Reader’s theater is always a hit with students, but it also has many reading benefits. Anything that kids love and that also works on important reading skills, is always a great choice for instructional practice. Here are the reasons why you should use reader’s theater in your classroom and how to make it work. What is Reader’s Theater? First, let’s…
Small group reading instruction is so important for our students’ growth as readers. Time is also so limited. Those first few minutes of guided reading can easily be wasted as students are getting to the table, but fluency drills are the perfect way to get students working and thinking right away. Please note: this post was written before I realized…
Helping students to decode can feel overwhelming. What do you do when older students, say 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, are struggling to decode words that should come easily? It can feel like a conundrum. You don’t want to give them “baby” practice, but it’s important to review foundational ideas and skills that will give them the tools they need.…
Summarizing is such an important reading skill that is often really tricky for students. As a teacher, I find that my students struggle with writing summaries because they either want to tell me way too much or way too little. I’ve also found that the longer the story, the harder it is for them to summarize. I felt like I…