Saturday, June 21, 2014

Reflecting About Reading Comprehension

I'm linking up again with Laura from

teach 
READING COMPREHENSION!

Next year I'm going to be making many changes
to how I teach reading.

I'm currently reading the book, 
The Book Whisper by Donalyn Miller.
I've only read three chapters, so I haven't really made it to the "meat" of the book.
So far I know that I want to reorganize my classroom library.
I also want to quickly read more books that the kids are interested in reading.

I'm hoping that Donalyn will share how she conferences with the kids
and holds them accountable for reading 40 books.

I'm going to set a goal for the kids in my third grade class. 
I'm not sure about 40, but maybe 30.
I can always change it next year.

I want to plan more mentor text reading lessons
and really try to get my class to LOVE reading.


Our district helped us to get organized and find a reading level for each student.
I'm going to start this at the beginning of the school year.
I'm also going to keep going with my small reading groups.
I'm sure there will be some changes there as a read some other books this summer.

Here are two products I use all the time for whole class lessons, 
small group and even individual reading lessons.

These foldables are my top selling item.
They are easy to cut out and paste into reading journals.
You can also choose a few different foldables
and make them into a lapbook for any text.



These are another one of my favorite items.
The pages are meant to be cut in 1/2.
I often copy two pages back to back.
Each kid then gets a 1/2 sheet of paper.
You can put a few pages together to make a small packet.

I'll be honest, reading is not one of my favorite subjects to teach.
I have a feeling by reading some professional books and making a few changes,
I will learn to love it.

I'd love to give away a copy of each product above.
Simply answer this question and I'll pick two winners in the next day or two.

What are some professional books you have read 
that changed the way you teach reading?




13 comments:

  1. Jan Richardson's The Next Step in Guided Reading, Brenda Overturf's Word Nerds, and Paula Denton's The Power of our Words.

    Jennifer
    jennifermharrison80@gmail.com

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  2. Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor is wonderful!

    Kim
    khenry22@aol.com

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  3. Jeanette, I am so happy to have read this post because I struggle with teaching reading every year. I actually bought the Book Whisperer, but I didn't really get much out of it so I'm curious to see what you think. Two books that did help me quite a bit are: Practice With Purpose by Debbie Diller = great for setting up center; Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller = great for mini-lessons. Also, I feel conflicted because we have basal readers, and I've been picking and choosing lately because I'm trying to do more small guided reading groups but we don't have any materials for leveling the kids. Plus, we don't have a guided reading library with chapter books. I don't mean to ramble on - I just made such a connection to your post, and I love your interactive notebook idea, too.

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  4. Next Steps in Guiding Reading. Our school is looking at implementing reading and writing into one workshop model using Next steps as our guide.
    I had an opportunity to work with Beth Newingham and love how she incorporate literacy centers into her workshop model.
    Anna

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  5. I just bought The Book Whisper, I haven't began to read it but heard great things. I'm currently reading Reading Essentials by Regie Routman. It has given my own spark in reading back! It is a good read, she is very realistic in her views, it helps if you go into reading the book with an open mind!

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  6. I'm also reading the Book Whisperer this summer. We don't have much freedom in the way we teach reading, so I haven't read very much about reading. Mosaic of Thought is the last one I read that made a real impact.

    Deb @ Not very fancy

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  7. I read The Book Whisperer and really enjoyed it. I started off super excited about the reading conferences but unfortunately started to slack off because it was a lot to keep up with :(. I hope to figure out a better method this year and stick with it because I definitely think it is very beneficial for the students. I'm anxious to hear your thoughts when you finish the book!

    Bethany
    FabandFunin4th!

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  8. Strategies That Work is the book we are mandated to follow. It is actually pretty good.
    Deb
    Debinderry@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Jeanette -- Thanks for sharing your reflections and action steps. I love that there are things you'll change and things that will stay the same. I absolutely love The Book Whisperer -- the book inspires teachers to examine and rethink reading in the classroom. Here are some other "teaching reading" books that have inspired my practice: What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard Allington, Knee to Knee, Eye to Eye: Circling in on Comprehension by Ardith Cole, Reading Power: Teaching Students to Think While They Read by Adrienne Gear. Thanks for sharing, Julie

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  10. Thanks for all the great ideas! My hubby picked #7 and #9. I'll contact you in the next few minutes!

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