Reading Specialist
Ideas, Thoughts, and Reflections
Leadership
Professional Resources
www.bookdepository.com
Making Big Words
A guide for word study activities in junior classrooms
PDF available
How to Give Effective Feedback To Your Students
I really like the idea of using this text to work with students on giving feedback to each other. I plan on making an anchor chart for our classroom to help teach one another.
PDF available
Reading Power
Also available: Reading Power for Non-Fiction
PDF available
Munsch At Play
Robert Munsch stories adapted to scripts.
Activity Idea: comparison of script vs book
The Big Six
Beyond the Bake Sale
Inquiry Circles in Action
Making Thinking Visible
IQ A Practical Guide to Inquiry-Based Learning
Picture Books and Novels
Good Night iPad (parody of Good Night Moon)
Dot (great world to self connection)
The Brief Thief (fun and engaging text/inferencing/predicting/drama/writing)
The Taking Tree (parody of The Giving Tree)
Rainbow Crow (consider for use with story telling and grade 5 Social Studies)
LaRue for Mayor (consider for use with grade 5 Social Studies)
Moo Who?/Piggie Pie/Bad Boys (Anything by Margie Palatini...excellent teachable texts)
If (great questioning book)
Tuesday (inferencing, questioning)
Encounter (Critical Literacy; Social Studies)
Classroom Ideas, Games and Teaching Strategies
Dot Survey
It Says, I Say, And So...
That`s Me
Alphabet Game
Alphabet Race
Quick Write on a given topic... then work with group to create group poetry
Touch Blue (Red Elbow)
Game: What's my noun? (like headbanz) good idea for teaching content vocabulary
Happiness Improves Productivity
Ideas for building classroom relationships.
Check it out:
Readers Theatre
Ideas: Start with a really engaging text! Show students examples of readers theatre production (check out youtube). Co-create success criteria with students before allowing time to practice and prepare. Video students as a "dress rehearsal" to allow students to give and receive feedback on their work. Modify success criteria as needed. Time for practice and rehearsal. Final performance (record).
Script Idea: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
**Media Literacy Idea: Check out the Video
Word Study
Parent Home Challenge; students bring home scrambled letters of a word we studied in class, parents try to figure out the big word and see how many smaller words they can make.
Making words using a set of letters, students give clues to make new words.
E.g., PACE (exchange a letter to make a word that means go fast) RACE
This would be a good way to teach students lessons about Prefixes/Suffixes
or other word family lessons.
Diagnostic: Words Their Way
To help guide what spelling rules and patterns students are struggling with
Excellent website:
www.spellingcity.com