by Alison Sansone | General, Tips for Reading
The most powerful memories I have of my childhood are the moments I shared with my father, when he taught me to read. Those memories were always precious to me; but more precious is the opportunity that I have to watch him read a bedtime story to my nieces today,...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
This week I am turning my blog temporarily over to a guest blogger. Before I do, I want to remind everyone that writing is reading. The act of writing and revising requires reading and thinking. What a great way to grow your literacy! Blogging can be one way to allow...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
Just when you thought all the reasons to read were on the table, here come some more! The feast of reading includes acquiring grammar, vocabulary and strong writing skills. As a matter of fact, according to decades of research, we gain the majority of our vocabulary...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
Consider a reading resolution for this year! I might suggest to you to make reading nonfiction to/with your children a priority. By nonfiction here I mean an informational text that might be on a specific topic such as dinosaurs, pets, Mexico (the list is endless)....
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
Anyone get a fluency reading score coming home from school for their school-age child recently? You may have recently received a report that gives a single number which represents the number of words your child read in one minute. Anyone wondering why we are timing...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
I was recently co-teaching in a middle school classroom where the teacher reminded his students that looking at pictures is not a bad thing. I thought it very insightful of him to anticipate that his students might feel this way. They may think that lingering over...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
Have you ever said anything remotely like this, “If you continue to do —–, then you will have to go read in your room.” As a classroom teacher who wants to make learning an enjoyable experience, I pledged long ago to never put the words “have to” in front...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
Ahhh, summer vacation is here and my good friend and neighbor suggested something brilliantly simple (which are my favorite kind of brilliant ideas). She is reading every morning during summer break with her daughter for 30 minutes. They each read what they like but...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
Reading and writing go together like peanut butter and jelly. They complement each other and make the other stronger. Teachers who use best practice in their classrooms know this and incorporate writing daily with their reading instruction. Consider yourself. When...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
That is an engaging question that I am going to start using more in my classroom instruction. Brilliantly simple and so powerful! I recently read a blog posted on the importance of this question to preclude ‘What are you wondering?’ because naturally we have to notice...
by Alison Sansone | General, Tips for Reading
1. Have Repetition and Be Predictable: Do you remember how smart you felt, as a kid, when you figured out what was going to happen next in a story? With toddlers, it’s important to include books that contain repetitions, as they mature, add predictable and rhyming...
by Laura Gorrity | General, Tips for Reading
I recently read an article on how important it is for teachers to read and write alongside our students. We work to make both processes seem natural and something they will do for the rest of their lives and not just inside of a classroom. I am always thinking aloud...
