Helpful Links to Literacy Resources

Reading Engagement Inventories and Comprehension Resources

Just Right Books Bookmarks for your Students' Bag of Books

Genre Labels for your Classroom Library

The Power of a Read Aloud

2015 Children's Choices Reading Lists

Writing Resources Link (includes Step Up to Writing Resources also)

Back to SCHOOL!

Welcome back to a new school year! Each year brings on new challenges and a world of opportunities for our students! As you continue to create a home away from home for your students, it is important to create a classroom environment that promotes and values literacy. Cozy nooks for reading, tables with ample supplies for writing, and learning clubs that facilitate opportunities for speaking and listening are just some of the ways that you can encourage and promote effective literacy practices. 

The following link http://www.readingrockets.org/calendar/backtoschool#welcoming will lead you to great resources that will provide you with a wealth of ideas to creating a literacy rich classroom environment and get you off to a great school year! 

Start with a Book!

Summer reading is the key to alleviate the "summer slide." Research has shown that students who read during the summer gain reading skills and those who don't often loose approximately 2 months or 22 percent of instructional time. Many times teachers are spending at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. An entire month that could be spent teaching new material for their current grade level. Encouraging reluctant readers to read during the summer can sometimes be a daunting task; however, there are many ways to motivate young readers. The following link will provide teachers and parents with helpful tools to promote continued learning during the summer. http://www.readingrockets.org/calendar/summer

Reaching Every Student by Teaching in Context!

Throughout my teaching, I have observed that many students are often confused, slow to respond or reluctant to participate during math instruction. They appear timid and restrained because they are afraid of taking risks for fear of failure or not being right. Picture books with math concepts are perfect low stress tools for introducing math concepts and helping to build the confidence that students may lack in order to achieve academic success in math.


Students often times need help to build the necessary schema that it takes to solve word problems. Picture books provide a deeper source of distinction than a fixed word problem or isolated computational skills. They also provide a road map for students to monitor their thinking. Follow the link to an excellent article that describes how to teach math using picture books. 


http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/11/teaching-math-picture-books-part-1

Three Ways to Use Kid-blogging in ELA

Let's face it, technology is a relevant tool in classrooms today. Teachers are compelled to integrate technology into their lessons. If you are in need of some ideas for technology integration follow the link to "Three Ways to Use Kid-Blogging" for your English Language Arts instruction."

Kid Blog: 
http://kidblog.org/home

Conferring with Readers...Assessment in Action

Many teachers strive to see the importance of independent reading. What are the benefits,
how do I asses my students, how can I fit it into my instructional schedule, are just some of the questions that are tossed around in discussions about the importance of independent reading. Jennifer Serravallo provides teachers with lots of practical strategies to grow their students' reading abilities. I highly recommend the The Literacy Teacher's Playbook ( K-2 and/or 3-5) as a resource for all teachers. Follow the link to some free resources to assess and teach your readers.

Jennifer Serravallo’s 5 Lenses to Assess and Teach Readers: Comprehension 

http://heinemann.com/blog/index.php/5lensestoassessandteachreaderscomprehension/

Teacher Independent Reading Tips

Question: How do we know if students are really learning during reading instruction?

Answer: If students can read independently then they are learning!

Follow the link below for excellent independent reading tips!

http://www.reading.org/marketing/docs/mc-october-2010.pdf