Literacy and Reading Skills, Page 3
Read the Signs
This short downloadable video encourages emerging readers to look for the words on signs they might see every day.
Reason to Read
In this 2-minute downloadable video, Patty Loveless and Buddy Jewel sing a catchy country tune that shows people reading everything from books and recipes to maps and song lyrics. The song and accompanying images provide motivating reminders of the importance of reading in everyday life. Video is captioned. Scroll down for a background essay and teaching tips.
Reader's Theater
Background, scripts, and ideas for using RT in the classroom.
Reading the Movies: Another Approach to Teaching Critical Thinking Skills and Writing
This lesson utilizes elements of film to analyze character, action, and theme in the 1994 movie Quiz Show. Through classroom discussion, journaling, and a multi-paragraph critical essay, the lesson also encourages students to make personal connections and real life applications as they view movies and television critically as well as for entertainment. This unit is designed for grades 11 and 12 and takes about 7 days. Access requires Adobe Reader.
Reading and Writing via the Myths
Strategies to motivate students to read, write, and follow their interests into other areas. This unit is designed for grades 4-6 and includes an extensive related reading list.
Reading Quest: Strategies for Reading Comprehension
Originally designed for social studies, this site offers 27 strategies for developing student literacy.
Reading Response Journals
Suggestions for responding to reading.
Trading Card
This page was not designed with education in mind, but it will serve nicely for responding to reading, especially character analysis. Students upload a picture, add some icons and text, save the resulting picture to their desktops, and then print a "trading card."
Sentence Segmentation
Twelve activities to help K-1 students separate sentences into words. This 54-page document includes all the printables needed and requires Adobe Reader for access. (Suggestion: save the document to your computer and print only the pages you need.)
Shared Reading
Description of the strategy and tips for success.
Skimming and Scanning: Using The [New York] Times to Develop Reading Skills
In this lesson, students practice and explore the reading skills of skimming and scanning with the front page of The New York Times and come away understanding how and when to use these skills. The process outlined here will translate to other texts, as well.
Songs 4 Teachers
Free, original theme-related songs and poems for educators to download, activities, books suggestions, midis, links and more.
Strategies for Reading Comprehension
A list of 28 strategies to support reading skills. All include a description; some also include printables.
Storyline Online
Members of the Screen Actors Guild read children's books aloud. Each book comes with activities and lesson ideas.
StoryNory
At this site children can read and listen to a story.
StoryPlace: The Children's Digital Library
Available in both English and Spanish, this site offers reading activities for preschool and elementary readers and their families. Follow the link to Book Hive to find a site for middle school readers.
Storytelling
This series of videos and lesson plans teaches the richness of narrative tradition, supporting students in their efforts to create their own narratives. The series has 4 parts:
Story Station
Online texts of contemporary stories for children and young adult readers.
Text Graffiti: Previewing Challenging Topics
A teacher models and discusses a pre-reading strategy that asks students to analyze short pieces of text and respond to them before reading a longer piece.
The Times and the Common Core Standards: Reading Strategies for 'Informational Text'
Suggestions for integrating The New York Times into the classroom. Scroll down for a list of strategies that will work with any nonfiction text.
TLS Books: Free Worksheets
Free printable elementary worksheets for reading (also math, some science and history). Adobe Reader required for access.
Tween Tribune
News for kids, by kids, with the classroom in mind. Free registration grants access to additional support and allows students to post comments in a COPPA-compliant environment.
Understanding Story Elements: Who, What, Where
In this short video a storyteller tells a story in the form of a rap. Students identify story elements, record significant details and create a rap using the story elements, "Who, What and Where." This lesson is designed for grades 4-6. It includes handouts and rubric.
Using Poetry to Teach Reading
Suggestions from a veteran teacher, including day-by-day activities, management tips, a reminder about copyright, and suggested poets.
Using Supporting Evidence to Interpret Meaning — A Native American Folktale
Students listen to a Native American folktale and later interpret phrases from the story using supporting evidence. The story, "Shulayen," runs just a little over 3 minutes.
What's the Author's Purpose? Animal Shelter
Students respond to a short video by using a 2-column chart to scaffold their thinking and draw conclusions about the author's purpose. This lesson is designed for grades 4-6. It includes downloadable video, transcript, and handout.
Words and Pictures
This site uses a fun, multi-media approach to learning specific phonics concepts. Good for extra practice, differentiation.
Yo! Yes!
To develop reading comprehension, emergent readers use picture cues in comic books and in Yo! Yes! by Chris Raschka.
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