We all know how difficult it is to get some students excited about writing, but sometimes all it takes is an engaging, fun activity to get the most reluctant writers eager to write! Scaffolded writing activities such as roll-a-story story starters, writing prompt sticks, or fill-in-the-blank templates provides opportunities for students to develop independence and confidence with their writing. They’re… View Post
Phrasing is reading smoothly by scooping or grouping words together into meaningful phrases. I often refer to this fluency skill as “scooping” since students can picture themselves “scooping” up groups of words while reading, just like a pelican scoops up fish or a shovel scoops up a pile of sand at the beach. Phrasing is a huge part of oral… View Post
Active reading is the process of being engaged in a text while thinking and reflecting about what is being read. This process encourages strategic reading and helps readers comprehend and gain knowledge from what they are reading. For students, active reading is essential to reading comprehension and allows them to engage with texts in deeper, more meaningful ways; however, many… View Post
Fluency is reading with accuracy while paying attention to pace, phrasing, expression and punctuation. It’s an important literacy skill that develops with practice. One of the most successful and effective methods of becoming a fluent reader is repeated reading. Repeating reading is a research-based practice that focuses on repetition to improve reading fluency. The idea is that students read a… View Post
Comprehension is essential to reading and understanding texts; however, it is one of the more challenging reading skills to teach. Research shows that students who struggle with reading comprehension often struggle with foundational reading skills, such as decoding or fluency; therefore it’s important to strengthen foundation skills so students can focus their mental energy on reading for meaning. Unfortunately, you… View Post
