Reading is one of my favorite things to teach, but it can be challenging! In this section, you’ll find tips and resources for key reading comprehension strategies, how to implement effective reading centers, and lots of mentor text ideas to enhance your reading instruction.
Latest Reading Posts from the Blog
Fun and Effective Nonfiction Text Feature Activities
“Nonfiction Text Features” at first glance may not sound super exciting, but it’s such a fun reading concept to teach! It’s not a phrase that
Choosing “Just Right” Books in Upper Elementary
The topic of “just right” books has become big in recent years. A quick search of Pinterest or Google will bring up a plethora of
Do These Puzzle Pieces Fit? Using Text Evidence to Make Inferences
Making inferences is a super important skill for both 4th and 5th graders. Luckily, the process for making an inference is simple. Just take some
A Fresh Perspective on Theme: 5 Things Students Need to Know
Have you ever repeated a word so many times that it seems to lose all of its meaning? In reading instruction, “theme” can be one
Character Profiles: How to Inspire Readers to Connect Literature and Life
Some reading skills that we teach in elementary translate directly to real life, and vice versa….these are basically a two-for-one deal! Work on an important
What is Standards-Based Grading? Why is It So Hard? And How to Tackle It!
What is Standards-Based Grading, Why is It So Hard, and How to Tackle It! Standards-based grading’s advent came around in 2012, two years after the
Tracking Student Data: Why Measuring Student Reading Progress is Vital in Today’s Classroom
Over the last few years, education has adopted many new endeavors that rely on data to tailor the student learning experience. For example, your school
QAR: 4 Question and Answer Relationships to Help Students Clarify Text
QAR: 4 Question and Answer Relationships to Help Students Clarify Text Teachers like to keep things fresh! We want to hold our students’ attention and
Bringing Text Alive: How to Use Pictures and Videos to Deepen Understanding
Bringing Text Alive: How to Use Pictures or Videos to Deepen Understanding A striking image, a funny video, a fascinating picture of a faraway place…what
3 Effective Strategies to Use With ANY Informational Text
Picture books and other fictional literature have long been a focus in elementary school, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. What has shifted in
The Power of Charts, Graphs, and Timelines: Can They Really Help Students Understand the Text?
Sometimes it seems like most information that adults encounter these days is condensed into a visual format. We just don’t have the attention span to
How to Inspire Students to Ask and Answer Meaningful Questions About Informational Text
Most teachers out there would agree that questioning is an essential part of reading comprehension. Students have to be able to answer questions about what
