Assess Independent Reading with a Cloze Activity
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

Cloze is short for closure. So a cloze activity can bring closure to a reading assignment by assessing how well students understood a passage after reading independently. During a cloze activity, students complete a fill-in-the-blank summary of the passage WITHOUT looking back at the original text. [read more...]

Character Cubing
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

When comprehending the plot of a narrative text, students need a strong understanding of the main characters. This requires taking note of literal details the author provides, but also inferring beyond the text. To help students develop a more complete view of each character, try Character Cubing. [read more...]

Creative Literature Responses
Monday, December 13th, 2010

A strong literature response goes beyond a summary. Students need to demonstrate understanding by not regurgitating the plot of a novel, but rather by adding new insights. They need to apply their understanding by thinking beyond just what the text said, [read more...]

Writing Assignments Tied to Literature
Monday, October 25th, 2010

Reading novels and lengthy literature can consume a lot of class time. Consequently, it's not uncommon that writing becomes less of a focus. However, look for opportunities to have students write in different genres as they read. Here are a few writing assignments we've developed using three popular novels. [read more...]

Incorporate "Answer of the Day" in your Morning Work Routine
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Here’s a great strategy that Linda Settlemyr from South Adams Elementary (Berne, IN) is utilizing based on a poster she purchased from Really Good Stuff. Several times a week, she hangs the poster, which reads Today’s answer is…. In the blank, she posts a noun (e.g. spring or family or [read more...]

Create Simple Summaries with Pyramids
Friday, April 24th, 2009

I’ve shared the idea of Information Pyramids previously. It’s one of my favorite strategies for getting students to summarize a main idea and to include some specific supporting details. Since sharing it, many teachers have told me of their successes with it. So I am referencing [read more...]

Require Students to Reference the Text
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

A large portion of most state standardized tests include students writing an extended-response prompt. This requires students to read a passage and then write to a prompted topic. The bulk of a writer’s score is based on how he supports his thinking with examples and evidence from [read more...]

Using Pictures to Jumpstart Summary Writing
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

After reading a story or selection in the reading series, many teachers have students retell the story by writing a short summary. Woodburn Elementary second grade teacher Pam Weesner jumpstarts her summary writing with a strategy that targets her visual learners and reluctant writers. [read more...]

Using the Inside Book Covers for Simple Reader Response
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Remember the days of signing your name on the library card when checking out a book? Remember scanning the card to see who had read the book before you? Or seeing your name more than once in an old favorite? Julie Meitzler has revived that feeling [read more...]

Teaching Reading Comprehension Skills
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Developing concrete imgages for invisible skills can help students get the meaning behind the object lesson. After sharing this concept with several staffs last month, teachers worked in teams to develop concrete images to illustrate a variety of reading comprehension strategies. [read more...]