There were so many wonderful comprehension strategies and graphic organizers on this site!  The one strategy that stuck with me was the 3-minute pause strategy.  Sometimes as teachers, we worry about time and content coverage.  Students need time for clarification, reflection and processing of new material.  Taking breaks after large sections for this time allows students the time to process and clarify the information presented, and would reduce the need for re-teaching of materials.

Reading Rockets

I have used this site as a reference as it is organized, easy to read and navigate.  The QAR (Question-Answer Relationship) strategy and the paragraph shrinking both are strategies that I would use.  I like how the QAR strategy teaches the students to think about their thinking – what is the question asking and where do I find the answer?  Paragraph shrinking breaks texts into smaller sections and gives students time to reflect on the content and build on prior knowledge and text.

Adlit.org

The video/multimedia section has a “Meet the Author” section.  What a fun experience for students!  There was also a large section of professional development and classroom video modules.  Under “Just for Fun”, students can play Free Rice game – for each vocabulary word they get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme to help end hunger. 

 

This website is a quick source for printable graphic organizers.  I clicked around and looked at a few and they were very clear and would be easy to use. It seems like I spend a fair amount of time looking for an quick source of graphic organizers that I can print for class. The History Frame graphic organizer looks like it could be useful for textbook sections.

 

Reading Rockets

This is a good website for reading teachers to find information about the tools of our craft. For example, it gives info on why graphic novels are good the struggling reader.  It gives links to related blogs if you want more info.

 

Adolescent Literacy

 The first impression of the website is nice. I like the clean layout and it seems more updated than Reading Quest. There is good and easily accessible info for teachers. I like the chart for graphic organizers – it clearly marks the focus. When you click on the organizer – it give a brief background, lists the benefits and how to use it. You can down load in Word,which is nice if you need to make modifications.

 

TC Reading and Writing Project

 

Videos are really nice if you want to see a strategy in practice.  I initially avoid watching videos due to time constraints, but when I invest the time, I always get something out of it. I’m thinking that I should take some time over the weekend and watch some of them. I watched a class on text based debate and it was very good.

 

Reading Strategies That Really Work

 

This is information written format.  Lots of text – not sure if I would use this when I could go to a website. 

This seemed well laid out. I found graphic organizers that will help with my small group reading class I like the carousal brainstorm for a pre- activity to just about any subject. It could be used in reading, science, social, even math. 

 

ADLIT

I know we were only to look at the strategies, but I got caught up in some research articles that were interesting. I do like how the strategies were in categories and there was a description on how they help in the areas of vocabulary, comprehension and writing. I also liked the description of the benefits, background information, and how to use the strategy. 

 

READING ROCKETS

Reading rockets provides valuable information to help students increase their reading abilities. The story board is something I will be incorporating in their independent reading. Also, it is another place to find more of the same graphic organizers with descriptions and when to use them. 

 

VIMEO

When one wants to see how a strategy is used in the classroom, one can come here and see how the strategy is used. this is great and wonderful if you have the time to watch the video. Maybe in the summer when one is relaxing and thinking about the next years classes. 

 

WHSD.K12.PA.US

This may have valuable information, but there seemed a lot for one to read when they are in a hurry to find something to help with a different reading strategy. I probably would not use this as much because there is so much to read to find the one thing that may make a lesson better. 

I found the Reading Quest website useful because it names the strategies and actually gives you a link to the directions on how to use the strategies. It also has the charts and graphic organizers readily available, which as a teacher is always a welcome thing.  And it doesn’t cost any money.

I also really liked the Reading Strategies that Really Work because it lists the targeted skills for each of the strategies.  It plays out like a really nice cheat sheet when looking for a new way to do something because maybe another strategy is not working.  There appears to be a lot of good information in the document.

The Reading Rockets website also seems to have some nice tools, ranging from strategies to finding books to use, to suggested videos and podcasts.  Getting familiar with a website like this one might give a teacher some more tools in their toolbelt when looking for new idea.