Mrs. P

http://www.mrsp.com/v1/mrsp.html#

Mrs. P's interactive storytelling website is one of my favorites. There is a large variety of genres and amazing literature titles available. Upon entering the magical and realistic site, just head to the library to wander through the titles. Mrs. P. engages listeners on a magical journey.

Classroom Strategies

I have discovered the importance of using a wide variety of strategies in the classroom. The benefits of providing multiple strategies in different ways enables the teacher to plan instruction based upon the knowledge that the children have gained. If we implement the same worksheets on a daily basis are we actually able to assess our students? The website below is an article from Reading Rockets that has a list of many comprehension strategies that can be implemented in the classroom. In addition, it categorizes the activity according to when it should be presented...before reading, during reading, and after reading as well as if the strategy builds vocabulary, writing skills, comprehension etc... This resource also has each strategy linked with an explanation as well as downloads that can be implemented in the classroom. Enjoy!
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies

Reading Tips for Parents

We often struggle with getting parents to become involved in their child's education. Below are some suggestions and a resource to empower parents by giving them ideas of ways to interact with their children and to build and reinforce literacy in the home.

•Invite your child to read with you daily

•Read your child’s favorite book over and over

•Discuss new words

•Stop and ask your child what is happening in the story or what they think might happen next.

•Read from a variety of different kinds of children’s books such as: informational books, fairy tails, magazines, fiction.

•Let your child see you read and write for different purposes

•Make a grocery list together

•Label things in the home and hang them up…door, sink, computer

(Education, 2003)

For more information visit the document below from Ed.gov
http://www.ed.gov/parents/read/resources/readingtips/readingtips.pdf

The Daily CAFE

The CAFE Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser..."The Sisters", is a wonderful research based framework for teachers who are looking for ways to implement comprehension strategies in a systematic and meaningful way. It offers suggestions for goal setting and conferencing. There is also a website by the Sisters which includes instructional videos and articles along with advice for conferencing and organizational sheets. http://www.the2sisters.com/
Although I have never taught using the Daily CAFE, I am very impressed by the organization and suggestions for strategies designed to improve overall comprehension as well as integrating assessments to drive instruction. It allows for differentiation which can meet the individual needs of each of your learners.

WORDLE

Wordle is one of my new favorite technology discoveries! It can be used for multiple purposes. This particular sample was used for a literacy project in which I had to create a parent night power point presentation. I simply typed in multiple literacy terms that I felt were valuable for parents to learn about. This is the cover page of my power point and will serve as an introduction to my presentation. There are multiple things that can be used to create a Wordle. An article on the topic that you would like to represent can be copied and pasted. It automatically takes the words that appear most often in the text and creates a Wordle. Then the font, shape and color scheme can all be altered. One thing that I thought would be fun to do with students is to put in an informational text and create a Wordle. Students can also create Wordles...it is so easy and fun to use!
http://www.wordle.net/

103 Things to Do Before/During/After Reading

As I was perusing literacy blogs, I ran across this amazing article by Jim Burke. It was written in 1998 which seems like a long time ago however, the information and strategies that are included in this article are certainly as though they were written yesterday. As teachers, it is easy to get stuck in a rut of using the worksheets that are in the workbook of the curriculum. These alternatives to worksheets are fantastic. I am sure you will find yourself wondering, "why didn't I think of that?" Here are a few of the strategies that are mentioned to lure you to read the article. Trust me, it is worth your while.

• Mapmaker

Draw a map of the book's setting

• Fishbowl

Impromptu or scheduled, two to four students sit in middle of circle and talk about a text. The class makes observations about the conversation then rotate into the circle.

• Board Games

Have groups design a board game based upon the characters and the story. Then play the game.

http://www.reading rockets.org/article/82