2021 recapped in books: It was a really hard year. It was very hard to concentrate for any length of time. So I read (well really listened to) a lot of fluffy books (light reads), did a lot of rereading of old favs and found it easier to latch on to a series. FAV BOOKS:… Continue reading 2021 My Year in Books (story post)
Setting students up for independent reading success can be difficult. It requires going beyond opening the book shelf and saying "and go." Finding a book (and even curating a list of books) they want to read can be difficult for a teen. For ways to find books for your students see the bottom of the… Continue reading 8 Strategies to Support Choice Reading in the Secondary Classroom
Want students to read more or to help students find their next read? Get them to promote their books to others through a "speed dating" activity.
A collection of micro book reviews (280 characters as per twitter restrictions) that can be used for book talks to promote choice reading selections. Can also be used as exemplars for micro book review assignments.
Secondary students who struggle with reading don't understand that reading isn't something that just happens and that it isn't something that you are innately good at. Teachers have to work hard to get these students to buy into the fact that reading is a skill that can be learned, practiced and improved. And just like any skill it needs to be broken down and taught.
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 5 tells you about the positive impact that teaching high school students how to read has beyond their success in your classroom.
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 4 tells you how to help students find books to read that they will love and how to incorporate independent choice reading into your everyday curriculum.
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 3 tells you the importance of teaching reading strategies, how to set up a reading strategies unit, finding leveled texts, how to teach students how to make connections and ask questions and integrating these strategies throughout the rest of the school year.
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 2 tells you how to access their reading level, how to help them find a "just right book," how to set aside in class time for reading, how to keep students accountable, and the importance of conferencing with students,
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read."
Have you included independent choice reading but notice students reading is lagging? Try creating competition between classes, semesters or years.
Do you want to know why so many of your high school English students struggle with reading? I did, it's why I've spent the last decade figuring out the answer. I have outlined my findings in this blog post.
Teaching Literacy through Mastery and Discovery 