While many teachers are still finishing up a couple more weeks of distance learning, I wanted to share 5 easy comprehension activities that can be used remotely, at home, or in a classroom! I shared this information in a recent video so if you would like to watch or listen to it, just click below. […]

Teaching questioning to primary readers can be tricky! I find that interesting because kids grow up asking questions nonstop!  Then, getting them to ask questions in an academic setting can prove to be challenging. Today, I wanted to share a few fun and free activities to get students asking questions both before and during reading. […]

When we teach students to synthesize, we let them know that they are combining what they already know with new information they learn from the text. As we do this, our thinking changes and grows! It’s important to teach students not to just repeat back what they’re learning. Instead, we want our students to realize […]

Teaching students to visualize while they read helps them to connect and comprehend the stories they hear and read in the classroom. I wanted to share some activities to help students visualize in first and second grade. Our Feelings: I like using this activity to show students that our visualizations are often very personal. Based […]

Teaching students to activate their schema in kindergarten, first, and second grade can seem abstract at first. Once I let students know they actually use their schema all the time, they become more comfortable explaining their thoughts! Both as a first grade teacher and a K-2 literacy teacher, I emphasized schema at the beginning of […]

Comprehension! It is the most important part of reading, isn’t it? I am always looking for ways to help my students with their comprehension and providing stopping points to think aloud has helped tremendously. The conscious act of checking in it a strategy many students use to help them determine when they might need to […]

Asking questions while reading is such an important skill for students to learn. There are many activities to help students practice questioning, but I find the best way is to through reading and modeling.   “Thinking is not driven by answers but by questions.” (Paul & Elder 2000)   When teaching students to ask questions […]

Book clubs in first grade?! It may seem like a stretch, but the Spring is such a great time to get your students ready and used to reading, thinking about, and discussing books with their peers instead of me, the teacher!   When done right, it can be such a fun learning experience for both […]