Standards-driven reading lessons often force students to “take” rather than “make” meaning from complex texts, says educator Dorothy Barnhouse. To deepen understanding, she recommends letting students first “notice” and think about the textual layers.
Former middle grades teacher Daniel Fountenberry says his experiences struggling to organize group reading sessions among students with varied reading skills led him to develop adaptive technology that tailors the “same” book to different readers.
Although skimming might seem to be the opposite of close reading, it is a crucial Common Core skill for pulling information out of a text – and one that’s often overlooked by teachers, says consultant Sarah Tantillo, author of The Literacy Cookbook.
Literacy expert Sarah Tantillo shares an essential strategy in helping students become close readers, with help from Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Historical mysteries that lure reluctant readers & boost comprehension are great for classroom libraries, says teacher-author Elizabeth Varadon.
Maddie Witter, author of Reading Without Limits, shares six kid-friendly strategies that can boost reading engagement in the middle grades.
