Reading strategies support comprehension in reading. They help scaffold the students' thinking, reading, note-taking skills, and writing. Reading Strategies for Fiction Fictional text is organized through the story structure. It is useful for students to describe the character by taking notes. To analyze the character, I use a web diagram and also a three column… Continue reading Reading Strategies with a Laser-Focus
Literature Circles are a great way to have student led discussions. Students get a sense of responsibility, accountability, and cooperation. How do I start literature circles? The discussion director is the role I like to start with. As I read and think aloud, I write down questions. I model thought provoking, open ended questions. There… Continue reading Flexible Literature Circles can Empower Students
Book reports are written to explain the content of a book. Whether reporting on a fiction or nonfiction book, comprehension skills and strategies are used independently. When reporting on a book that is fiction, you will want students to include a plot map, character analysis, connections, and a brief book review. Fiction Book Reports A… Continue reading Simple Book Reports Templates for All Books
Writers organize nonfiction text into five text structures. They are description, sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution. Most text that students read above grade 4 is nonfiction. Text structure graphic organizers are a great way for students to organize their notes. Description Description is one example of a text structure. The text… Continue reading How are Text Structures Organized in Nonfiction?
Text features for nonfiction are a great tool to help students focus on their reading. Most of the reading material in middle school and high school is nonfiction. Students struggle with nonfiction text. You might have told students to slow down, reread the text, add more evidence to their answer, or take better notes. While… Continue reading Why are Text Features for Nonfiction Important?
