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Monitor, Pause, Clarify
Over the last week, my students have been practicing the comprehension strategy Monitor and Clarify while reading a variety of texts in groups, individually and online. I have found this strategy to...
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Reading Lingo
Getting students to understand not just a reading strategy, but the terminology for each strategy seems to be one of the keys for me. If I just keep using the words monitor and clarify, visualize, and...
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Sharing Lessons with Friends from Red Chair
Bun, Pip, Tab, Sox and Ted are the fun characters that make up a team featured in the Problem Solved! Readers series of books from Red Chair. These five friends go on adventures that lead them to...
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Theme Versus Subject in Fiction
A common misconception – and sometimes even a challenge even for seasoned readers – is differentiating between a written work’s theme and subject. In order to help students understand a literary work’s...
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Inferring with Norman Rockwell – Finding the Clues
One of my favorite ways to teach inferencing skills to students is to use Norman Rockwell. He captures the hearts of so many of us: young and old. He has a realistic sense of humor, a poignant grasp...
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A Return to Big Universe
Literacy lights the way. (Hannah Woodard Photography) I’ve been away from blogging for BigUniverse.com for several months due to family tragedy, and I have missed taking my daily online stroll...
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Four Ways to Revisit Reading
The holidays are over, and now is a time when people of all ages look at the year anew. January is a great time to reevaluate where you are, where you have been and where you want to be. This is true...
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Music to Read By
Music is a powerful tool for so many things. It can be something we use in our schools to help motivate our students as well as set the tone for our classroom. Listening to music is a great way to...
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Responding to Literature in a Different Way
Responding to literature is something that I, like many other teachers, try to get students to do; however, staring at a piece of blank white paper and trying to think of words to effectively express...
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“Thank You for the Birthday Gift”
Image courtesy of renjith krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net My son sat on the couch and was speaking, but I couldn’t follow. I was busy doing something, any of those mundane things that moms seem to do...
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Multiple Ways to Make Reading Come Alive
Teaching literature can be so much than at-home reading assignments, pop quizzes testing reading comprehension and follow up discussion. In “Help for Struggling Readers: Making Reading Exciting” by...
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Give Me Ten …
Here is an activity for you to do (it can also be done with children, but I would encourage you to do it first): Make a list of 10+ of your favorite books … Look back at your list and really pay...
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Publisher Spotlight: Dawn Publications
Dawn Publications is dedicated to inspiring in children a deeper understanding and appreciation for all life on Earth. We aim to help parents and teachers encourage children to bond with the Earth in...
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Summer Ideas for Struggling Readers
That time is almost upon us …. Summer! What about some ideas for students who may need some extra encouragement to keep reading over the summer? BigUniverse Learning provides great books that could be...
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Does Reading Impact Writing?
For years I told my students that reading would help them become better writers … I encouraged them to read all different genres to hopefully find a style/type they enjoyed to not only hook them into...
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Write through the Summer
When my son came home from the last day of school, he was sulking. “Aren’t you happy that today was the last day of school?” “No.” “Are you sad that you will miss your friends?” “No.” “Did something...
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Building a Community for Struggling Readers
With summer vacation in full swing, it is too easy to let the school year’s required daily 20-minute readings slide by the wayside. As we all juggle work-life responsibilities, we need some R&R....
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Balanced Literacy: What Come To Mind?
Balanced Literacy is differentiated … Recently I heard someone say, “When I think of differentiation, I think of change.” I started thinking about what comes to mind when I hear differentiation. I...
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Children Love to Share Their Favorite Books
Anyone who spends time in a classroom can tell you–students love to talk about their favorite things. Any opportunity to share stories, new toys, or exciting experiences is usually highly anticipated...
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Reading Essentials Part 1: Reading Aloud
Reading aloud is something children never outgrow. The benefits extend far beyond the classroom, and it can be a vital part of a child’s literary development. Let’s investigate some ways to use this...
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