An elementary art teacher blog with art projects and lessons, DIY projects and outfit photos as well as clothing I have made myself.

This is a visual for how students work their way up the Reading Ladder. Kindergarten is working within the levels 1 and 2 throughout the year. When working with your child, please focus on these skills so that they have a solid reading foundation. Success is earned and needs to be worked for. Thank you to Katelyn's Learning Studio for this amazing resource.

A comprehension activity on the topic pollution! Hope it helps! Have a nice day! :) - ESL worksheets

If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.

Progress monitoring is critical in any setting, but it is especially important in the special education setting. And while I know it is important, I also know that it needs to be quick and informative. If you use my special education reading intervention, I’m happy to tell you that you’ll be able to progress monitor […]

We know that all students need access to grade level content area information, but how can we make this happen with students of so many varying reading levels? Some ways to support students in understanding difficult

Here are some DIY tactile ideas and my favorite tracing materials, that are inexpensive and easy for the Orton-Gillingham tutor to use.

Have you ever given your students the opportunity to record and listen to themselves read? As teachers, we frequently observe and conference with our students about their oral reading fluency. However, it can be much more meaningful for students to actually hear and evaluate themselves. Last year I started doing fluency self-evaluations as a center and was very pleased with the ownership my students began to take toward achieving their reading goals. My second graders used the free workflow app Showbie to complete their fluency self-evaluations. After practicing their passage several times, they recorded themselves reading it aloud. Once they played back their recording they filled out the rubric, along with their goals for next time, and sent it to me via Showbie. If you don’t have a class set of iPads, you may want to try one of the many free voice recording apps by doing a search in the app store. One of the best and most user-friendly apps I’ve found is Voice Recorder by Tap Media (free). Students simply press the “Record” button and then “Stop” when they are finished. Then they press the “Play” button to hear their recording. There’s even the option to save recordings in folders if you want to keep a record of your students’ progress. You can grab my rubric for free by clicking HERE or on the image below.

This research-based reading intervention program is AMAZING. Over 10,000 teachers are using The Reading Intervention Program and seeing incredible results.

I love using hands-on activities for multi-syllable words because it helps keep it engaging. These activities are easy to prep and store.

A LOOK AT LEXILES and Text Complexity While delivering PD yesterday, a teacher asked me, "What's a Lexile?" I wanted to say, "where have you been?" But the reality is--I commend her for not being afraid to ask what we think is such a basic question. We forget that some people have been so busy working in the trenches that they haven't been able to keep up. (They've been too busy administering tests, Student Learning Objective assessments, state exams and more.) So, listed below are the basics of LEXILES 101. Essential understandings: The Common Core has defined where "college and career ready" (CCR) students should be reading and it's a 1450 Lexile. Therefore, they scaffolded in reverse levels to graduate students at the appropriate level. These Lexile levels are more difficult than where typical students are reading. Lexile is an algorithm. It is a mathematical assessment of a linguistic product. Lexiles (and other readability statistics) are fallible. (For instance, it is not valid for prose or drama and is less valid for fiction in 1000+ Lexile range.) The parent organization to the CCSS, (CCSSO formally called the Governor’s convention) recently released a white paper verifying the validity of text complexity. Therefore, we have to pay attention to this essential shift to embrace "rigor" in reading. To read the recent white paper from the Council of Chief State School Officers click here. This article compares a number of algorithms and the summarizes text complexity for the CCSS. Text complexity formulas were meant for instructional purposes. Pleasure reading should be allowed at any level and this is validated in the Common Core, Appendix A, page 9, paragraph 1: It is very interesting, to compare the variables used among the six different "approved" complexity measures. Metametrics (Lexile) uses the simplest measure of only word count and sentence length. (Lexile.com provides a search tool for books, but many are missing.) Other companies including Accelerated Reader (ATOS) and Pearson, DRP, etc... add additional measures of review such as punctuation, a 100,000-word vocabulary match, and more. Therefore, we would conclude that the ratings of the latter companies would be more accurate picture of complexity and appropriateness. This quote from page 17 of the white paper puts it diplomatically: "There is no clear "gold standard" measure of text difficulty against which to compare the various metrics. Instead, we compared each metric against various reference measures based on grade level and student comprehension data for five sets of passages gathered for the study. These are defined and discussed in the sections following. Although there are limitations in the validity of these indicators as measures of text difficulty, the variety in their construction allows us to observe the robustness of the metrics and consider how different reference measures might affect their performance." Be sure to note that Microsoft Word's Flesch-Kincaid measure has also been proven valid. This picture shows how to "turn on" readability statistics within Word: Readability statistics, is only one characteristic to examine for instructional materials. Please see the charts below to identify correct grade levels and Lexiles - or level of complexity. The Common Core has asked teachers to evaluate classroom materials for quality as well as quantity. Complexity is only one piece of the puzzle. In addition, a teacher, librarian, or educator, has to pay attention to: • Complexity - Lexile, vocabulary • Qualitative measures -value • Reader and the task -is there enough in the text to foster good discussion, value -added assignments, and begin a knowledge exploration. How can I use this novel or passage to foster critical thinking skills? Every reading program (F and P, AR, Reading Counts, etc.) uses as its baseline, some metric to measure difficulty or "readability". Here is a chart by Perma-bound, which correlates the different reading measures:

These free phonics reading passages have it all: phonics skills, fluency practice and comprehension questions. Plus, students love them!

Do you have struggling readers you just can't reach? This mega list of reading intervention activities will help you teach all students how to read!

classroom kindness banner worksheet activity

If you are tired of searching for a solid reading program, look no further. Pathway to Fluency is a complete and comprehensive Science of Reading

Looking for a no prep, age appropriate, science of reading intervention for your Upper Elementary Students (3rd, 4th, and 5th grades)? These phonics worksheets and decoding activities are designed to close READING AND SPELLING gaps quickly. Filled with engaging, interactive activities, this phonics intervention will build your students' enthusiasm for reading in no time at all. Science of Reading aligned and specifically created to support struggling readers and students with dyslexia. Excellent for RTI Tier 2 intervention, small group support, special education settings (IEP Goal setting and tracking), tutoring and homeschooling. Helping students become skilled, fluent readers for LIFE by teaching decoding strategies in 10-15 minutes a day. No prep/printable & digital lessons. Designed to accelerate the learning process by presenting words that range in complexity and match words students will encounter in the upper grades. SYSTEMATIC AND EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION (Systematic Phonics is an evidence-based method for teaching individuals with disabilities and other reading challenges.) ⭐️Includes Step-By-Step, scripted instructions designed for teachers and parents. ⭐️Support for Struggling Readers Grade 3 and up ⭐️Data Sheets Included-Chart your students' growth! HERE'S WHAT THIS BEST SELLING INTERVENTION INCLUDES: -An explicit approach to “re-teaching” phonics -Sound-symbol cards that correspond with each focus vowel lesson (Short Vowels, Vowel Teams, Silent E, R-controlled and Diphthong vowel patterns). -Phonics mats that correspond with one syllable and multisyllabic words. -TWO FONT OPTIONS: TRADITIONAL AND OPENDYSLEXIC -“Sort and Spell” pages for each vowel sound that provide students with the opportunity to sort the words they have just read according to their vowel sounds, thereby enabling them to correctly spell each word. Teacher planning pages included for each vowel sound. -PROGRESS MONITORING TEACHER DATA SHEETS designed to assist with pre and post assessment data. Perfect for general education RTI and Special Education IEP goal tracking. ⭐️ Other resources you may be interested in: INDEPENDENT/NO PREP PHONICS ACTIVITIES: SHORT VOWEL PHONICS ACTIVITIES LONG VOWEL-R-CONTROLLED AND DIPHTHONG PHONICS ACTIVITIES MULTISYLLABIC PHONICS ACTIVITIES OR DIVE DEEP INTO DECODING COMPLEX WORDS: DECODING MULTISYLLABIC WORD BUNDLE DECODING MULTISYLLABIC WORDS: PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES ********************************************************* As a Resource Specialist, I have been teaching reading intervention groups for many years and these are the interventions that work for me! I use these programs for small group instruction, no more than 10 minutes a day, and often send them home with parents who are looking to support their child at home. My work is also great to offer as an RTI intervention. Good teachers know that not all students learn alike. At Creative Pathways, I provide teachers and parents with interventions that offer alternative, creative approaches to teaching a skill that has not been previously mastered by a child. I hope you enjoy using this resource to support your students' learning. I would love to receive feedback on this product, or any other resource you've downloaded from my Creative Pathways Store. Also, please “Follow Me” so you don’t miss out on additional resources I will be posting in the future and the Freebies I plan on listing. Happy Teaching and Learning to you and your students.

FREE response to intervention forms and how to use them

what are effective reading comprehension strategies to help readers and struggling readers in your upper elementary classroom? this reading strategies list will help guide your reading instruction

I have always assigned nightly reading. Why? I don't assign nightly reading because I want to give students "reading homework." I don't assign nightly reading

I mean...why WOULDN'T you use cootie catchers in your reading block? It makes perfect sense. Ok - remember last week how I was talking about doing a little spring cleaning with some of my TpT resources? Well, I did a little spring cleaning in my file folders on my computer as well. Yikes. Now THAT'S a bit of a rabbit hole. I got in a little deeper than I wanted to, but I figured I might as well finish the job. I got rid of a lot (a LOT) of cringe worthy products that just didn't make the cut anymore, and I got some major organizing done as well. BUT - you know what I found? THIS >>> It's a reading comprehension cootie catcher that I TOTALLY forgot I made! And since it resurfaced for me - I thought I'd resurface it for you! I'm sure I made it for you guys in the first place, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere on the blog. There's actually 3 different versions. They have different comprehension questions that can be used with any fictional book. They work great as a quick partner review game. You can download them here! Find any long-lost things in your spring cleaning, lately? Pin and Share this freebie:

Try these 11 effective reading intervention strategies to help you reach your struggling readers and be the difference with...

Free reading sorts for grades 4-5 with idea for implementation! These make perfect reading centers, stations, and independent practice reading activiites.

My school has begun RtI officially this year. I am the "intervention specialist" for our school's RtI team (sounds fancy I know!). In my ...

This summer, after attending a reading workshop, I've made it my goal to amp up and improve my guided reading and shared reading instruction. With this in

I've got one more summarizing idea to share with you! Did you see my other posts about writing summaries HERE and HERE?

The Best Reading Manipulatives For Every Classroom - 15 of the best reading manipulatives for your classroom. These manipulatives for reading help reinforce literacy skills and make learning fun.

Don't have time in your day to reach every student? My 10 Minute Reading Intervention resource can help you squeeze in lessons that are fast & effective!

Perfect for kids in kindergarten through middle school, these reading comprehension strategies and activities for struggling readers will not disappoint!

Yesterday, I shared a Fiction Text Structure Chart and today, I’m sharing a FREE Nonfiction Text Features Chart. BOTH of these charts are a fantastic way to help readers, especially struggling readers with comprehension. *This post contains affiliate links. **The free printable can be found at the END of this post. Just click on the ... Read More about Nonfiction Text Features Chart

Download this FREE Help Your Child Learn to Read reading tips brochure for your students' parents to support their child in learning to read.

10 Activities to Increase Reading Fluency for your first grade students. Ideas for small groups instruction and stations.