them write it down. I'm sure there's research on this somewhere, but I've heard that writing down a goal means that you're more likely to accomplish it.

In addition to the more complicated Goal Setting and Data Portfolios I have, I came up with this simple goal setting form that I can tape down to a student's desk and that we can collect over the course of the year.

We set to work writing down our behavior goals. Here are a few student examples.

You can see that some students need a bit of work on choosing ONE goal. I also realized after we did this activity, that the "I will . . . " part of the goal setting form, doesn't always lend itself well to behavior goals, since most behavior goals are an action in and of themselves. They don't always require an additional action statement that tells how you're going to accomplish the goal.

I changed up my form a bit to have a variety of options, including learning and behavior goals and a couple of different formats. Would you like a copy? Click this link SMART Goal Setting Forms or the picture below. Take a look at more SMART Goal Setting Resources in this blog post.

The final part of goal setting that is very important, especially for children is the celebration! Children need to know that there's something waiting for them when they accomplish their goal. Some people have an intrinsic motivator to set and accomplish goals. I'm one of them. But, most people don't. The celebration is a great motivator.

As a class, we brainstormed a variety of celebrations, both big and small. Most celebrations were for our class goals, but a few of these could be for individual goals, too. The idea was to get students excited about accomplishing their goals.

SMART Goal setting isn't just for individuals. I use to all the time to set class goals. We set behavior goals on our ScoreBoard (more positive than negative points), percentage goals on our computerized math program, number goals on how many stars we got for doing homework, etc.

There are a myriad of possibilities for whole group goal setting. Figure out what you want your class to do and set a goal on it.

I've done a few other blog posts on Goal Setting, if you're interested in more information:

Do you set goals in your classroom, either individual or whole class? I'd love to hear how you help students see that their actions are important and make a difference in their lives.

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Student Goal Setting in Elementary School

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We have such an awesome opportunity to empower students to set goals and celebrate with them when they reach their goals. Most students don't reflect on their own learning naturally. It's not an innate skill that students have when they come to school. Actually, most adults don't have that skill either.

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Scroll down to see writing goals for first grade.

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I'm sorry I've been so M.I.A. lately. A big reason for that (besides soaking up some quality time with my girls) is the summer course I've been taking. I'm taking part 2 of my writing specialist right now (I took part 1 in the spring session). It's been a lot of work (so glad I decided against taking 2 courses this summer), but it's been good work. I've spent a lot of time reflecting on HOW I teach writing (which I LOVE), and I'm so excited to bring some of these ideas into the classroom in the Fall.

A large focus of my course has been on differentiating instruction in the writing classroom. One of the ways I already do this is through the creation of personal writing goals for the students. I really started my focus on this at the beginning of last year. During my first writing conference with my students (after our first diagnostic), the student and I decide on a personal writing goal based on their needs (example: organization, word choice, sentence structure, etc.). During subsequent conferences, the student and I evaluate if they have met the goal, and move on to a new goal if they were successful. Around January I decided I needed a more visual way of displaying their writing goals - hence the writing goal clip chart. The one I was using last year was a good fit ... but it wasn't a perfect fit, so I knew I wanted to work on it over the summer.

So, my Personal Writing Goals Clip Chart was born. I will use it in the classroom to help students track their personal goals. They will use a clothespin to do this (do you see my beautiful washi tape clothespins - I made them in true multi-tasking style while watching my daughters' soccer practice). I will write the students' names on the clips in sharpie (but I know some of you prefer to use numbers).

Another great part - this visual will quickly help me see what students to pull for a quick guided writing lesson. All students on the same goal strip can come together for a focused minilesson - discussing their goal in reference to the assignment they are working on.

The writing goal strips can also be used to build a set of success criteria for writing for the whole class. You could start with one or two goal strips, adding a new strip to the chart each time a new goal is taught through a lesson, ending with the full chart by the end of the year. The strips are held together with binder clips / book rings (LOVE the metallic rings I found at Staples), but in the past I have used ribbon to hold the strips together. The binder clips make it easier to change the goal strips.

There are 2 sets of goals included in each resource - one has the common core standard written on each strip, and the other set does not have the standard listed (which I will use in my class). I have sets for all grade levels - K-8. You can preview any of them by clicking on the links:

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Differentiation in Writing - Goal-Setting Clip Chart

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I'm sorry I've been so M.I.A. lately. A big reason for that (besides soaking up some quality time with my girls) is the summer course I've been taking. I'm taking part 2 of my writing specialist right now (I took part 1 in the spring session).

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Setting GOALS with Students ~ RtI ~ SMILE Goals for Making Progress

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GOAL SETTING FREEBIE! Teach your students how to take ownership of their own learning by setting goals for themselves. The product is designed to boost progress in your classroom and complement your RtI / intervention program.

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Student Goal Setting based on Learning Targets

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Student Goal Setting based on Learning Targets

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I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas!

We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop. It's our second year and boy, oh boy, is it FUN to be in my second year. LOVE having a full year's experience under my belt, as TCRWP was a huge change from our Guided Reading Centric literacy model.

Our main learning targets for Unit 1 are on green paper. We're through Bend 2 in Unit 2 and our main learning target is on blue paper.

I like keeping a running history of what we're really striving for as readers - cuz readers take a lonnnnng time to develop.

Once the Target board is filled up, I'll make a "packet" of the previous targets and post it to the board so readers (and I) can flip through them when we need a refresher.

I love to have my first graders involved in and empowered by our Learning Targets - you can see how they have additions and highlights and (not very good) illustrations...

One strategy I've used is to have the students help me formulate the learning target. Yes - I have to know the learning target ahead of time and yes - the mini-lesson includes a specific method that names the learning target multiple times...but what wonderful higher order thinking to have the students join you in deciding how to record it.

Once a target is posted and a mini-lesson fits into one that's up, I have my cuties think about the mini-lesson and decide under which target it belongs. They love doing this!

This week I wanted to take it further and have them set goals for themselves based on the target they felt they needed to work on.

To make the process as clean as possible, I took a picture of the target board...put the pic in a PowerPoint slide and typed up text boxes with the targets. The text boxes are in the same order as the targets are on the target board, since that is what they're familiar with.

Here's a closer look:

I'm absolutely thrilled with how my firsties did at self-selecting an appropriate goal! They, by and large, selected the goal that I would choose for them...but they were (and are) empowered because they did it ON THEIR OWN!

Here's a sample of a goal from each of the targets.

I typed what the student wrote for you, as pencil doesn't always show up well in photos.

I made a copy of their goal and they added it to their Take Home Book Envelope for parents to see and build upon while they read at home, too.

For next week's Reading Log, I added mini-versions of the targets along the bottom so that students can highlight their goal on their log, too.

I plan to checkpoint with them in strategy groups by goal (all the build stamina's together, all the warm up before reading's together, etc) next week and my teaching points will be centered around their goal during the strategy group.

Thanks for stopping by today!!! I hope you found this helpful!!!

If you did enjoy this post, please consider following me on Facebook, Teachers pay Teachers, and/or Pinterest!

There are LOTS of other Bright Ideas for you to read about from bloggers...make sure to check them out below!

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Growing Firsties: Student Goal Setting based on Learning Targets

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I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas! We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop.

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I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas!

We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop. It's our second year and boy, oh boy, is it FUN to be in my second year. LOVE having a full year's experience under my belt, as TCRWP was a huge change from our Guided Reading Centric literacy model.

Our main learning targets for Unit 1 are on green paper. We're through Bend 2 in Unit 2 and our main learning target is on blue paper.

I like keeping a running history of what we're really striving for as readers - cuz readers take a lonnnnng time to develop.

Once the Target board is filled up, I'll make a "packet" of the previous targets and post it to the board so readers (and I) can flip through them when we need a refresher.

I love to have my first graders involved in and empowered by our Learning Targets - you can see how they have additions and highlights and (not very good) illustrations...

One strategy I've used is to have the students help me formulate the learning target. Yes - I have to know the learning target ahead of time and yes - the mini-lesson includes a specific method that names the learning target multiple times...but what wonderful higher order thinking to have the students join you in deciding how to record it.

Once a target is posted and a mini-lesson fits into one that's up, I have my cuties think about the mini-lesson and decide under which target it belongs. They love doing this!

This week I wanted to take it further and have them set goals for themselves based on the target they felt they needed to work on.

To make the process as clean as possible, I took a picture of the target board...put the pic in a PowerPoint slide and typed up text boxes with the targets. The text boxes are in the same order as the targets are on the target board, since that is what they're familiar with.

Here's a closer look:

I'm absolutely thrilled with how my firsties did at self-selecting an appropriate goal! They, by and large, selected the goal that I would choose for them...but they were (and are) empowered because they did it ON THEIR OWN!

Here's a sample of a goal from each of the targets.

I typed what the student wrote for you, as pencil doesn't always show up well in photos.

I made a copy of their goal and they added it to their Take Home Book Envelope for parents to see and build upon while they read at home, too.

For next week's Reading Log, I added mini-versions of the targets along the bottom so that students can highlight their goal on their log, too.

I plan to checkpoint with them in strategy groups by goal (all the build stamina's together, all the warm up before reading's together, etc) next week and my teaching points will be centered around their goal during the strategy group.

Thanks for stopping by today!!! I hope you found this helpful!!!

If you did enjoy this post, please consider following me on Facebook, Teachers pay Teachers, and/or Pinterest!

There are LOTS of other Bright Ideas for you to read about from bloggers...make sure to check them out below!

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Growing Firsties: Student Goal Setting based on Learning Targets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas! We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas!

We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop. It's our second year and boy, oh boy, is it FUN to be in my second year. LOVE having a full year's experience under my belt, as TCRWP was a huge change from our Guided Reading Centric literacy model.

Our main learning targets for Unit 1 are on green paper. We're through Bend 2 in Unit 2 and our main learning target is on blue paper.

I like keeping a running history of what we're really striving for as readers - cuz readers take a lonnnnng time to develop.

Once the Target board is filled up, I'll make a "packet" of the previous targets and post it to the board so readers (and I) can flip through them when we need a refresher.

I love to have my first graders involved in and empowered by our Learning Targets - you can see how they have additions and highlights and (not very good) illustrations...

One strategy I've used is to have the students help me formulate the learning target. Yes - I have to know the learning target ahead of time and yes - the mini-lesson includes a specific method that names the learning target multiple times...but what wonderful higher order thinking to have the students join you in deciding how to record it.

Once a target is posted and a mini-lesson fits into one that's up, I have my cuties think about the mini-lesson and decide under which target it belongs. They love doing this!

This week I wanted to take it further and have them set goals for themselves based on the target they felt they needed to work on.

To make the process as clean as possible, I took a picture of the target board...put the pic in a PowerPoint slide and typed up text boxes with the targets. The text boxes are in the same order as the targets are on the target board, since that is what they're familiar with.

Here's a closer look:

I'm absolutely thrilled with how my firsties did at self-selecting an appropriate goal! They, by and large, selected the goal that I would choose for them...but they were (and are) empowered because they did it ON THEIR OWN!

Here's a sample of a goal from each of the targets.

I typed what the student wrote for you, as pencil doesn't always show up well in photos.

I made a copy of their goal and they added it to their Take Home Book Envelope for parents to see and build upon while they read at home, too.

For next week's Reading Log, I added mini-versions of the targets along the bottom so that students can highlight their goal on their log, too.

I plan to checkpoint with them in strategy groups by goal (all the build stamina's together, all the warm up before reading's together, etc) next week and my teaching points will be centered around their goal during the strategy group.

Thanks for stopping by today!!! I hope you found this helpful!!!

If you did enjoy this post, please consider following me on Facebook, Teachers pay Teachers, and/or Pinterest!

There are LOTS of other Bright Ideas for you to read about from bloggers...make sure to check them out below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Growing Firsties: Student Goal Setting based on Learning Targets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas! We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas!

We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop. It's our second year and boy, oh boy, is it FUN to be in my second year. LOVE having a full year's experience under my belt, as TCRWP was a huge change from our Guided Reading Centric literacy model.

Our main learning targets for Unit 1 are on green paper. We're through Bend 2 in Unit 2 and our main learning target is on blue paper.

I like keeping a running history of what we're really striving for as readers - cuz readers take a lonnnnng time to develop.

Once the Target board is filled up, I'll make a "packet" of the previous targets and post it to the board so readers (and I) can flip through them when we need a refresher.

I love to have my first graders involved in and empowered by our Learning Targets - you can see how they have additions and highlights and (not very good) illustrations...

One strategy I've used is to have the students help me formulate the learning target. Yes - I have to know the learning target ahead of time and yes - the mini-lesson includes a specific method that names the learning target multiple times...but what wonderful higher order thinking to have the students join you in deciding how to record it.

Once a target is posted and a mini-lesson fits into one that's up, I have my cuties think about the mini-lesson and decide under which target it belongs. They love doing this!

This week I wanted to take it further and have them set goals for themselves based on the target they felt they needed to work on.

To make the process as clean as possible, I took a picture of the target board...put the pic in a PowerPoint slide and typed up text boxes with the targets. The text boxes are in the same order as the targets are on the target board, since that is what they're familiar with.

Here's a closer look:

I'm absolutely thrilled with how my firsties did at self-selecting an appropriate goal! They, by and large, selected the goal that I would choose for them...but they were (and are) empowered because they did it ON THEIR OWN!

Here's a sample of a goal from each of the targets.

I typed what the student wrote for you, as pencil doesn't always show up well in photos.

I made a copy of their goal and they added it to their Take Home Book Envelope for parents to see and build upon while they read at home, too.

For next week's Reading Log, I added mini-versions of the targets along the bottom so that students can highlight their goal on their log, too.

I plan to checkpoint with them in strategy groups by goal (all the build stamina's together, all the warm up before reading's together, etc) next week and my teaching points will be centered around their goal during the strategy group.

Thanks for stopping by today!!! I hope you found this helpful!!!

If you did enjoy this post, please consider following me on Facebook, Teachers pay Teachers, and/or Pinterest!

There are LOTS of other Bright Ideas for you to read about from bloggers...make sure to check them out below!

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Growing Firsties: Student Goal Setting based on Learning Targets

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I'm super excited about the goal-setting my first grade readers did this week! Plus, it ended up being a great topic to share here, in my favorite linky - Bright Ideas! We are a district that implements the Teachers' College Reading & Writing Project model for Reading (and Writing) Workshop.

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In my current position as a math interventionist, I work with struggling students in grades K-5. It goes without saying that the students I see in grades 3-5 are at risk for not being successful on the state test they will take in the Spring. I've attended a number of professional development sessions over the past couple of years that stressed the need to have students involved in tracking their own data and setting goals for achievement. This past week, I began the process with my students. This should actually have been done in the fall, but better late than never.

First, let me give you a rundown of the data we used for this activity. I wanted to use the data that would be the best predictor of success on the STAAR test, so we didn't use classroom grades. There are too many factors involved in classroom grades for them to be a strong predictor for STAAR. Over the course of the year, however, our students have the opportunity to take several assessments that mirror the STAAR test, so these are the assessments I decided to use. Some of these assessments are developed at the district level. We call them DLAs, which stands for District Learning Assessments. We also recently gave a STAAR Benchmark test which, in effect, was a practice STAAR test. Because our DLAs are short (15 questions or so), we felt it was important for our students to experience a test that was the same length and rigor of the test they'll take in April (46-50 questions...don't get me started...). In addition, we have previous STAAR results for our 4th and 5th grade students, if they were in Texas and took the tests. I will reference these tests as I discuss our process.

I started with a story about running a marathon. I explained that a marathon is a 26-mile race and that people take up to a year to train for one. I told the students that in order to train for a marathon you have to set goals and make a plan, and that the goals and plan depend on my starting point.

What if I tell you that right now I can only run 1 mile. If I can only run 1 mile right now, what might be a reasonable goal for me to set for the distance I want to be able to run 2 weeks from now? (I got some pretty interesting answers to this question that were definitely a formative assessment for reasonableness!) Sure! I think if I can run 1 mile right now, I should be able to reach 2 miles in a couple of weeks.

Now, what if I tell you that I'm already running 5 miles four times a week? If I'm already running 5 miles four times a week, I'm a pretty strong runner. What might be a reasonable goal for me to reach in 2 weeks? Seven or eight miles? I think 7 or 8 miles is pretty reasonable. Because I'm already a pretty strong runner, I might make quicker progress.

The point is that you have to look at where you are right now before you can set goals. That's why we're going to take a look at how you've done on some of the tests you've already taken and then set a goal for what you want to score on the next DLA.

Now remember, if I just set a goal-I want to be able to run 2 miles in two weeks-but I don't actually go out and run, I probably won't reach my goal. So we're also going to decide on three action steps you can take to reach your goal. For example, I might say I'm going to run 4 days a week, I'm going to cut down on fast food and eat healthier, and I'm going to get at least 7 hours of sleep at night. Do you see how doing each of those things might help me reach my goal of being able to run 2 miles two weeks from now? Good! Let's get started!

We used a very plain graph, which you can download . I worked graphing skills into the activity by having the students add a title to their graph and figure out and add the missing numbers on the graph scale. Then, I told the students their scores for the previous tests, and they graphed them. I have to tell you that seeing the scores came as quite a shock to some of the kiddos. I think we assume our students know their scores and understand them, but seeing them on the graph was very eye-opening for them. I think some students were also surprised at how flat their bars were, or that their scores were actually going down. I'm happy to report there were no tears.

After graphing their scores, I asked each student to consider what they wanted their goal to be for the next DLA they will take. Some of them wanted to set the goals unrealistically high, so I reminded them of my marathon example. I still think some are a little high, but it will be a learning experience. I used a blue highlighter to mark their goal. Here are a couple of the 5th Graders' graphs. You can see that their goals are quite different.

Monday, we will discuss and decide on specific action steps they can take to reach their goals. The action steps should be very specific, such as:

Practice multiplication facts on FASTT Math 5 times a week

Spend more time and effort on my homework

Slow down and read word problems more carefully and draw pictures to help me visualize the math

Ask my teacher to move my desk so I can focus my attention better

Find a math partner to work with who can help me understand math better

These are just some examples I thought of. I'm sure the students will come up with lots more on Monday. The students are going to write their three action steps on the back of their graphs, and we'll review them every couple of weeks to hold the students accountable.

On Monday the students will also take a closer look at their data from the Benchmark to determine the standards they already know well and those they still need to work on. As we work on each standard over the coming months, we'll revisit the data and they'll be able to see growth.

Once the students take their next DLA, they'll add it to the graph and decide if they need to adjust their goal for the STAAR test.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on this process! I think holding students accountable for their own data and achievement can be very powerful and is often underutilized.

You can click to download a copy of the graph,

You might also like these posts:

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Setting Goals for Student Achievement - Math Coach's Corner

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In my current position as a math interventionist, I work with struggling students in grades K-5. It goes without saying that the students I see in grades 3-5 are at risk for not being successful on the state test they will take in the Spring.

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Making lists seems like such a simple task doesn't it? I'm at a point in my life where 1) I can't remember stuff and 2) I get great satisfaction from crossing off something on my to-do list. When I started creating my writing journals I wanted my students to be a part of the process of creating examples to refer back to. One of the first items we work on is creating lists. Why work on something that is seemingly so simple? Lists are the basis of all of our planning and pre-writing!

Young writers need lots of practice writing lists and thinking of ideas quickly. It's hard when you're a first grader to get your ideas onto your paper and to do it quickly. The first example students put into their writing journals is a list. (I also created a few other lists for them to add into their journal. These could be placed into their journals behind my original list or be placed in your writing center as a quick option for them.) I want them to be able to think of simple ideas like farm animals and be able to write a list for them. Then we can practice how to make sentences from our list.

One fun way to practice making lists is with this list making SCOOT activity. Of course you could laminate these lists and allow students to write on them with dry erase markers so that you get several years of use out of them. I copied mine onto Astrobrights Double Color cardstock. (If you haven't seen the Double Color cardstock it is so worth the money! You get twice the colors in one small pack. It's awesome!)

Split your class into groups of four or five students. Each student gets their own list. It may help to print them on different colors. Students write one item on their list. Then SCOOT to the next list in the group and try to list something not already written. You only have four or five students in each group so the SCOOT game goes pretty quickly. Come back together as a whole class to begin comparing lists. If you have space in your room post all your lists up. This is a great tool for your ESL, ELL, and low readers. It's ok for them to copy the lists into their journals. They are still practicing writing!

This would also be a great small group activity! Many students do better verbalizing what they want on their list before they write it down. Pair up students and have them orally lists items for their list before writing it down. Two heads are better than one, right? So even your shy kiddos will feel successful.

When I first start literacy station rotations and journal writing is a station I may tell me students to write a list this time. They have an example to refer back to and this helps them practice using their journal as a tool. We want our students to know exactly where to get the information they need!

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Making lists seems like such a simple task doesn't it? I'm at a point in my life where 1) I can't remember stuff and 2) I get great satisfaction from crossing off something on my to-do list. When I started creating my writing journals I wanted my students to be a part of the process of creating examples to refer back to.

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The blog that used to be here is now at http://www.funinfirst.com/.

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We have also worked on sets of ten. I had made loops from colored yarn, and the students physically looped each set of ten as they counted them out. This was a great visual for them. We counted by tens, and the numerals were written and placed under each set as they counted by tens.

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If your looking for some thematic activities to use throughout the year don't miss out on our monthly thematic sets of math and language arts {cut and paste} worksheets. They were designed for independent practice and they are all aligned with the Common Core Standards.

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This year, I'm going to begin to implement this little teacher trick called Brag Tags or like my students prefer, Swag Tags. I started last year implementing this strategy with my students and they loved it. The only thing is that I started towards the end of the year and I so regret it. But it's time for new beginnings and here it is!

So what are these Brag/Swag Tags many teachers are talking about? This is a positive classroom management tool that works wonders. Students are rewarded a tag or tags for positive behavior. For example, students may earn a tag for being a good listener, super friend, following directions, walking in line, and so forth. As students earn the tag(s), they place it on a necklace to create a complete chain with some new bling-bling (brag/swag tags). The necklaces are kept in school all year. Students may take the necklace home at the end of the year and they may wear it during school days. Now, do they have to wear it everyday? That's up to you. My preference is that this is a really cool and special swag that must be EARNED, so I let my boys and girls wear it on selected days.

So where do you begin? I have no idea, just kidding! LOL!

Step 1 - Get Supplies

So you will need patience, perseverance, and some helping hands! My kiddies and I spend 10 hours laminating and cutting over 2,000 tags. Now, don't get scared. I'm an overachiever and since it's summer, I figured to get it all done now for the year.

Get yourself a really good storage system. There are many containers out there to select. My personal favorite is the Akro-Mils 64 Drawer Plastic Parts Storage and Craft Cabinet from Amazon. Who doesn't love Amazon? Especially when they have it on sale!

Next, get a HUGE pack of Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches (200 pack) with a great Scotch Thermal Laminator TL901. Again, Amazon saves the day.

You will also need a Fiskars 12" Surecut Deluxe Paper Trimmer from Michaels (don't forget the coupon) and Sparco SPR01796 Heavy Duty Adjustable 3-Hole Puncher from Amazon.

You also need some bling-bling, like these cool Nickel Plated Ball Chain Necklace 24in. 2.4mm Size #3, Pack of 50 from Amazon.

And lastly, a HP printer that qualifies for the HP Ink Program. I bought my HP Officejet Pro e-All-In-One Printer 8610 from Staples and I LOVE it! I printed allllllll of my tags in color from this one little cool gadget! The HP Instant Ink Program will save your life and you can always print in color without worries. There is a monthly plan that you can select ranging from $2.99 to $9.99. The plans are based on the number of pages you would like to print every month, not the amount of ink! Do I hear a sign of relief?! :) HP will send you the ink before you run out, so no worries about buying expensive ink. Just make sure to buy a qualifying printer, click here to see if your printer qualifies.

And even more good news... You get 30 days for FREEEEEEEE!! I just checked the site and they are offering 3 months for FREE! Go for it! Feel free to use my reference link to get your FREE month(s) trial... http://try.hpinstantink.com/fhGfm

Step 2 - PREP TIME!

There are so many beautiful tags out there. I created my own over the past 2 weeks and I was able to create over 60 of them! I know, I still can't believe it myself.

I also thought about how am I going to know which student has what necklace? I like to use the number system in my classroom, so I decided to create cute little tags that are numbered. I also included blank ones, just in case I get a new student later in the year. So all I have to do is print, laminate, cut, and put each one on a necklace. Guess what? This is FREE in my TpT Store, just click here and/or on the pic. How cute are they?

Now for the tags... More printing, cutting, laminating, and organizing. You can do it! I promise! Here is a pic of my Bundle 1 that has 25 different tags. Click here and/or on the pic. Since there are 15 tags on one page, I printed 3 of each tag so it could last me the whole year. Of course, I know some tags I will have to refill throughout the year, like I Lost My Tooth, but I'll cross that bridge later.

Of course, I couldn't stop there, so I created another bundle. Yes, Bundle 2 is here! More cuteness! What do you think?

Since I also teach the Cambridge International Education curriculum, I created a file that consists of the 5 Cambridge learner attributes: responsibility, engaged, innovative, reflective, and confident. These tags can also be used as my growth mindset unit, so it's like a 2 for 1! :) Feel free to click here and/or on the pic to see it in my TpT Store.

Then my kiddies and I decided to have a HUGE printing, laminating, and cutting PaRtY! You can imagine the look on their faces, mind you, they are young adults! :) I printed the PDF pages at 97% so the tags would be a bit smaller.

My kiddies used the 3 hole puncher to hole punch each and every tag by placing 3 tags on the surface of the hole puncher at the same time. This is why I recommend this type because it has a flat surface to place the tags and you can just punch out 3 tags at once. Believe me, you will thank me later!

I cut one tag about half way to use it as a label for the drawer. Just use tape to stick the tag to the front of the drawer.

I organized the tags in the drawers. This storage unit is so good that I could place 2 sets of tags in one drawer! Happy moment!

Of course, I use one drawer to place the necklaces.

And now for some Teacher eye candy, like for realz!

So you know how my heart felt... like looking at more eye candy... :)

Step 3 - Present to Your Students

Watch those smiles! It's important to set rules so students know their expectations. So I will create an anchor chart of rules with the students. For example, some rules may include...

Step 4 - Let Your Parents Know

Involve your parents by letting them know about this classroom management tool. I wrote a letter that I will print on color Astrobrights, yes, Astrobrights and Amazon to the rescue! Everything is better in color! I will send home the letter during the first week of school.

Guess what?! My parent letter is FREE in my TpT Store. Just click here! I know, I know, what a time saver! Hey, anything to make things better for all of us!

Step 5 - Make a Display/Bulletin Board

Show off your kiddies' hard work by making a display of the tags. I have to be honest, I deleted my bulletin board pic! :( I know, I'm so sorry! I will upload it when I get back in my classroom.

Basically, just create a bulletin board with your title... Brag Tags, Swag Tags, whatever you call it. I placed hooks on the wall and placed a picture of the student next to their hook. I bought Tool Bench Adhesive Hooks - 9 Pack from Dollar Tree. I just reinforced the hooks with my hot glue gun.

Now enjoy your moment of hard work and watch your classroom management system roll like the wind! This is great for those special visits, if you know what I mean. LOL! :)

So, what classroom management tool do you implement? What do you think of brag/swag tags? Have you used them? How? Are you a newbie? What's your plan?

I would love to hear from ya!

As always, make every moment a whoop-whoop moment!

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This year, I'm going to begin to implement this little teacher trick called Brag Tags or like my students prefer, Swag Tags. I started last year implementing this strategy with my students and they loved it. The only thing is that I started towards the end of the year and I so regret it.

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She has some ideas about the growth mindset!

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Writing Workshop has been a important and delightful part of my classroom for over ten years. My students and I absolutely adore writing workshop! Yet - I'm still in a constant state of refinement and tweaking of workshop.

Here are some tried and true tips for what has worked well over the years, regardless of the writing curriculum I was using...Let me know which tips you find most helpful!

Make sure to pin this post so you can come easily back to it when you want to add more layers to your workshop or have more questions.

Heads up - this is a MONSTER BIG post! Took me over two three months to write (#reallifefirst #thenbloglife) and there's SO much more I could say about each tip. #teachingiscomplex #whichiswhyiloveit #mostdays #somedaysijustwantjammies

This one's a big deal that can have a big impact...

All writers need to feel successful. As a teacher who ditched the deficit model decades ago, I am eagerly on the hunt for positive, genuine ways to compliment each writer as often as I can. Not only is this kind and humane, it respects the writer's developmental stage and builds on his/her strengths. And they ALL have strengths.

In an effort to be strategic...

Compliment based on your teaching points...and do it in a loud-ish whisper...it's another opportunity to reinforce what you're teaching. And...it will benefit all who overhear it.

In order to feel more genuine, your compliments will often sound like "noticings."

If your mini-lessons are about including introductions, your compliments (noticings) might sound like...

If your mini-lessons have been about improving writing stamina, your compliments might sound like...

If your mini-lessons have been about editing, your compliments (noticings) might sound like...

Several years ago, I had the chance to see Peter Johnston speak about Choice Words and it helped shape how I talk to children....as a parent AND educator.

I was mesmerized the entire time he spoke and had many take aways. (In fact, I got to see him again on April 30th and it was incredible!!) The way we speak to children has consequences, positive and negative, on how they view themselves and the world.

This next one might make you a little itchy...or feel the urge to throw tomatoes my way. But please...hear me out!

Check out his content...

This one is big.

When you (respectfully and honorably) hold your writers accountable for conventions that are appropriate for where they are at developmentally, you are communicating your belief in them. You are communicating that you know they are capable of what you're asking of them and that you won't accept less.

Developmentally appropriate accountability means you are working at the cutting edge of your students' learning.

How do you know what's developmentally appropriate for each child? Look at their writing and notice what they are doing sometimes, but not always.

For a child who is putting spaces between words sometimes to often, but not always, it would be developmentally appropriate to cheerlead them to put spaces between all words. Yet, if they are including spaces only occasionally, you'll want to pick a different convention to hold them accountable for...look closely at their spelling - are they including multiple dominant consonants for words, but not all words? Holding them accountable to sound stretching for multiple dominant consonants in most to all words would be more developmentally appropriate.

For a child who is including ending punctuation correctly sometimes to often with multiple sentences, it's appropriate to hold them accountable for correct ending punctuation at the end of most to all sentences. Yet, if they are using ending punctuation incorrectly, you'll want to look closely and find a different convention.

When, with respect and positivity, you hold students accountable for what is within their reach, not only are you helping prevent sloppy habits from forming, you are encouraging them to be more invested in quality work and their rate of progress will likely improve.

When we, as teachers, provide topic after topic to writers (especially reluctant writers), we are enabling the lack of investment of these writers in coming up with their own writing topics.

It is important to make it an expectation.

How do I do it?

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Writing Workshop has been a important and delightful part of my classroom for over ten years. My students and I absolutely adore writing workshop! Yet - I'm still in a constant state of refinement and tweaking of workshop.

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She is a new 1st grade blogger.

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Aloha, Friends! I am excited to link up with someone for the first time for a linky party! What better person to link up with than the master of "Currently" linky parties -

Listening: I LOVE Periscope, but Periscope is such a time sink for me that in order to get things done I need to take Lindsey's ( Miss Johnston's Journey) advice and turn off the phone and even put it in the next room so I can actually.., do work and what not. Anyway, I happened to catch a replay of Mary's periscope in which she shared a cool phone app called "Photo365." If you're quick, you can catch her periscope broadcast. Follow her at @mkkrenke.

Today, I used this Hoover carpet washer to wash, scrub, and rinse the carpet in the TV room and also the sofa, loveseat (?), and arm chair's upholstery. It took a VERY long time... at least 4 hours and it's still drying right now. I am super proud of myself because my family can tell the difference and congratulated me on a job well done. This clearly counts as my workout today.

I should make something for "Monday Made It!" I still have time. It's 8:30pm and maybe I will... but I technically did make something.... cleaner. :-)

I really could use a magic wand to clean up my messes right now. Specifically three spots in the house are really needing attention. Okay, maybe 5... I lied. I got off to a good start, but procrastination and periscope. Yeah.

If I clean up my messes, I can feel free to seriously prep for school. Can someone lend me a magic wand? I'm probably procrastinating on purpose. School starts for teachers in about 2.5 weeks. I'm seriously clinging to summer vacation like... a sloth clinging to a tree branch. I already have the BTS butterflies. Thanks, anxious feelings, you're the best!!

I was raised by my parents and grandmother to be on time, even early, to everything. I really don't like to keep others waiting. I would rather be the one waiting, even if it's inconvenient for me. I hate making others wait. My husband's spontaneity drives me bonkers!!

Hope you enjoyed reading and I didn't bore you!

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Aloha, Friends! I am excited to link up with someone for the first time for a linky party!

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1st grade math resources.

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I absolutely love workstation activities that are easy to prep, easy for the kiddos to understand and do, are easily differentiated, and grow with the students as their skills develop. I'm pretty sure that's what I've got for you tonight! This activity grew out of a planning meeting with my 1st grade team. They wanted a workstation activity the students could use to practice a variety of number sense skills. Throughout the year, their kids learn to work with bigger and bigger numbers until they are working with numbers up to 120.

Here's the little recording sheet I made for them. It prints two to a page, so it's a great size for kiddos to glue in their math journal. Throw the recording sheets in a workstation with a set of , and you're ready to go! It's so easy to differentiate, because you control what numbers the kiddos work with.

Since we ALL want to get in shape for the new year, I thought the workout theme was appropriate! Grab your freebie here.

You might also like these posts:

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Number Sense Workout - Math Coach's Corner

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I absolutely love workstation activities that are easy to prep, easy for the kiddos to understand and do, are easily differentiated, and grow with the students as their skills develop. I'm pretty sure that's what I've got for you tonight! This activity grew out of a planning meeting with my 1st grade team.

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The solution to reading comprehension.

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Free online textbooks, flashcards, practice, real world examples, and simulations.

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Grade 1 ELA

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Listening and Learning Strand | EngageNY

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The Listening and Learning Strand consists of a series of read‐alouds organized by topics (called domains), many of which are informational in nature. The goal of the Listening and Learning Strand is for students to acquire language competence through listening, specifically building a rich vocabulary, and broad knowledge in history and science by being exposed to carefully selected, sequenced, and coherent read‐alouds.

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K-12 Mathematics. Excellent videos and curriculum