Reading/Language Arts
Last edited August 18, 2007
More by Kathleen »
from Building Literacy in Social Studies
www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.chapter/men...

Figure 1.4. How Experts and Novices Tend to Read Historical Texts

Experts . . . 

Novices . . . 

Seek to discover context and know content

Seek only to know content

Ask what the text does (purpose). 

Ask what the text says (“facts”). 

Understand the subtexts of the writer's language. 

Understand the literal meanings of the writer's language. 

See any text as a construction of a vision of the world. 

See texts as a description of the world. 

See texts as made by persons with a view of events

See texts as accounts of what really happened

Consider textbooks less trustworthy than other kinds of documents. 

Consider textbooks very trustworthy sources. 

Assume bias in texts. 

Assume neutrality, objectivity in texts. 

Consider word choice (connotation, denotation) and tone

Ignore word choice and tone

Read slowly, simulating a social exchange between two readers, “actual” and “mock.” 

Read to gather lots of information

Resurrect texts, like a magician. 

Process texts, like a computer. 

Compare texts to judge different, perhaps divergent accounts of the same event or topic. 

Learn the “right answer.” 

Get interested in contradictions, ambiguity

Resolve or ignore contradictions, ambiguity

Check sources of document. 

Read the document only. 

Read like witnesses to living, evolving events

Read like seekers of solid facts

Read like lawyers making a case. 

Read like jurors listening to a case someone made. 

Acknowledge uncertainty and complexity in the reading with qualifiers and concessions. 

Communicate “the truth” of the reading, sounding as certain as possible. 

Source: From Judy Lightfoot, “Outline of Sam Wineburg's Central Arguments in ‘On the Reading of Historical Texts.’” Available: http://home.earthlink.net/~judylightfoot/Wineburg.html. Based on “On the Reading of Historical Texts: Notes on the Breach Between School and Academy,” by Samuel Wineburg, American Educational Research Journal, Fall 1991, pp. 495–519. 

from Building Literacy in Social Studies - Successful Readers/Struggling Readers Characteristics Bef
www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.chapter/men...

Figure 1.1. Differences Between Struggling and Fluent Readers Before Reading

Struggling Reader 

Fluent Reader 

• Sees reading as a difficult task filled with failure and expects to gain little, if anything, from the task except frustration and embarrassment. 

• Sees reading as an opportunity to gain knowledge about the world and to feel more self-secure in school and among peers. 

• Doesn't possess prior knowledge about the general topic or doesn't connect existing knowledge with the text. 

• Possesses and activates relevant background knowledge from previous reading, viewing, or conversations about the topic. 

• Doesn't try to understand the text until questioned after reading. 

• Uses strategies throughout the reading process to construct meaning. 

• Reads one word at a time or groups words together but not necessarily in meaningful phrases. 

• Groups words in meaningful phrases noting punctuation and transition words that show text structure. 

• Doesn't possess background knowledge of abstract terms often used in social studies texts that describe government, economics, culture, or religion, such as colonialism or Buddhism

• Possesses background knowledge of abstract terms often used in social studies texts from previous years of wide reading. 

• Doesn't preview the text to note such features as headings, subheads, vocabulary words in bold type, information in the sidebars, pictures, maps, graphs, and charts. 

• Surveys textbook features to understand the context of the reading task and to begin setting purposes for reading. 

• Begins reading without predicting what the text might be about, doesn't plan what to read in what order, and doesn't know on what part of the text to focus the most attention. 

• Predicts the text content by surveying the text features and then plans how and what to read in what order. 

• Begins reading without a purpose other than decoding for meaning. 

• Begins reading to answer questions about the writer's ideas, purposes, and biases. 


Once fluent readers begin reading in earnest, they add another set of skills and strategies to promote comprehension. These readers continue to use text features and visual information to predict and connect to content, but now they begin monitoring their comprehension; determining key ideas; asking mental questions about the content; noting differences and similarities; visualizing people, places, and events; rereading what is unclear; and, often when reading school texts, taking notes to aid retention. Figure 1.2 compares the skills used by a fluent reader during the reading process with those lacking in a struggling reader.


Figure 1.2. Differences Between Struggling and Fluent Readers During Reading

Struggling Reader 

Fluent Reader 

• Possesses few, if any, decoding skills beyond basic phonemic awareness. 

• Possesses and applies a variety of decoding skills, such as context clues and structural analysis (word parts and roots). 

• Identifies words individually or in small clusters without using meaning to group words into larger comprehensible units. 

• Reads fluently by using punctuation and meaning to group words into larger phrases that make meaningful statements. 

• Skips unknown words and doesn't reread to decipher their meaning. 

• Skips unknown words but monitors comprehension to see if the word's meaning is critical, and if it is, returns to the word to apply comprehension strategies. 

• Doesn't recognize that informational texts have different structures than narrative fiction and consequently doesn't use these structures to aid in comprehension. 

• Recognizes the signal words that show various text structures, such as cause/effect, problem/solution, comparison/contrast, and sequence, and uses these to aid in meaning. 

• Doesn't stop to visualize descriptions of important people, places, and events to help “see” what the text is stating. 

• Visualizes important descriptions and constantly tests these mental pictures against what the text is stating. 

• Ignores maps, graphs, charts, and other important visual information. 

• Understands that visual information often restates the information in the text and uses this information to check for comprehension. 

• Possesses few, if any, “fix-up” strategies, such as using context clues, text structure, structural analysis, or visual information, to apply when comprehension is lost. 

• Possesses a variety of “fix-up” strategies and applies them appropriately when comprehension breaks down. 

• Reads through text once, and if comprehension is lost, either continues “reading” or quits altogether. 

• Monitors comprehension, recognizes where and when comprehension is lost, and rereads for clarification. 

• May retain only substories presented as colorful additions to enliven the text rather than core events (Britt et al., 1994). 

• Identifies and retains the core events of the text as separate from substories or anecdotes. 

• Doesn't understand the context of primary sources or the archaic language in which they are often written. 

• Understands the context of primary sources and applies vocabulary and comprehension strategies to figure out archaic language. 

• Doesn't question the writer's assumptions or intentions, reading only to discern facts. 

• Continually questions the writer's ideas, assumptions, background, and biases. 


After finishing a text, fluent readers begin to reflect on what they have read. Fluent readers continue to monitor their comprehension to decide whether to reread parts that may still be confusing or unclear. With informational texts, they may begin to question the validity and reliability of main points or persuasive arguments. Fluent readers may question sources and do further research about the topic. Figure 1.3 compares the skills that fluent readers use after reading with those lacking in a struggling reader.


Figure 1.3. Differences Between Struggling and Fluent Readers After Reading

Struggling Reader 

Fluent Reader 

• Doesn't reread any passages that are unclear. 

• Returns to the text to reread difficult passages or graphics and clarifies their meaning. 

• Doesn't analyze the author's viewpoints to see if the ideas are well supported. 

• Questions the viewpoints of the author regarding the support given through facts and evidence. 

• Doesn't reflect on the text to draw conclusions about the author's viewpoints. 

• Uses facts and opinions expressed by the author to draw conclusions about the author's views. 

• Sees the textbook as containing a sequence of accurate historical facts that must be memorized. 

• Understands that historical facts are open to interpretation. 

• Doesn't evaluate the author's views against other sources and personal viewpoints. 

• Evaluates the author's views and compares them against other sources and personal viewpoints. 

• Doesn't pay attention to sources of information and doesn't question the veracity of the information. 

• Evaluates the sources cited by authors as to their reliability. 


Obviously, when the entire reading process is considered, struggling readers may lack skills and strategies needed to make literal sense of texts. However, even if readers have acquired these skills and can read fluently, they still may not be able to read critically, especially with historical texts. Reading history as an expert means acting as an investigator who attempts to reconstruct the past from multiple documents, all of which have their own subtexts.

General Reading

Grades 2-3 Center Activities for Reading
Last edited Aug 17, 2006 - Note created Jul 17, 2006
Student Center Activities Grades 2-3 - www.fcrr.org/
Booklists, Read Alouds
Graphic Organizers
Pen Pals
Author Studies
Note created Jul 16, 2006
Open Court Resources Links for Teachers - www.needleworkspictures.com/...
Vocabulary: puzzles and word activities using greek and latin roots, thematic features, non-sequitors - supplemental word activities and encounters
Last edited Jul 16, 2006 - Note created Jul 10, 2006
Vocabulary.com - syndicate.com/...
Welcome to Reading Answers
www.readinganswers.com/
Reading Answers.com
for Parents and Teachers
Addressing special needs, working with parents, ideas and lesson plans, assessing assessments,GT projects, vocab power, writing to support reading, grammar, Shakespeare, links
Reading difficulties or disabilities, read with me, school partnerships, measuring achievement,elan tech test
Copernicus's Teacher-Without-a-Room Collection. Great Selection of Whiteboards, Chalk Boards, Bullet
www.white-boards-and-more.com/asp/show_collection....
Teachers' Reading/Writing Carts
 
Book Lists & Specific Book Resources

Below is the 2007-2008 Alaska Battle of the Books list. The books selected try to include a blance of fiction and non-fiction for each grade area. Also, they try to include a few lower, middle, and higher level titles. They also try to mix some old with new. They try to add a biography and also try to add an Alaskan title. It's quite a process to balance all the titles.
 K-2 Titles
Title Author Level ISBN Price Previous
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse Lionni, Leo K 0394829115 6.99
Goldie Locks has Chicken Pox Dealey, Erin K 0689876106 6.99
Gregory the Terrible Eater Sharmat, Mitchell K 0590433504 4.99 1992
Mother for Choco Kasza, Keiko K 0698113640 5.99
The Itchy Little Musk Ox Brown, Tricia K 0882406140 8.95
Annie and the Wild Animals Brett, Jan 1 0395510066 5.95 2000
Blueberry Shoe Dixon, Ann 1 0882405195 8.95 2001
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg Johnson, D.B. 1 0618737499 6.99
Johnny Appleseed: My Story Harrison, David 1 0375812474 3.99
Tacky and the Emperor Lester, Helen 1 0618260099 5.95
Dinosaur Dream Nolan, Dennis 2 0689718322 6.99
Greetings Earthlings! Zipper's Alaska Adventure Murrell-Haunold, Amy 2 9781594330506 12.95
Popcorn Book DePaola, Tomie 2 0823405338 6.95 1996
Sitka Rose Gill, Shelley 2 1570913641 7.95
Velveteen Rabbit Williams, Margery 2 0380002558 3.99 1987


3rd-4th Titles
Title Author Level ISBN Price Previous
Balto and the Great Race Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody 3rd/4th 0679891986 3.99
Charlotte's Web White, E.B. 3rd/4th 0064400557 7.99 1994
Fantastic Mr. Fox Dahl, Roald 3rd/4th 0141301139 5.99 2000
Fourth Grade Rats Spinelli, Jerry 3rd/4th 0590442449 4.99
Help Somebody get me out of fourth Grade Winkler, Henry 3rd/4th 0448436191 4.99
Horn for Louis Kimmel, Eric 3rd/4th 0375840052 3.99
Justin and the best biscuits in the world Walter, Mildred Pitts 3rd/4th 0679803467 5.50 1994
Little House on the Prairie Wilder, Laura Ingalls 3rd/4th 0060885394 6.99 1995
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle MacDonald, Betty Bard 3rd/4th 0064401480 4.99 1992
Ol' 556 Cartwright, Shannon 3rd/4th 0977229785 11.95
Pinky and Rex and the bully Howe, James 3rd/4th 6898084348 3.99
Say What? Haddix, Margaret Peterson 3rd/4th 0689862563 3.99
Sirens and sea monsters Osborne, Mary Pope 3rd/4th 0786809302 4.99
Stanley Flat again Brown, Jeff 3rd/4th 0064421737 4.99
Who Cloned the President Roy, Ron 3rd/4th 0307265109 3.99

5th-6th Titles
Title Author Level ISBN Price Previous
Al Capone Does My Shirts Choldenko, Gennifer 5th/6th 0142403709 6.99
Castle Diary: Journal of Tobias Burgess Platt, Richard 5th/6th 0763621641 6.99
Great Gilly Hopkins Paterson, Katherine 5th/6th 0064402010 5.99 1999
Into the Wild Hunter, Erin 5th/6th 0060525509 6.99
Kensuke's Kingdom Morpurgo, Michael 5th/6th 0439591813 4.99
Moonshiner's Gold Erickson, John 5th/6th 0142500232 6.99
Mrs. Frisby and Rats of NIMH O'Brien, Robert 5th/6th 0689710682 6.99 2000
Otherwise known as Sheila the Great Blume, Judy 5th/6th 0142408794 5.99
Skull of Truth Coville, Bruce 5th/6th 0152060847 5.95
Tiger Rising de Camillo, Kate 5th/6th 0763618985 5.99
Twenty-One Balloons DuBois, William 5th/6th 0140320970 6.99
Wait Till Helen Comes Hahn, Mary Downing 5th/6th 0380704420 5.99 2001
Ragweed Avi 5th/6th 0380801671 5.99
Story of Benjamin Franklin Davidson, Margaret 5th/6th 044040021X 4.99 1989
Year of Miss Agnes Hill, Kirkpatrick 5th/6th 0689851243 4.99 1995

7th-8th Titles
Title Author Level ISBN Price Previous
Blizzard's Wake Naylor, Phyllis 7th/8th 0689852215 5.99
Boy at War Mazer, Henry 7th/8th 0689841604 4.99
Chasing Redbird Creech, Sharon 7th/8th 0064406962 5.99 2000
Click Here Vega, Denise 7th/8th 0316985597 7.99
Deliver Us from Normal Klise, Kate 7th/8th 0439523230 5.99
Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade against Child Labor Friedman, Russell 7th/8th 0395797268 9.95
Lightning Thief Riordan, Rick 7th/8th 0786838655 7.99
Montmorency Updale, Eleanor 7th/8th 0439580366 6.99
Schwa was here Shusterman, Neal 7th/8th 0142405779 5.99
Tisha Specht, Robert 7th/8th 0553265962 6.99 1984
Transall Saga Paulsen, Gary 7th/8th 0440219760 6.99 2002
Z for Zachariah O'Brien, Robert 7th/8th 0020446500 5.99 1998

HS Titles
Title Author Level ISBN Price Previous
Acceleration McNamee, Graham HS 0440238366 $5.99
And then there were none Christie, Agatha HS 0312979479 $6.99 1988
Bucking the Sarge Curtis, Christopher Paul HS 0440413311 $6.50
First Part Last Johnson, Angela HS 0689849230 $5.99
Hot Zone Preston, Richard HS 0385479565 $7.99 1997
Kids from Nowhere Guthridge, George HS 0882406515 $14.95
Pay the Piper Yolen, Jane HS 0765350416 $5.99
Pride and Prejudice Austen, Jane HS 0553213105 $4.95
Rangers Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan Flannegan, John HS 0142406635 $6.99
Soldier X Wulffson, Don HS 0142500739 $6.99
Twilight Meyer, Stephanie HS 0316015849 $8.99
Wizard of Earthsea LeGuin, Ursula HS 0553262505 $7.99 1988, 1994
Only the Best! Readalouds
www.middlebooks.com/readalouds.html
Book lists for intermediate and middle school readers
Borders - Store Inventory - Title Detail - Goodnight Nobody: A Novel
www.bordersstores.com/search/title_detail.jsp?id=5...
summer reading author J Weiner
Gemma Townley
Mary Kay Andrews
 
 
Skills Resources

Red Cubes:(Before Reading)
What do the pictures on the cover tell you about the story?
What do the pictures in the book tell you about the story?
What would you like to find out in the story?
What questions do you have about the story?
How might this story relate to your life?
Identify any unfamiliar words in the title.
Is the story Fiction or Nonfiction?
What does the title tell you about the story?
Who is the author?
Who is the illustrator?
Predict what will happen in the story.
What background do you bring to the story?

Green Cubes:(During Reading)
How was a problem solved?
How can you relate to the story?
What is the main idea of the story?
Summarize the story.
Identify a paragraph that used descriptive writing.
How does the story end?
How might you retell the story? Why?
How might you end the story differently?
How are you and the main character different?
How are you and the main character alike?
What lessons can you learn from the story?
Retell a main event within the story.

Blue Cubes:(After Reading)
Did the solution to one problem cause another to occur?
Predict how the story will end.
Which character can you relate to so far? Why?
How does the story relate to your life?
Choose a problem in the story. How could this problem have been avoided?
What questions do you have about the story?
Identify and predict how a problem may be solved.
Who are the main characters?
Where does the story take place?
Identify one problem or conflict in the story.
How would you attempt to solve a problem in the story?
Find and define an unfamiliar word.
Schoolhouse Rock Lyrics
www.schoolhouserock.tv/Grammar.html
 Grammar Rock Lyrics
 
Between the Lions . Songs | PBS Kids
pbskids.org/lions/songs/
Between the Lions
Video Songs for Reading Skills
 Strategies for Content Reading Comprehension & Critical Thinking - includes lessons, organizers, sample text
Phonics and Word Study
Student Activity Center
by grade levels
Prek-k, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
DIBELs Words
interactives for CVC words, real/nonsense words, blending, word families and word identification
Home Page of John Nemes
www.toread.com/
Learning to Read
Resources for Language Arts and Reading Research: Balanced Literacy, Interesting Links, Interactive Lessons, Virtual Literature, Professional Organizations and Publications, Bok Publishers and Authors, Keep Informed, Recommended Books
Literacy Lessons/Guides/Resources

Student Center Activities Grades 2-3
www.fcrr.org/curriculum/StudentCenterActivities45....
 FCRR center activities for grades 4-5
advanced phonics and fluency, vocabulary and comprehension
 Reading strategies that assist content area reading
Lapbooking provided by Bravenet.com
lapbooking.bravehost.com/folds_n_books.html
 paper folding links
-- Make a comic book of the story, picking out the main events to illustrate, or choose your favorite scene.

-- Pretend you are a travel agent and want people to visit the place where you book was set. Create a brochure telling about the place and why they should visit.

-- Make the story into a radio program or a puppet show, extra credit if you make puppets to go along with it. (c:

-- Interview a character from the book and be sure to ask the important questions - Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

-- For historical fiction pick a character from your story to dress up as and preform a short oral report about your book (this one is also fun for science fiction or fantasy)

-- Make a timeline of important events from the book (and possibly illustrate them)

-- Make a model of anything from the story (we have done this with Greek myths, it was great, one boy built a model of a Trojan horse out of popsicle sticks).
Literature Guides for Picture Books and Novels
Interactive Workshops — Conversations in Literature
www.learner.org/channel/workshops/conversations/
Conversations in Literature
Reading with Meaning, Strategies that Work, 6 + 1
video professional development free
Strategies that Work web resources
Note created Aug 1, 2006
Strategies that Work: Technology Integration Resources - www.mayer.cps.k12.il.us/...
Mosaic of Thought - Reading with Meaning and Strategies that Work
HUGE resource of links for assessment, lesson plans, worksheets, report forms, staff development, writing, parents, and other info on reading
EPS » Open the Doors to Content Area Literacy and Comprehension
www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/offers/2006-11_nonfiction...
Educators Publishing Service - Link from ASCD
Making Connections
Red Rocket Readers
Einstein's Who, What, and Where
Lithgow Palooza
Welcome to the Teacher's Desk
www.teachersdesk.org/index.html
 Lessons for grades 5-6 in Reading, Spelling, English, Writing, and Miscellaneous
Also: scroll down for 4 Blocks, Lesson plans, student/parent pages
 100 ways to respond to a written work
http://www.awesomestories.com/fast_find/index.shtml
www.awesomestories.com/fast_find/index.shtml
 Awesome Stories Fast Find Subject Index
Interventions

The Savvy Teacher's Guide: Reading Interventions that Work
strategies for use in classroom, at home, with buddy, with peer
Note created Aug 14, 2006
http://www.jimwrightonline.com/pdfdocs/brouge/rdngManual.PDF - www.jimwrightonline.com/...
 Fabulous site, with very specific interventions
Letter-Sound, Letter Writing, Phonol Awareness, Sounding out, Word Form Recog, Irreg Words, Connected Text, Listening Vocab, Letter combinations, adv phonics activities, Activity 'Bursts'
Written Language

Reading: Switching Gears -- Reading Across the Curriculum Content Areas
www.ttms.org/content_area_reading/content_area_rea...
 Check along the left navigation bar for content related to reading and writing in the content areas, especially Writing Across the Curriculum, The Organizers, and The Posters
Mini-Offices--Great tools for students for writing, math, and more....
www.busyteacherscafe.com/mini_offices.htm
 Scroll down about halfway through the page for downloadable forms to use with mini-writing offices and mini-math offices
Welcome to WritingFix: Reading Strategies for Content Area Teachers at WritingFix
writingfix.com/Reading_In_The_Content_Areas.htm
REading in the Content Areas Guide: Strategies for helping struggling readers in grades4-12
under development - check back Oct 1 2006
Welcome to WritingFix:  The Best Place for Interactive Writing Ideas on the Internet
writingfix.com/
WritingFix
interactive prompts with menus to help inspire writer's blocked students
prompts categorized in links
Welcome to WritingFix: Picture Books and the 6 Traits
www.writingfix.com/Picture_Books_and_Traits.htm#le...
Interactive Writing Fix lessons based on picture books, categorized by 6 + 1 trait

CHECKLIST FOR WRITERS

I planned my paper before writing it.

I revised my paper to be sure that

the central idea of my paper is clear;

the central idea of my paper is elaborated;

everything in my paper talks about my central idea;

my paper is logically organized so readers will understand my message;

my words and information make my paper interesting to readers; and

my sentences make sense, sound like me, and read smoothly.

I edited my paper to be sure that

I used good grammar;

I used capital letters and punctuation marks correctly;

I made my spelling correct; and

I let my readers know where I started new paragraphs.

I checked my paper to make sure that it is the way that I want readers to read it.

Primarily Primary

Planting A Literacy Garden
literacy-garden.tripod.com/#Visualizing
Planting a Literacy Garden
Comprehension Strategies for K-2
Star Words Center Activities
Note created Jul 19, 2006
teacher's korner learning center activities - warhawks.k12.mo.us/...
K-1 Center Activities for Reading
Sight Words
Kindergarten
first grade
other sight word lists
Note created Jul 16, 2006
Open Court Resources.com - Sight Words - www.needleworkspictures.com/...
Free Online Reading Lessons from MontessoriHome.com
www.learntoreadfree.com/
 Montessori free site for primary children with interactive lessons
Learn to Read at Starfall - teaching comprehension and phonics
www.starfall.com/

The Starfall learn-to-read website is offered free as a public service. We also provide writing journals and books at a very low cost that can be used with the website or separately. Teachers around the country are using Starfall materials as an inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and to inspire a love of reading and writing.

Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall.com is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. Starfall is perfect for Home Schooling.

Teacher Sites

Mrs. Karen Harris - Powerpoints for Practice & Learning
www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/education/components/scrap...
Phonics and Reading Helpers PowerPoints
Name the Lower Case Letters, Sight Word Practice, Word Combos and Blend Words
 Amazing! Classroom Library - includes printable labels for book bins
Testing Related

StemStar
Washington State Literary Site
developed to help construct questions for reading test stems 
Official DIBELS Home Page
dibels.uoregon.edu/index.php
Mini Offices Fo Students in Grades K-3
www.teachingheart.net/minioffice.html
 Minis for reading and math - downloadable masters
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