Category Archives: READING COMPREHENSION / SKILLS

8 Tips to Improve Reading Comprehension for 2nd Graders: Strategies and Book Suggestions

I remember struggling with my son’s reading comprehension in 2nd grade. Although he could read the words, he often couldn’t answer questions about the text because he wasn’t paying attention to what he was reading. This is a common problem that elementary educators face with their students. It can be frustrating for both parents and teachers toContinue reading “8 Tips to Improve Reading Comprehension for 2nd Graders: Strategies and Book Suggestions”

Structure of a Story: Plot

Elementary students need to understand the structure of a story. Knowing the elements of a story will help with comprehension during reading and when writing one, not to mention it’s one of the Common Core: RL.2.7. Characters, setting, point of view and plot are the basic elements of a story. Let’s focus on the plot. TheContinue reading “Structure of a Story: Plot”

Strategies to Build Background Knowledge

Background knowledge is often something we teachers overlook by jumping into the lesson, but it is crucial in helping students understand and retain new knowledge. For instance, a memory came up on my Facebook page recently where I posted a conversation between my youngest son and me: The joy of homeschooling is seeing those lightbulbContinue reading “Strategies to Build Background Knowledge”

Teaching Point of View According to Common Core State Standards

Teaching the Core Standards can be difficult to navigate. In this article, I chose a particular 2nd grade reading standard to give examples on ways to address it in the classroom. CCRA.R.6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. How does one teach this standard in second grade?Continue reading “Teaching Point of View According to Common Core State Standards”

READ-ALOUDS A POWERFUL TOOL

As teachers, we remind the parents of our elementary students to read to their children. We tell them how important it is and that it is also an enjoyable time to spend together. We need to heed our advice and utilize that strategy in our classrooms. Besides being pleasant, modeling reading through teacher read-alouds benefitsContinue reading “READ-ALOUDS A POWERFUL TOOL”

Teaching: Sharing the love

I have always loved teaching. Even as a child, I “graded” comic books and my older brother’s homework! Can you imagine handing in homework with red crayon checkmarks and X’s all over it? Luckily, he forgave me, and I did become a teacher.  I have a bachelor of science degree from Texas A&M University inContinue reading “Teaching: Sharing the love”