Middle schoolers don’t often come to class eager to discuss global warming, but when you hand them a vivid image and ask them, “What’s going on in this picture?”—well, you just might surprise yourself. Recently, I had the chance to work with an incredible group of middle school students, most of whom are second-language learners. […]
metacognition
Transforming Reading Comprehension with Annotation Cue Cards: A Step-by-Step Guide for Teachers
Ever had your students annotate a text only to get a half-hearted effort and the inevitable, “Is this enough, Miss?” It’s a common challenge in classrooms, but don’t despair! Here’s how I turned this around with annotation cue cards, and how you can too. The Challenge: Superficial Annotations In an 8th-grade class I was working […]
Retain New Information Longer
Teaching for Understanding “If I had a nickel …” is the overused phrase I fight the temptation to say out loud when teachers tell me that they just taught something and their students don’t remember. What actually comes out is usually along the lines of “don’t take it personally. Your students are not out to […]
Activate Prior Learning with a RAN Chart
What is a RAN chart? For me, the RAN chart is the answer to “But the KWL chart doesn’t work in my class!” RAN stands for Reading and Analyzing Nonfiction (credit: Tony Stead). I have always struggled with the KWL chart for a few reasons. I like the concept, but when I asked the students […]
Critical Analysis of a Poem in Middle School
Most middle school students are not thrilled to learn that they will be analyzing one poem over three days.
Guest Post: Mind Mapping with Signposts (Readers’ Workshop)
Guest post by Julia Swanner, Baylor University Intern, and Liz Hagins, Midway ISD Teacher The preface: In our PreAP 8th grade English class, my mentor teacher and I were noticing a severe lack of enthusiasm for reading expository writing, specifically breaking down passages to get to the core of them. We implemented Kylene Beers’s nonfiction “signposts” […]
Instructional Coaching: Modeling a Think-Aloud
** Contact us if you would like to have modeled lessons or workshop-style sessions come to your campus! ** Last month I had the pleasure of modeling a think-aloud in third grade. I was asked to model the process of sharing with students the reading strategies I am using as well as the Gradual Release of […]
Balancing Literacy Instruction. Part Two: Explicit Instruction VS Implicit Instruction
Welcome to Part Two of my series on balancing literacy instruction! While I’m a huge fan of explicit instruction, the benefits of implicit instruction are also great. What’s a teacher to do?? Just joining us? Make sure you check out the first post in this series: Challenging Text VS Instructional Level Text Part Two: Explicit Instruction VS […]