In Focus: Comprehension Summarizer, Questioner, Clarifier, Predictor. With this comprehension strategy, kids take on active roles in guiding group discussions about text. In a video clip from our Launching Young Readers series, grab a seat at the table at a Seattle elementary classroom where the "students take charge." The teacher models the technique by starting with a strong "main idea" question.
See reciprocal teaching strategy > Related article: Reciprocal Teaching for the Primary Grades: "We Can Do It, Too!" Critical thinking, the ability to think deeply about a topic or a book, is an essential skill for children to develop. Critical thinking doesn't develop overnight. It's something that develops and builds through conversations and experiences. It's also something parents can nurture by sharing quality books with their children.
Read article (in English and Spanish) > Two teachers explain how they use the compare-contrast structure in informational text to help their second graders learn new words (particularly academic and content-specific vocabulary), activate and extend background knowledge, and deepen comprehension. A list of picture books that organize around a compare-contrast structure is also included. Although these strategies can benefit all young learners, the compare-contrast text structure is particularly helpful to ELL students.
Read article >  |  | Many a teacher has asked a student to "tell about the story" only to be met with a blank stare. This may be particularly true for kids with autism. For some students with autism, it can be a challenge to use the communication skills required to answer the question. Others may lack the story comprehension needed to respond. This article suggests several strategies to help build both comprehension and verbal expression, including think alouds, paired reading, reader's theater, reciprocal teaching, and story retelling.
See article > See all of our comprehension resources > | |
Books & Authors Award-winning watercolor artist and illustrator E.B. Lewis says that collaborating with children's writers is like "weaving a cloth" and together they create stories that are rich and authentic. Lewis invests time and energy into his research. "I have to make sure that when a child opens my book, they're transported… because I've done my homework," he says. Lewis also talks about his struggles as a young student and how dyslexia has positively shaped his work and life.
Watch interview > Explore the achievements of African Americans through stories, biography, and literacy activities. In our updated Black History Month section, you'll discover great online resources for the classroom and for family discussions. Watch video interviews with award-winning writers and illustrators — and browse our children's books featuring the lives of artists, musicians, writers, athletes, and civil rights leaders as well as stories about African American families.
See Black History Month resources > The world around is endlessly fascinating to kids. Tap into a child's natural curiosity with some of the picture books in our newest booklist, How Things Work. Flying buttresses, bubbles, inventors, a growing seedling, and a hippopotamus in need of a bath are just a few of the ideas explored within.
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For Educators February 14th is Valentine's Day, a day to show family and friends how much you love and appreciate them. Here at Reading Rockets, we also see Valentine's Day as a perfect opportunity to practice creative writing skills — and take a fresh look at poetry, figurative language, and word play. Kids can experiment with poetry forms like Korean sijo and cinquain. Special video feature: a visit with children's writer Laura Elliott, author of A String of Hearts who shares wonderful ideas to spark creativity with words and art.
See Valentine's Day writing activities > | | Our reading expert and blogger, Dr. Joanne Meier, unearthed some wonderful web resources that really turn up the fun on science inquiry. A visit to The Yuckiest Site on the Internet is a great introduction to how the human body works, including the truth about dandruff and earwax. Are your ears as big as a grizzly bear's? Try "Measure Your Self," an online activity from the Lawrence Hall of Science to find out. Dig in to discover more!
Go to blog post > Do you love fantasy novels? Biographies? Mysteries? Sports? Have you ever read a book that was so amazing you told all your friends "you've GOT to read this!"? Here's an opportunity for your students to share with other kids what they're reading and discover new books based on peer recommendations. You'll also find an online workshop on how to write a book review, with writer Rodman Philbrick.
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For Parents Help your child naturally learn the steps of the scientific process — from asking good questions to sharpening observation skills to communicating what you've learned. (From our new Literacy in the Sciences series).
See article > Subscribe to Growing Readers: Literacy in the Sciences > Created by teachers and journalists, this reader-friendly website provides timely, relevant news articles for kids, educators in the classroom, and parents at home. The language is fresh and accessible to a wide range of literacy levels. The big topics covered include national and world news, science, politics, arts, sports, and entertainment.
Go to website > Perhaps your child was the first to read to the others in kindergarten. Now you and the teacher realize he can't paraphrase what he's read in order to write reports for school. While he can technically read the words on the page, he has never comprehended what he's read. You feel your child needs extra help. Where to look? This article from GreatSchools outlines the steps to take before your child's specific problem has been identified.
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Research & News This guide from the U.S. Department of Education recommends five specific steps that teachers, reading coaches, and principals can take to successfully improve reading comprehension for children K-3. The five recommendations are: (1) teach students how to use reading comprehension strategies; (2) teach students to identify and use a text's organizational structure to learn and remember content; (3) guide students through focused, high-quality discussion on the meaning of texts; (4) carefully select texts that support reading comprehension; and (5) create an engaging and motivating context for instruction.
Download report (PDF) > | | New research published in the journal Science found that taking tests actually helps people learn, and works better than a number of other study techniques. Students who read a passage and took a test asking them to recall what they read, retained about 50 percent more of the information a week later than students who used other methods, including the widely used concept mapping strategy.
Learn more > In a recent memo to state directors of special education, the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs emphasized that Response to Intervention (RTI) is just one piece of a comprehensive evaluation for students suspected of learning disability — but cannot delay the initial evaluation for special education services. This creates challenges for districts trying to give the RTI process enough time to see if the intensive instruction is actually working.
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At the corner, 'Tricia Ann saw a building rising above all that surrounded it, looking proud in the summer sun. It was much more than bricks and stone. It was an idea. Mama Frances called it a doorway to freedom. When she looked at it, she didn't feel angry or hurt or embarrassed. 'At last,' she whispered, 'I've made it to Someplace Special.'
'Tricia Ann has just arrived at the city public library. — From Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack
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