By incorporating text connections, teachers not only enhance students’ understanding of a book but also promote critical thinking. Students will learn to compare and contrast stories, relate the story to their own experiences, and connect it to the broader world. These connections will deepen their engagement with the book and foster critical thinking skills that extend beyond the pages of the story.
Category Archives: Reading
The Power of Systematic Instruction in Elementary Literacy: Building Strong Foundations for Lifelong Learning
How teachers teach is crucial in elementary school, where kids start their learning journey. One way that helps kids learn is called systematic instruction. This article explains what it means, how it works in a classroom, and why starting with the basics is so important. What Is Systematic Instruction? Systematic instruction is a fancy wayContinue reading “The Power of Systematic Instruction in Elementary Literacy: Building Strong Foundations for Lifelong Learning”
Boosting Reading Comprehension: Encouraging Summarization and Note-Taking
Incorporating summarization and note-taking into your child’s reading routine is a powerful strategy for enhancing their reading comprehension.
The Power of Asking Questions to Build Reading Comprehension
This blog post will explore the benefits of incorporating questioning techniques into your child’s reading routine and provide practical tips to make it a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Reading Comprehension Strategies: Reading Aloud and Expanding Topics
I will explore two key reading comprehension strategies in this blog post: reading aloud and gradually expanding topics. By incorporating these techniques into your child’s reading routine, you can enhance their focus, processing abilities, and overall engagement with the text.
How to Effectively Teach Plot Structure to Elementary Students
A solid grasp of plot structure and its connected elements is essential for students to understand and enjoy fictional texts. Once students master the structure of a plot, they unlock the ability to read and appreciate numerous picture books and read-alouds.
Teaching Reading with the CCSS: Making Connections to Self, Across Texts, and to the World
Introduction As teachers, we all want to inspire our students to become lifelong learners and critical thinkers. We want them to engage with the world around them and develop empathy for others. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide a framework for teaching essential skills that will prepare our students for success in college, career, and life. In thisContinue reading “Teaching Reading with the CCSS: Making Connections to Self, Across Texts, and to the World”
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”
