Reading Strategies Book Study: Goal 2 Reflection

Welcome back everyone! I am happy to be hosting this week's book study as we dive into Goal 2 of the Reading Strategies Book. I have joined my amazing blogger friends to reflect on Goal 2: Teaching Reading Engagement. This week, I'll be focusing on three strategies to support reading engagement which Serravallo assures us, "Without engagement, we've got nothing."

So, let's get started with Goal 2: Teaching Reading Engagement

Here's a peek at the strategies, levels, genres, and skills covered in this section.

This goal is vital to reading success because ultimately we want our students to become independent readers and thinkers. If they cannot read for a sustained period of time, they will not achieve the goals you work so hard in guided reading groups to attain. I have chosen to focus on three strategies from this goal which include:

• Most Desirable/Least Desirable
• "Party" Ladder
• Track Progress on a Stamina Chart

2.9 Most Desirable/Least Desirable

This strategy focuses on showing what it looks like to be disengaged, distracted, or unfocused while reading. Then, students can show what it looks like to be focused and engaged. By asking the students to show you, they are internalizing the behaviors they need to become successful readers. 

Prompts to ask when teaching this skill would be:

• Can you act like you're pretending to read? Now tell me what's different about real reading.
• Act disengaged, distracted, and unfocused.
• How do the two ways feel different?
• How can you be more focused in your reading?

Furthermore, I've created these anchor charts for my students to put in their reader's notebook and also to display in the room. Together we'll brainstorm and discuss what it looks like to be an engaged reader, and what it looks like to be a disengaged reader. If you'd like to do this activity with your students just click on the pictures to download a copy. Available in English/Spanish!

2.10 "Party" Ladder

I really like this strategy because it celebrates success in reading engagement. Students make small, short-term goals for themselves such as reading a few pages, jotting a thought, reading a few more pages, retelling, then ultimately reach a place in the ladder that allows them to "party!" In this sense party is just a tiny reward where they read a short poem. Students move their sticky note each time they make progress toward their goal. This is a great visual representation for students that need that motivation to stay focused. 

Prompts to ask when teaching this skill would be:

• How long do you think you can read before we switch the task?
• What sorts of things will you do to help you stay focused - stretch breaks, jot about your reading, retell in you mind?
• Let's make a ladder together.

Anchor Chart taken from 2.10 "Party" Ladder, page 57

2.14 Track Progress on a Stamina Chart

This reading strategy offers another visual representation to help students see their growth as engaged, focused, and independent readers. Teaching students about stamina is very important. I've never used stamina charts, but plan on incorporating them with my second graders this year. We've always tracked growth in reading levels, phonics levels, even weekly assessments, but have never tracked stamina which is what they need to master all those other reading assessments. When readers know how long they've been focused, they can set longer time goals for themselves and try to reach their personal best. 

Prompts to ask when teaching this skill would be:

• What's your gaol for today's stamina, based on what you've done so far?
• Let's take a look at your stamina for the last few days.
• What do you notice from your stamina chart.

Anchor chart taken from 2.14 Track Progress on a Stamina Chart, page 61

That's it for today my lovely readers! Hope you found these strategies as useful as I have and that you're thinking about ways to incorporate them in the upcoming year. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know below and I'll get back to you. Thanks for reading!

We would LOVE to read your posts about this book as well!  If you have written a blog post about this book, feel free to link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Reading Strategies Book Study: Goal 1 Reflection

Welcome to The Reading Strategies Book Study hosted by the wonderful Kelly at An Apple for the Teacher. This summer we'll be reading and sharing our reflections on a few of our favorite strategies from the 300 that Jennifer Serravallo writes about in her book. Each week we'll be studying a new goal and three focus strategies that you can use in your reading classroom. I hope you find these strategies useful as you sit, read, and relax this summer.

Let's get started with Goal 1: Supporting Pre-emergent and Emergent Readers

Take a look at the strategies, levels, genres, and skills covered in this section.

This goal focuses on strategies to help any young children who are just beginning to read texts independently, though not yet conventionally. I have chosen to focus on three strategies from this goal which include:

• The WHOLE and Teeny-Tiny Details
• Characters Do, Characters Say
• Connect the Pages

1.2 The WHOLE and Teeny-Tiny Details

I chose to focus on this strategy because I find that my second graders struggle with main idea and details. This strategy would definitely help make this skill more concrete and help them when summarizing what they are reading. I like that students read a page, circle the page with their finger to say what the WHOLE page talked about, then point to certain sections to discuss the details. It is important to use the academic language during this kinesthetic pointing and discussion to internalize the skill. 

Prompts to ask when teaching this skill would be:

• Use your finger. Sweep it across the whole page
• Say, "This WHOLE page is about..."
• Now zoom in on a small part. Say what you're learning.
• Turn the page and try again.

Anchor Chart taken from 1.2 The WHOLE and Teeny-Tiny Details, page 25

1.6 Characters Do, Characters Say

This next strategy focuses on storytelling. As an elementary teacher, this is one of my favorite strategies since students LOVE to come up with stories. This strategy teaches students to try to sound like a storyteller on every page! They can accomplish this by looking carefully at the illustrations and describing what the character is doing and what the character is saying. I think this is excellent practice since students will be analyzing character traits later on! This can be a first step in accomplishing their understanding of characters.

Prompts to ask when teaching this skill would be:

• What do you think he might be saying?
• Look closely at the picture. What's he doing?
• What's the action on this page?

Anchor chart taken from 1.6 Characters Do, Characters Say, page 29

1.19 Connect the Pages

This strategy focuses on reminding the students that ultimately the whole book is about ONE thing. All pages should connect to that ONE thing. I like this particular strategy because I can stop and redirect them back to the main topic and focus of the book. For this strategy you can use transition words to help make the story more memorable and to help in understanding the topic. 

Prompts to ask when teaching this skill would be:

• Think about how these pages connect. 
• Say, "And then..."
• Say, "Another thing..."
• How does what you learn on this page fit with what you learn on that page? *(my favorite)*

Anchor Chart taken from 1.19 Connect the Pages, page 42

That's it for today my lovely readers! Hope you found these strategies as useful as I have and that you're thinking about how to incorporate them in your classroom. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know below and I'll get back to you. Thanks for reading.

Join me as I host Goal 2 (June 30th)

Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway

Summertime is here and so are hot, hot, hot, humid summer days! Most of us teachers are out for summer EXCEPT for me :( I am still doing some curriculum writing tasks for my district so I'm not completely on break yet....BUT I totally love picking up Starbucks as I head out to tackle my long to-do list. What's your favorite drink? Mine... are pictured below :) Now keep reading for a gift card GIVEAWAY opportunity from some of my awesome bloggy friends!

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

 

Prize: $35 Starbucks Gift Card

 

Co-hosts : Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)  The Chocolate Teacher, Ms. K, A Teacher's Idea, Mrs. Roltgen, Debora Marines (Teach Magically), Schoolhouse Treasures, Samson's Shoppe, Minute Mommy, MM Bilingual, Jackie Crews, and English Oh My.

 

Giveaway Organized by: An Apple for the Teacher

 

Rules:  Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  Giveaway ends 6/23/16 and is open worldwide.

 

 

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Activities K-2

Hello friends! Welcome back to this month's K-2 I Teach Linky. I am very excited to be joining my fellow blogger friends to share spectacular ideas with our readers. Be sure to read all the way to the end to grab a FREEBIE and enter our giveaway!!!

This month I am sharing a few ideas about my favorite time of the year.....SUMMER!!! Summer is the perfect time to recharge and prepare for an exciting new school year! During summer the days can drag on by with nothing to do. Do not fret, I have a quick and easy solution for those days with nothing to do. Simply print these "Summer Activities" wheels and use them at home with your own kids.

Since I don't have kids YET (due in August with my first), I print these out and hand out to my wonderful students. They LOVE assembling them and then reading through activities they can look forward to in the summer. What's best is that I have them in English and Spanish for those who need the bilingual version to send home!

Need more summer freebies??? Find my FREE Summer Bingo HERE.
Want to send home meaningful work students can work on independently? Check out my Bilingual Summer BUNDLE HERE

Now head on over to read more ideas perfect for this time of the year! Hope you enjoy them and don't forget to enter into our giveaway for a chance to win a TpT giftcard. Until next time friends! XOXO

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Birthday Pool Party Celebration

Welcome back, friends! I am here today to help my wonderful bloggy friend, The Education Highway, celebrate her birthday! There is a lot in store for you so keep on reading for summer ideas, recipes, FREEBIES, and giveaways!!!!

Summer is my favorite time of the year because I actually have time to try all those recipes and ideas I've pinned throughout the year!!! Check out this refreshing cucumber & dill salad perfect for this 100 degree Texas weather!!!! Yep, you heard it 100 degrees sometimes 100+!!!! I definitely need to keep cool in this heat :)

Summer is a great time to try new activities as well! I will definitely be resting, catching up on sleep, and Netflix binge watching. However,  a few ideas I'd like to try this summer are:

- Backyard Movie Picnic

- Playing Twister with *paint* eeekk!!

- Squirt gun painting :)

- Taking a nature walk in a new place

Do you have any summer ideas to do around the house? Here's a bucket list I found on Pinterest perfect for those days with nothing to do, but to enjoy.

Now here's a special freebie just for you! Keep the kiddos engaged with a summer bingo in ENGLISH and SPANISH!!! Send it home with your students or use it at home with your own kiddos, enjoy! Just click the pictures to download your copy :)

               

       

This blog hop wouldn't be possible without the contributions and support of our lovely sponsors. Check out the FREE Ebook with all our links to follow us and always be up to date with the latest resources available!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

End of the Year Resources

Hello everyone! Welcome back to this month's linky. I am very excited to be joining my fellow blogger friends to share spectacular ideas with our readers. Be sure to read all the way to the end and grab a FREEBIE and enter our giveaway!!!

This month I am sharing a few ideas about planning for the end of the year and resources you can use as you prepare for this bittersweet time.

The end of the year is always the perfect time for reflections. Students and teachers both need time to reflect on all that's happened throughout the year.  As a teacher, I like to sit and jot down everything that's gone great throughout the year, and possibilities of improvement for the following year.

For students, this is a perfect time for an End of the Year Memory Book they can complete and share with their peers. Check out my BUNDLE in both English and Spanish. Here are a few pages from the memory book my students create. You can pick as many pages as you need or give them one each day as you countdown to the last day of school!

Besides a memory book, I LOVE to decorate my bulletin boards with pennants my students create. Here's a FREEBIE for your kiddos to use.

Now time for a giveaway! Enter below, then head on over to read more ideas in this month's linky!!! Until next time, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Learn Like A Pirate - Chapter 8

Hello everyone! Welcome to our final chapter from our "Learn Like A Pirate" Book Study. I'd like to thank The Primary Gal for being such a wonderful host and organizing this. Today we are talking about Empowerment.

My favorite take away from this chapter is: Empower Creativity with Maker Spaces! I am hoping to establish an Imagination Club with my class once my 2nd graders get used to being active learners and more independent. The purpose of this Imagination Club is to "empower kids to be kids and to make, create, design, and build!"

Students would be completely independent in this endeavor: from the planning, to building, to even cleaning up after themselves. In this scheduled time, students would set goals, work towards them, and even experience setbacks. However, that's what life is about. Imagine the experiences and learning a 2nd grader could have from an Imagination Club! I am definitely excited to try this!

I created a Wordle below which I plan to print out and display on a frame. This would be a reminder of the core beliefs of everything I've learned this summer with this AMAZING book :)  So, what will you do differently this upcoming school year to empower your students in the classroom? I'd love to read your comments :)

Before you go, make sure to subscribe to my email newsletter HERE. You will receive a FREE prefixes unit just for signing up and joining my email club!

An InLinkz Link-up