Reading Education Articles for Teachers
Book Reports Your Students Can’t Wait to Present!
I think we all had to do book reports growing up, beginning at least in late elementary school. They usually involved some element of writing, some kind of a project, and some form of a presentation. I don’t know about you, but I remember my classmates and I all moaned every time they were brough...
Summer Fiction for the Beach or Backyard
One of the things I savor most about summer is the promise of a few good books. Make that great books–I don’t have time to bother with the merely good ones. Despite the naysayers who proclaimed thoughtful literature would be harder to come by in the age of digital publishing, I haven’t found any ...
Putting Dr. Seuss to Good Use
With Read Across America day (March 2nd) just around the corner, teachers can take the time to step away from the traditional Dr. Seuss stories to explore some of the unconventional, yet incredibly powerful titles, such as Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, The Lorax, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! ...
Cultivate Active Reading Skills
When tackling reading material, especially complex texts, readers benefit from taking notes. However, the notes need to be meaningful, and students don't necessarily intuitively know how to write meaningful notes. Teach them some strategies that will help them comprehend and analyze any text. The...
Four Storybook Apps to Add to Your Class Library
Looking for that perfect story to read to your class? Check out these stories available for your mobile device. They include extra features that you won't necessarily find in traditional books and still contain meaningful messages and charming illustrations.
1. K12 Read Aloud Classics Series
St...
Implementing Reader's Workshop in the Primary Classroom
For many teachers on the East Coast, Reader's Workshop has been a staple in reading instruction. Now, as we move closer toward full implementation of the Common Core State Standards, teachers on the West Coast will have a chance to try this innovative teaching strategy. Instead of state-adopted b...
Running an Elementary Book Club
Once you have a book club set up, there are a few essential elements you’ll want to include in each meeting.
These include:
A snack, preferably relating to the book.
Literary discussion for about twenty minutes.
A project for about thirty minutes.
Within this framework, you have lots of ...
How To Tackle the Dilemma: "I Don't Like Reading. Books are Boring."
"I hate reading," "Books are boring," "Can't we just watch the movie?" As teachers, we have heard these remarks, or some variation of them, every year we have been in the classroom. Yet, it doesn't have to be this way. In my experience, children who don't like independent reading fall into two ca...
Stories! Imagination! Joy!
“We are all storytellers. It’s been going on as long as there have been people…” Jane Treat.
Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Passover, Bastille Day, and all of the special days that are celebrated around the world have one thing in common: their traditions have been passed to the next generat...
A Year of Reading
Utilizing youth or adolescent literature books in the classroom can take many forms and functions. It is the stepping stone for which pupils not only learn to choose independent reading materials and study more complex pieces of literature, but it is also a stepping stone to getting to know your ...
Celebrating Maurice Sendak's Legacy
On May 8, 2012 the world said goodbye to award-winning author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak. Sendak is best known for expanding the boundaries of children’s literature through many of his books, including the widely known Where the Wild Things Are. It was through his writing and illustrations t...
Maurice Sendak's Books: More Relevant and Rigorous than Ever
Maurice Sendak’s passing provides educators, parents, children — indeed, readers of all ages — an opportunity to revisit the pleasures of both his vivid writing and his evocative illustrations. How many of us pulled out our home, or classroom-library copies of his 1963 Caldecott-winning Where the...
Early Childhood Summer Reading List and Activities
Summer months are a wonderful time to grab a tote bag full of good books and set off for sunny adventures. Young readers will love local library summer reading incentive programs and story hours. While the library is sure to have plenty of title suggestions, here are some of my students' favorite...
Get Caught Reading: Sharpen Your Literary Focus
If I had a dollar for every student who told me they hated reading, I could retire right now. As a teacher of remedial reading in East Nashville, most of my pupils come to me with exclusively bad experiences with reading. To them, reading is not an activity in itself, but rather a dull, frustrati...
Celebrate Books with an Author Study
As children, we all read books that we would classify as unforgettable. For me, those books include Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, and Socks by Beverly Cleary. Since this month we will celebrate Children’s Book Week, it is a good time to dust off ...