I have been meaning to start a blog for quite a while (like 2+ years a while!), but life is just so busy! With the new school year rolling around, I decided now is a good time to get a fresh start. I’m really excited to take the plunge into the teacher blogosphere! A little background on me and how I got to this point: I was an ELL Reading ...
Reading
Teaching Students to Visualize
Visualizing the text is such an important strategy used for building your students’ reading comprehension. It is very versatile as it can be used in different ways with students of all ages and reading levels. I follow the 7 Keys to Comprehension (Zimmerman and Hutchins, 2003) in my classroom. Of the seven reading strategies (Visualize, Use ...
Teaching Students to Comprehend Nonfiction
Reading nonfiction texts can be overwhelming for students, especially when it comes to a topic they are unfamiliar with at a reading a level that is even slightly above theirs. With a push to read more and more nonfiction from lower grade levels, it is important that we set our students up for success with nonfiction reading. Below are 3 ...
Teaching Reading Genres: From Setting up a Classroom Library to Independent Genre Activities
As adults, we often walk into a bookstore with a certain genre we are ready to peruse the aisles for in order to find our next read. Would your students be able to do the same? Are they able to identify their favorite genre as historical fiction, fantasy, mysteries, etc? Students with strong genre knowledge are able to better comprehend books ...
How I Teach Explode the Moment Writing
So often, students just tell about the large picture of an experience. They get so caught up in listing all of the “moments” of the experience that they forget to really hone in on each part of it with vivid details for their readers. This is why one of my favorite writing strategies to teach is “explode the moment” writing. The first time I ...
