Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your
Not sure where to start when it comes to creating a Reading Response Journal? This post shares my favorite tool to use!
Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your
In upper grade classrooms, students spend a great deal of time responding to the texts they read. Over the years I have found that no matter what grade level I teach, students have a difficult time writing thorough and meaningful reading responses. At the start of every year my students need quite a bit of guidance when writing their responses. One of the best ways that I have found to teach students to write meaningful responses is by providing them with sentence frames. I like to encourage students to follow three simple steps when writing reading responses, each with sentence frames and prompts to use: Step 1: What did you read? While reading... In chapter __ of... On page __ of... During today's reading of... Step 2: What happened in the text? Tell what a character said. Tell what a character did. Tell what a character thought, felt, or learned. Describe the setting. Describe an important event that occurred. Explain a problem that was encountered. Step 3: What did you think? This made me think... This made me realize... Based on this, I can infer... Based on this, I can predict... This reminded me of... I can relate to this because... I could visualize... I now understand... This three-step process encourages students to not only tell what happened in a text, but also reflect on what they thought or felt about what they read. Here is a sample response using these steps: I have included a FREE handout for you to share with your students to help guide them in writing thorough and meaningful reading responses. Click HERE download this FREEBIE. If you are looking for more resources for reading response, check out my Reading Response Journals for literature and non-fiction texts. These resources include anchor charts for different reading strategies and skills, as well as more specific sentence frames for the different skills. Click on the pics to learn more. Writing thoughtful reading responses is not always easy, but with a bit of guidance from using sentence frames and prompts, it will soon become second nature for students!!
Getting students to write about reading was a struggle for a LONG TIME! I tried all sorts of approaches, all types of reading response journals and notebooks, and yet it still felt so forced. This year, things have changed!
As teachers we are constantly REINVENTING THE WHEEL!! Although it can be time consuming, one thing I love about my job, is that I get the opportunity to learn, grow, create, and RECREATE year after year!! I have been using Reading Response Journals in my classroom for over 10 years, and each year I make…
This year, I revised the materials in my reader's notebooks. I'm using a combo of a binder and a notebook for reading workshop this year, and I'm not 100% happy with it. I thought I would share some of what I've been doing. Maybe you can help me tweak. Let me first tell you how I've been working it. In their binder, they have a section for anchor charts and handouts. There's an index where they write the title of the paper so they can see at a glance what they have. It' sort of like a mini version of my anchor chart binder, but they have only the few charts I give the entire class and the ones I give specifically to them as needed during conferencing. There's also a section in their binder to keep track of books they have read, books they want to read, and a genre tracker. Now, the notebook is more of our workhorse. The notebook is where they take notes during mini-lessons, jot their thinking about their independent reading, and write their weekly letter to me for assessment. These are the notebooks I use. I got them at Staples during the ten cent sale. My friends turn their notebooks in one day a week. This way I only have to read 4 or 5 a day rather than all 24 at once. As you can see, orange notebooks are due on Tuesdays. When you open the notebook, you will first find this page: I think the note is pretty clear. Our focus this year is all about thinking deeper about our reading. The next couple of pages give an example of friendly letter format and how to edit/proofread their letter. We edited "idea chart" to read "thinking stems" Next, there are facing pages that have the "thinking stems" we use. A reader had asked me to post a link to these, but I just can't find it. I pulled these pages from a file I've had for a few years. I know I originally found them on the web, but when I tried to find them again this year I couldn't. If you have ever run across these, please let me know where so I can credit the author. This is glued on to the left page of the notebook. The other pages is on the right side. I like them facing each other so they can see it all at once. For some reason, I took two half-page pictures of the other page, Update! (7/22/12) Special thanks to Marilyn who emailed me the link she found for these Thinking Stems. This link should take you to a Word document you can print out. I believe they are from the Calhoun School District, but again not sure. CLICK HERE TO GO TO DOCUMENT. These thinking stems are good for helping my friends who have difficulty coming up with something to write. I used them as a springboard when I modeled writing a reading response letter not just once, but twice for my friends. I will do more modeling of this as time goes on and I expect more from their letters. After these pages, I still have two blank pages. One is for a rubric that I have yet to put in their notebook. That's one of the things I've not yet figured out to my satisfaction. While the kids know what I'm looking for, I want a rubric in their notebook. The problem is I can't find one that fits exactly what I want and I've been too lazy busy to just sit down and make my own. I guess I'm going to have to just do it this weekend. The rest of their notebook is filled with notes from our mini-lessons, their independent writing about their reading, and their weekly reading response letter to me. It's actually all working pretty well so far, but I just have this gnawing feeling that I'm missing something. So, I'm throwing it out there to you! What are you doing with your reading notebooks? What do your friends do with their notebooks? Do you use a rubric? What and how are you assessing them? What's worked for you? By the way, don't forget to ENTER MY THANK YOU GIVE AWAY! There are only about 22 or so entries thus far, so the odds are pretty good! You have also been leaving some great ideas for picture books to use in mini-lessons. Click over and check out the comments. Even if you don't enter, you will get some great picture book suggestions.
Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your
Reading Response activities will likely form a major part of your reading programme, whether you are running guided reading groups, a daily 5 system,
When you join my email list, you’ll gain access to my subscriber-only resource library with tons of free printable teaching resources that you can use in your classroom right now.
This week I finally finished “Reading Portfolios” for my students to use this year for their independent and in-class reading. I wanted students to have a place where they could record and track their independent reading habits, take notes on reading strategies and skills, and respond to their in-class and independent reading. I previously shared…
Reading response process resources bundle: response to reading journals (informational and literary texts), response to movies and documentaries journals, reading response exit tickets/task cards, reacting and responding to fiction and non-fiction guidelines. Use these resources with any informational text, novels, movies, and documentaries. No preparation required, print and go. For ESL/ELA students. This resource is ideal for grade 8-11 learners, but it might be useful for below or above these grade levels. This bundle contains the following resources: Reading Response Task Cards (Reading Skills) ESL/ELA Reading Response Journals for Informational Texts and Novels (Reading Skills) Movie and Documentary Guide for any movie ESL/ELA How-to Guide to Reacting and Responding to Fiction and Nonfiction (Handout) ⭐FILE DETAILS: Paper size: 8.5" x 11" (Standard US Letter). Documents are not editable unless otherwise stated. Resources are available either in a PDF or PPT file. ❤️SATISFACTION: Before downloading a product, read the product description and check out the preview document to determine if the resource is appropriate for your students. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. ✨TERMS OF USE: ©️ Versatile Teacher Toolkit - ESL and ELA Resources. All rights reserved. For personal or educational use. You may make copies for your personal or classroom use. Sharing, posting, redistributing, or selling this resource or any part of it on the Internet is prohibited. You can read my full TOU here: Terms of Use ☀ Follow me on TpT ☀ Don't forget to leave feedback to earn TpT credits.
DRAGONLING NOVEL STUDY for Grades 1-4 This comprehensive teaching resource is designed specially to provide a unique reading experience for students in grades 1 through 4. Centered around the thrilling tale of finding a baby dragon, this resource is filled with adventure and fantasy, allowing it to act as an excellent conversation starter within the classroom. Fostering Literary Interest & Enhancing Comprehension Skills: Rather than just being a simple reading material, this resource takes pupils on an imaginative journey that boosts their understanding while encouraging an interest in literature. The Dragonling novel study engages young readers with stimulating activities that include: Retelling the main idea of each chapter Predicting future events Giving opinions based on context clues Sharing personal experiences Promoting Interactive Learning & Written Communication: This tool not only introduces students to response journal writing via the engaging content but also fosters creativity through research assignments. It aids in enhancing their written communication skills whilst allowing them ample room for innovation. Building Vocabulary: The product's vocabulary-building attributes make learning literature language arts simpler by addressing industry-specific dialect in an enjoyable manner rather than using intimidating technical jargon. Description & Accessibility This DRAGONLING NOVEL STUDY teaching guide comes as a PDF file – perfect for quick download and immediate use. This resource can be easily integrated into various teaching modes like whole group instruction or small groups discussions making it equally suitable for both public school educators and homeschoolers. Main Focus: Beyond facilitating learning, this pedagogical blueprint aims to instill in learners a love for literature from an early age – all while developing well-rounded individuals who can formulate intellectual discourse based on contextual readings within their peer groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, this academic package promotes not only text-based exploration but also fosters diverse cognitive processes like hypothesis formation and creative thinking – all under one novel study! It can function as a solid tool for educators to advance their teaching styles while simultaneously engaging young learners at their pace. DRAGONLING NOVEL STUDY Gr. 1-4
Printable Reading Journals are the perfect tool for avid readers and book lovers to keep track of their reading habits and progress. Whether you are someone who reads for leisure or studying, these journals provide a practical and organized way to record your thoughts, reflections, and favorite quotes from the books you read. With the convenience of printable templates, you can easily customize and print out these journals to suit your personal preferences, making it effortless to stay organized and engaged with your reading material.
We've gathered up all of the FREE reading comprehension response sheets we've created and put them HERE! They can be paired with any book and are useful all year long! Grab these sheets for your Kindergarten, 1st grade, or 2nd grade classroom today!
Do you have students do anything while they read independently? Giving students a task to do while reading, like a reading response prompt o...
Expectation: teacher spends 20 blissfully uninterrupted minutes with each reading group while the other students complete their independent reading tasks to fidelity. Reality: teacher spends 18 of the 20 minutes monitoring the activities of students not in the reading group. Result: students don't get quality independent reading time in during the school day, and their comprehension skills suffer. Sound familiar? Trust me, I've been there before. However, things changed once I introduced reading response menus to my reading block. During my first few years of teaching, I struggled with keeping the rest of the class on task while I met with small groups. Unfortunately, this means everyone suffered. The students in my group weren't getting the attention they needed, and the students who were supposed to be at centers were doing everything except what they were supposed to do. I needed to come up with an easy way to keep students on track while they were working independently, one that would them build their reading skills on their own while I met with the students who needed it the most. After a lot of trial and error, I came up with a set of reading menus that students could work on at their own pace, without assistance from me. Now, as a fellow teacher you know that it wasn't immediate sunshine and rainbows once I introduced these menus. There was a lot of modeling and practice, as well as a lot of trial and error, before things started to look up in my classroom. However, once my students got the hang of using the menus (and learned my expectations for how to complete them) my reading block started running much more smoothly! I have used these menus several ways: as an accountability piece during the reading block, and also as nightly reading homework (both with students completing one activity a day). Along the way, I've learned a few things to help implement response menus effectively. Here are some of my top tips: 1. Choose a set up that works for you Ideally, you want to keep everything your students need to work on the response menus in one central location. I would suggest either a composition notebook or 3-prong folder for each student, especially if you are using the menus as a homework assignment. If you are using a composition notebook, you can glue the menus directly in, along with activity examples and a rubric to help the students understand your expectations. It would be the same for a 3-prong folder: place all of the necessary information in the middle of the folder for students to refer to as needed. The best part is once you complete the initial set-up, you can sit back and relax! Your students will have everything they need to complete their assignments for an entire year- one of the reasons response menus are a great choice for independent work! 2. Roll things out slowly I can tell you one thing with certainty- if you just hand something like a response menu over and wave goodbye, you are not going to get the results you want. It's important that students have a chance to practice each menu task with assistance before they work on the menus independently. At the beginning of the year, I would do one activity a day with my students (using the slideshow from my Editable Reading Response Menus to introduce each task). After we were about halfway through the activities, the menus became part of their independent work- with the students only able to select tasks that we had practiced. By the end of the first quarter of school, students could use the menus fully on their own. Since the menus don't have to be completed in any order, you can pick activities that correlate with the lessons you are teaching in class. This is a great way to reinforce the skills you are already teaching! 3. Be clear about your expectations One of the things that my students found most helpful was having an example of each response menu item to refer to. Initially, students would use these examples as a template, and as they grew as writers they would begin to add more personal touches to their writing. The thing that I found most helpful was training my students to use a checklist before turning their assignments in for the week. Since I knew from experience that students will just check things off at will if they don't have a lot of modeling (typical conversation: "You checked off that your name is on the paper and it's nowhere to be found." "Oh...you meant on THIS paper?" #insertcryingemoji)- I made sure to go through the checklist many, many times before handing it off for the first time. If you train your students well in how to use the checklist, grading these menus will be a snap each week. I was able to finish my entire class in 30 minutes- and I was also able to see what skills and strategies were clearly understood, and the ones that needed to be retaught. Want to see more? Head over to TpT to check out my Editable Fiction and Nonfiction Reading Response Menus. In addition to the menus, editable templates, activity examples, slideshow and rubric there are bonus task cards that are perfect for a reading center! Have you used response menus in class before? What are your top tips?
With so many key reading skills to teach and practice, you will find yourself reaching for this list and explanation of strategies all year long. Use it to model and reinforce skills like inferring, synthesizing, and more.
100 Reading Response Prompts 9 PER PAGE! Material Preparation Print out prompts (card stock paper will be make them more sturdy) and laminate (if you choose). Lamination can help your cards to last longer. I like storing these prompts in a jar for easy pulling. You can also punch a hole and put a r...
Scaffold instruction and support writing skills using sentence starters for
Over the years, I have created dozens of anchor charts in my classroom. I am a huge proponent of creating anchor charts with my students, and I strongly believe that the perfect anchor chart isn't always pretty. The posts below feature many of my anchor charts.
A new year means we have new, increasing expectations! Prior to break, students prepared for their literature discussion groups by reading their assigned pages and flagging 3 - 4 thoughts on post-its using our codes. We discussed summarizing earlier in the year, but we also started to revisit it just before break. For those of you who are asking, "What does flagging your thoughts mean? What are these thinking codes?" Click on this blog post and scroll down about half way through! You'll see several anchor charts and video clips to catch you up on all we learned regarding purposeful talk and thinking prior to our winter break. :) Students will be getting a new literature discussion group book next week but rather than just needing to read their assigned pages and flag their thoughts, students will also need to write a response in their Thoughtful Log prior to a literature discussion group meeting. To help remind students of these new expectations, I had them glue a gold reminder sheet in their Thoughtful Logs so they could always find my expectations, even if they're working on their responses at home. Yesterday I introduced my expectations for an entry and modeled for students how to write an acceptable response. I pretended that Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary was my book for my literature discussion group. I read my 'assigned pages' aloud to my students and flagged my thoughts while I read. Right after I got done reading my assigned pages, I got my Thoughtful Log out (a.k.a. chart paper) and started drafting my 3-5 sentence summary of what I read. Next, I started a new paragraph to write 1-2 sentences about a reading strategy I used and a final sentence that started with one of our conversational moves. I also modeled this process again today. Here is my response: After two days of me modeling, it was time for students to practice this themselves. I had students read from their independent chapter books for about 10 minutes. Students flagged 3-4 thoughts while they read. After those 10 minutes, I had students get out their Thoughtful Logs and turn to the page where they glued the gold expectation sheet from yesterday. I moved my own modeled response anchor chart to the front of the room for students to refer to, and they began writing their own responses. Summary paragraph first; strategy/thinking paragraph second. Students referred back to their flagged thoughts to help them draft their second paragraph about their thinking. Here is one student's response about the book she read today. Her summary paragraph of what she read appears at the bottom in this picture. And here is her second paragraph about her strategy use and thinking. I also had students put their post-its in their Thoughtful Logs after they were done writing their response. Students need to be independent readers, writers, thinkers, and discussers (is that a word?!) of text. By assigning students to read a text, flag their thoughts about a text, write about their thoughts about a text, and discuss a text, they will push into the meaning of text at a deeper level. Students will be required to write a response prior to every literature discussion group meeting. Just before a group meets, students can read their summary to remind themselves of what the story was about and their paragraph about their thinking and immediately be 'back in the zone' of their text from the day before. It truly helps prepare kids to discuss a text at a deeper level. Yes, these kids are 9. Yes, these kids are young. And YES, they CAN do it! You might say, "Whoa...that's a lot of writing." Well, we've been writing about our thinking since day one in our room. The kids know it's just what we do. They've gotten really used to the process of reflecting about their thinking. Obviously, it takes a lot of teacher modeling, but with the right scaffolds, students truly can become independent youngsters who can do a WHOLE lot. I believe it's ok to set the bar high, as long as I do my part to get these kids the tools they need to reach it. I think my kids surprised themselves today with all they did in terms of their literacy thinking. I even heard one girl say, "Oh, that wasn't too hard. That was actually kind of fun!" Let's hope that attitude continues.... :) In other 4B news, students have been truly diving in as scientists. Yesterday they sported their safety goggles while taking apart 'mock rocks' (fake rocks). All real rocks are made of a variety of materials. Students sorted the materials in their mock rocks, and tomorrow students will try to figure out how to identify each of the materials based on a variety of tests. Lastly, today we met with our second-grade buddies. Buddy pairs went on a scavenger hunt in both our room and Mrs. Adams' room to find a variety of things. Hope you've all had a great week!
Thank you to Diane for submitting this fun book report poster. It’s legal size (paper) worksheet and is great for lower grades (or as an easy project for upper grades). Great end of the year …
Help your students avoid the STUCK feeling when writing about their reading! Reading responses do NOT have to be challenging when you can use sentence stems to get your students started. These reading response posters are great as a wall display, a reference ring, or for your students’ interactive notebooks. Each chart gives students multiple ways to begin their written responses to eliminate starting each response the same way. These charts will also assist all students (general education, special education, and ESL) with orally responding. This resource will help differentiate your students’ needs and will have your students feeling a lot less overwhelmed when responding to texts. Here's what you'll get: 2 Different Size Options Color Accents AND Black and White Options 80+ Sentence Starters 12 Chart Categories to include: My Prior Knowledge Asking Questions Making Predictions Summarizing Visualizing Making Connections Inferring Characters Evaluating Text Monitoring & Clarifying Author’s Craft Reflection Your students will feel empowered with these charts as they realize they CAN respond to their reading. These stems will give your students the small boost they need to accurately show YOU their comprehension and mastery of reading skills & reading strategies. These are also great to use as a differentiation tool to give help to readers who feel stuck and do not know where to start. Prep is so simple... Just print the size you need and go! Ways to Use: Whole group discussion stems Interactive reading notebooks Guided reading (written response or discussion stems) In a picture frame at your guided reading table On binder rings (portable use) On your classroom wall (large anchor charts) TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jennifer Ellsworth. says, "This resource helps students of all reading, writing, and speaking levels feel more confident when answering text-based questions. I use it often in both whole and small-group instruction." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nadia B. says, "These sentence stems are perfect to help my students with writing written responses. They are stuck with how to begin. I printed the small versions and we put them inside the plastic protectors for collection cards." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meridy W. says, "This resource was helpful as a reference tool for my students as they learn to write essays and recall information from their independent reading books. Thank you!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tammika T. says, "This is a great resource for providing additional instructional support during the ELA block. I use this product with small groups to help structure their writing incrementally. The organizer is a great anchor for students to refer back to in their Seed Notebooks as they continue to work independently to strengthen their writing abilities and produce high-quality work." You may also like… → Reading Trifolds → Reading Strategies Charts → Reading Graphic Organizers → Reading Response Stem Cards (Set 1 + 2) Copyright © The Literacy Dive. Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Please purchase additional licenses if you intend to share this product.
These can be used during independent reading time. Students can use them during reading or after reading. These would be good for reading response journals or partner work. These are geared towards 3rd grade standards, but can be utilized in intermediate grades.
Inner child narrative in our mind influences how we respond to situations as an adult. If you had a dysfunctional relationship with either of your parents, a lot of your responses as an adult will be distorted by that past. Until the subconscious wounds inflicted by your parents are understood and healed, you will not be able to live your authentic life. This worksheet deals with the Innerchild wounds by a father. If you have struggled to understand your dealings with your father in your childhood and how it impacts you today, this worksheet will help. Available in jpeg and pdf formats.
Graphic organizers are an excellent tool for helping your students think about their reading. This amazing set of fiction reading response graphic organizers is designed to support a wide range of readers. Filled with story elements, story maps, plot, setting, vocabulary, summary graphic organizers, and so much more! This resource is filled with over 100 unique and fun graphic organizers, that will engage students and get them thinking about their reading. Each one is created for a variety of skills and strategies—you are sure to find precisely what you need! Use these fiction graphic organizers with any fiction book or story that you already teach in your classroom. This will quickly become one of your favorite go-to resources for your reading class. Just take a peak at the preview to find out even more! Skills and Strategies Included: Character Setting Character Traits Character Analysis Dynamic Character Compare/Contrast Characters Compare/Contrast Settings Plot Asking Questions Problem and Solution Making Inferences Visualization Making Predictions Genres such as fables, fairy tales, folktales, legends, and myths Theme Sequence Vocabulary Story Plot Mountain Story Elements Retell Summarizing Vocabulary Story Structure Character's Point of View Author's Viewpoint 1st and 3rd Person Point of View Analyzing Illustrations Mood Comparing Book to Movie Reading Responses Reasons you need these in your upper elementary classroom: Provides a range of graphic organizers specifically tailored to explore story elements as well as many other fiction reading skills and strategies. Enables students to delve deeper into the text, enhancing their understanding. Engage your students actively in the reading process. Allows students to analyze and reflect on the story. Encourage critical thinking. Promotes deeper comprehension. Enhances overall reading engagement. Look what teachers have said! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Absolutely brilliant product! Such hard work, time and thought has gone into creating such lovely resources, thank you." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"I absolutely love this resource. It is probably one of the best and most practical items I've ever purchased. There are so many great graphic organizers to choose from. I use them all the time in my reading instruction!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"I love having these resources as a part of encouraging my students to enjoy reading!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"This resource has a graphic organizer for everything! I was looking for one which tracked multiple events in a story. It's there! I have also used the story mountain organizer. The best part is that they are not story-specific, so I can reuse them." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"I have used this graphic organizer bundle in both 3rd and 4th grade! My students love these and I use them for small group station rotation centers. I make a packet of the different graphic organizers and students choose which graphic organizer they would like to complete and do so at their independent reading station using their independent reading book. Making a packet allows for student choice and using these graphic organizers hold my students accountable for their reading. I love this resource and will use it for years to come!" Use these in ✔️small groups ✔️literature circles ✔️centers ✔️book clubs ✔️independent reading ✔️or whole group. Use these with ✔️chapter books ✔️picture books ✔️reading series ✔️stories ✔️poems ✔️plays/dramas ✔️read alouds Kindly note: This resource is a non-editable pdf.
