Posts Tagged ‘reading’
Drawing to Enhance Understanding
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . During a recent literacy lesson, I had the opportunity to work with a group of fourth graders who were reading a piece of historical fiction. They were working to construct a character analysis and decided to create some drawings to show their understanding of the text.…
Read MoreEnlarge Your World
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “There are many ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all” – Jacqueline Kennedy One of the most important things we can do to help instill a love of learning in our students is to read to them every day.…
Read MoreMy Child Can Read a Level
From the desk of Carol C… My child is reading above grade level. My child is reading at level J. My child is struggling with reading. How could all of these statements be said about the same child? Do they not contradict each other? The answers depend on the definition of the word “reading” you…
Read MoreA Parent's Guide to Asking Questions
From the desk of Leigh Ann… Life is an unanswered question, but let’s still believe in the dignity and importance of the question.~ Tennessee Williams Questions, questions, questions! Skillful readers ask themselves questions as they read to build understanding. Often children read and save the questions for the end. To better understand a text readers…
Read MoreThe Character of Characters – Developing Greater Understanding
From the desk of Leigh Ann… In our kindergarten class our emergent readers are working with simple predictable texts to develop appropriate reading behaviors, extend word recognition, and increase decoding skills. These texts are perfect for our young ones as they develop fluency and the strategies they need to decode new words. The limiting factors…
Read MoreBurkins & Yaris: Reading Wellness Workshop
Join us in July to spend the day with Jan Burkins & Kim Yaris! Their workshop will be focused on Reading Wellness: Lessons that Teach Independence and Proficiency Thursday, July 24, 2014 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (Registration & continental breakfast at 8:00) at The McKimmon Conference & Training Center, NCSU Campus, Raleigh, NC Click…
Read MoreToo Good for Guided Reading?
From the desk of Alice… I recently had a conversation with a teacher who said her kids don’t really need Guided Reading anymore because they are her top students and they can read well. If you are in a school working on Guided Reading, you may have heard this, too. In a perfect school world,…
Read MoreA Boy and the Library
From the desk of Alice… Let me introduce you to Miller: He is 6. He is a boy. His favorite time of day at school is on the playground because he is “fast”. He likes to be right. All the time. He has a sharp sense of humor and understands sarcasm. He enjoys math because…
Read MoreOne Little Way to Enlarge Your Child's World
From the desk of Leigh Ann… “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Research has shown that one of the most important things a parent can do to help instill a love of learning in their child is to read to…
Read MoreClassroom Libraries
From the desk of Carol C… Every classroom needs a library. It’s easy to say but hard to do. I remember collecting books for my first classroom library and then trying to keep it current. Here’s what I did. When I first began to teach I didn’t have a strong grasp on how to motivate…
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