I wanted to post some information that you may find immediately useful in your classroom.
Below I have included a wonderful post and video clip from the Daily Cafe website that will help guide you in your fluency instruction. I know oftentimes we fight the battle of teaching kids to read fluently, while telling them not to rush through the text. Below is a lesson for 4th graders about teaching kids how and when to adjust their speed. The teacher goes into detail about why and under what circumstances we change our speed. I really liked this lesson for several reasons. Watch to see how this teacher “sections” her guided reading or “teacher table” notebooks. Also, I’ve spotted some “Mountain Language” in the background!
Daily Cafe Video Clip
Categories: Teacher Resources · reading
What a session I was able to attend at the IRA conference! Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (some of you may know them as the 2sisters or the authors of The Daily 5) presented even more of their fabulous ideas and information. They were a very dynamic pair to watch, and I was really pulled into the session by their enthusiasm.
One small snippet of information that has stuck with me: the average age of the children we teach is about equal to the average number of minutes they can maintain thinking in their upper level cortex before their thinking moves to their lower level cortex (the part of the brain responsible for eating, sleeping, and breathing). I couldn’t believe it!
A resource you have to check out: www.thedailycafe.com . It has all kinds of free resources, including handouts and schedules for your classroom.
Read here for something I found to me really valuable- Creating a Sense of Urgency in Your Classroom.
There are certain parts that require subscription, but it appears to be worth it! They were quick to remind all of the teachers about the three main components of your reading block: Task, Structure, and System. They were truly inspiring!
Categories: Uncategorized
Looking for ways to enhance your literacy block? Adding rich technology experiences can be just the answer.
During the IRA conference, I attending a session presented by ReadWriteThink.org. This website offers a wealth of wonderful lessons and resources to use in the classroom. This site also sponsors a great podcast called Chatting About Books. Podcasts and videos are categorized by age group and cover a variety of themes and genres. The podcasts follow the samre format each episode so that it’s easy to follow and predictable for the students. During the Book Chat, different books are highlighted and briefly summarized. The Cookies and Milk segment discusses a favorite book more in depth. The final segment is the Expert Chat which in many cases is a discussion with an author whose books are highlighted.
Each web page contains links to activities kids can do online and at home. Videos demonstrate different activities students can do at school or at home. It’s a resource you can’t overlook!
You may be asking yourself, “What a podcast?” A podcast is simply an auido or video file delivered online. Podcasts are often done in a series of episodes. Chatting About Books is a simple idea that gets kids engaged in books and reading.
How can you take this a step further? Here are some simple ideas:
- Create your own podcast about books.
- Have kids record thier favorite poem.
- Groups can record a reader’s theater.
- Students can illustrate their favorite part of a story, import the pictures into Movie Maker, record a scipt and presto….a video podcast!
An easy way to get started it just to share some of the podcasts with your class. Let them brainstorm ideas on how they can do their own. Getting students to create their own podcasts will engage them in the writing process, cooperative learning, problem solving, research, and, yes, reading!
I have listed some wonderful podcasts and videos that have been done by other teachers and students to get your creative juices going! Should you need help getting started please don’t hesitate to ask me.
Let the creativity begin!
Categories: Teacher Resources · Technology · reading
