Introducing New Reading Strategies

I was writing a post about how I am using my readers's notebooks and I started to explain how I introduce strategies but I think this deserves it's own post!

I stick to the Modeling, Guided practice, Independent practice layout.  First, I tell the students the name of the strategy and a 1 or 2 sentence definition of it.  Next, I model how to use the strategy with a picture book & a think-aloud.  I select places to stop & use the strategy in each book.  The first few stopping points I model how to use the strategy with them.  The next few, I let them try and I guide them.  The last 1 or 2 stopping points I have the students write down how they would use the strategy (Independent practice).  If we have time, I let them free read and practice the strategy more.

I realize that may have sounded confusing so here is my lesson for Checking for Understanding:

Intro: "Today, you are going to learn a new reading strategy called Check for Understanding.  When you check for understanding you simply make sure you understand what you are reading as you read.  After you read a few pages, stop and retell the story to yourself.  If you can do that, keep reading.  If you can't go back and reread.  I think this is one of the most important but simple strategies you will learn.  I'm going to read The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers and show you how I check for understanding while I read."

Modeling: I will read 2-3 pages and then stop and re-tell what I have just read.  If I can retell the important parts, I keep reading.  If I can't, I stop and re-read that section again.  

Guided Practice: I will continue reading and stopping but instead of retelling the section myself, a student will.  

Independent Practice: The last 2 stopping points, I have the students write down their simple retelling.  We go over the first one together and I assess the second one.  

Closure: I have the students share their final retelling and explain what checking for understanding is or how to do it.  

The next day, I introduce the strategy card and sentence frames for that strategy.  The students practice using the strategy independently & writing think-marks for that strategy.  I don't have them write think-marks for checking for understanding so they would read and I would stop everyone a few times and have them check for understanding by writing their retelling - just so I know they are using the strategy.  

This isn't the most creative way to introduce strategies but my students need structure and consistency so it works for me! 

Reader's Notebooks

A week or so ago, I posted about my new reader's notebooks.  I wanted to share with you how my students are using them.  

First, I am introducing the notebooks slowly.  The first day we created Do's and Don'ts, took a tour of the notebook, and decorated the covers.  The next day, we read the Cafe menu and created reading goals.  Since I only have 5 students at a time, one worked with me on choose a goal or two while the others filled in their reading interests.  

     

For the next few days, we practiced using think-marks.  The students reviewed a strategy a day (5 minutes) and I showed them the sentence frame(s) for that strategy.  They independently read and filled in a practice stop & jot page (not one in their notebook, I wanted to give them time to practice and make mistakes).  We went over their use of the strategy and their writing until I knew they understood the strategy and how to write about that strategy.  

Now that my students have a few different strategies to write about, they read a book and used their notebooks to document their thinking.    We will continue to do this until Christmas break.  In January, I plan on introducing the reading response journal section.  

I am using paperclips as bookmarks for the response section and the stop & jot section.  The paper clip goes on the page the students are working on so they can quickly find the correct page.  

I might add ribbons to the paperclips to make them a little more fun.  

You can purchase the Reader's Notebook at my Teachers Notebook store.

Literature Circles

As of right now, I have 35 students!  I have a group of fifth grade boys who need to work on comprehension so I immediately thought of doing literature circles.  I had no packets that were appropriate for them so I decided to make my own.  My rules and behavior chart are in a space theme so I made the packet in a space theme as well.

I chose roles that require students to write summaries, make predictions, infer character traits, determine important ideas, and ask open-ended questions.  The packet includes question starters to help students with questions and a list of character traits, two versions of the cover page, and role descriptions.  I have added the packet to my Teachers Notebook store.  If you want a literature circle in a different theme, please let me know and I'll do my best to make one!  

Enjoy your Friday night, 

Becky

PS - I'm working on a literature circle scoring rubric this weekend.

More Projects!

I am so inspired by all of the blogs out there!  I have found such amazing activities on many teaching blogs.  Thanks to all of you, I really feel confident going into the start of the school year.  It's hard not knowing who my students are or what grade levels I'm working with because I can't plan anything yet. (Although I just found out what IEP students I'm working with at building #1 so I started planning for the 3 of them).   So I took a bunch of ideas that would work with a variety of grade levels and got to work recreating some of them and making some of my own ideas as well.  

A while ago, I was reading the blog I heart Organizing and saw the idea to use the mini expandable files to hold receipts.  I loved that idea so I went to Target's dollar spot and bought a few.  I bought a smaller one to hold coupons.  

 Receipts are organized by month.  

 Coupons are in 6 categories: This Trip, This Week, This Month, This Year, Restaurant, and Stores for coupons that are specific to a store. 

As I was looking at the files I realized that these would be perfect for my Dolch Word Kits!  My first year teaching I made a bunch of Dolch Word Kits using the materials from The School Bell. The sight words are broken down into 11 lists and the students get a book with all the words in it.  So I printed a label for the cover and labeled the tabs 1-11.  I also made a tab for the students book.  This is so much better than keeping each list's flashcards in an envelope as they are currently. What do you use these files for?

My next project was making a Story Map poster that can be found at Create Teach Share.  

 I LOVE the finished product!  Without a board in building # 2, I'm going to be relying on posters like these.  She also has a making connections poster which I am starting now.  I'm thinking about adding a question mark at the bottom of this for lingering questions. 

All summer I have been waiting to make the birthday balloons that I found on What the Teacher Wants. As I was cutting out the balloons, I realized that many parents in my district don't want their kids coming home with a giant pixie stick.  I had just bought some crazy straws to use as pointers so I used those instead.  Not as fun as a pixie stick but more parent friendly.  If any of you have ideas for something else to use, please let me know!  

They are cute though! I don't have a container to keep them in yet but I will find one when I get more straws.  

I was on Mrs. Unger's blog when I saw her stretchy the snake word cards.  

I printed out her cards and a label and made this: 

A white label would have worked better but I was already printing on clear labels so I just added it to the bottom of the sheet.  

This year I want to focus on reading instruction.  I now know that I will have two 5th graders and a 4th grade at building 1.  I want them to be able to really discuss a book and be forced to think about it while reading.  I wanted to collect questions to ask students during our reading groups so anyone could randomly grab a few questions and ask them.  I decided to print the questions on clear labels and stick them on craft sticks.  The labels were a little big so I had to tape the back of the sticks to keep the labels from peeling off. 

  I like the look of the wood behind the words.  I'm going to keep the sticks in a Wasabi Pea Canister as soon as my fiance eats a bunch of wasabi peas :) 

Finally, I spray painted some pizza trays for students to use magnetic letters on.  I was looking for cookie trays but when I saw the round pizza trays I had to go with them.  They are like giant polka dots!

I have seen this so many different places.  I have no idea where it originated from so there is no link.  

Thank you to everyone who is posting all their ideas for new-ish teachers like me to use!  Even though I only know who 3 of my students are, I feel like I have found enough ideas from all of you to get me through October! 

-Becky