Calling All Reading Teachers!

Raise your hand if you think that reading is important! Of course it is!

Is there anything more important than teaching your students how to read? We can’t think of anything!

Let us tell you a little story about something that Deserae recently experienced (although both of us have experienced it… many times). One of the parents in Deserae’s class stated that she “misdiagnosed” her son’s reading abilities. She disagreed that one of her son’s goals should be a reading goal. She stated that her son read beautifully (which he did) and that he did not need help reading.

Deserae explained that her son did not need help with the ability to read, but with his understanding of what he is reading. Deserae handed the parent a list of basic comprehension questions and told the mom to go home and have her son read to her, and then to ask him some of the questions on the list. The mom later stated that she had an eye-opening moment when her son had no idea what he was reading and was unable to answer the questions. She thanked Deserae for helping her son.

As teachers, we know that this happens way too often. There are many kids who read beautifully, but when it comes to comprehension, they are clueless. These students often slip through the cracks and go undetected because they “read beautifully.” So, what do we do for these students? We are so glad you asked! We have the answer!

The Answer is READING STRATEGIES!

Reading Strategies are what makes the difference between a REAL READER and a fraud. All teachers know about reading strategies, but surprisingly, not all teachers teach them. Reading Strategies sound like a huge task (which they are) that we, as teachers, simply don’t have time for in our day. Sound familiar? Keep reading!

Who Needs Reading Strategies?

ALL READERS NEED READING STRATEGIES! Every student at every level of reading needs to be taught reading strategies. Every students needs to add to their reading toolbox and develop and perfect their use of these strategies. All students can become better readers!

Why Do Students Need Reading Strategies?

Readers need reading strategies in order to comprehend the text that they are reading. Students need to understand that they need to be thinking when they are reading. Being an active reader is the key to being a real reader. Reading strategies also lead to the enjoyment of a text, which only encourages a child to want to read more and therefore, become an even better reader.

How Do I Teach Reading Strategies?

Reading strategies should be taught explicitly. The strategy should be modeled by the teacher and then practiced by the student. Take the time to draw attention to the strategies as you/ they are reading! Let them discuss the strategy with a friend and talk about how the strategy helped their understanding of the text!

Want Specifics? Check out our next blog post on Reading Strategies Coming Soon!

And Now For The Most Important Question… How Do I Fit Teaching Reading Strategies Into My Busy Day?

Let us tell you how we fit teaching reading strategies in our classroom. During the first few weeks of school, we focus on reading strategies. We choose a reading strategy to spotlight, and we live, eat and breath it for a few days (depending on the students’ understanding and needs) during our class read aloud. That’s it! That’s the secret! During our Read Aloud! Your class read aloud is something that you are already doing! Teaching the reading strategy will probably add 5-10 min to your read aloud (pssst… it will also make your read aloud come to life!)

Reading Strategies Planning Page FREEBIE ALERT!

Once you have explicitly taught all of the Reading Strategies, you are ready to spiral them throughout the year! Use this FREEBIE to make it easy! This will work with a picture book or a chapter book. Look at your class read aloud and make a plan to stop and model, practice and review all of the reading strategies! Once you plan for the book, save it and use it again year after year! Click the image above or Here to grab this FREEBIE! This freebie is available if you are a subscriber to our newsletter in our growing “Resource Treasury!”

Interested in the specifics of how we teach each strategy and what we use?

Stay tuned for our next blog post!

Already teach reading strategies and ready to take it to the next level????? Have you heard of Reading Strategy Groups?? Check out this blog post! Reading Strategy Groups Blog Post!

Looking for Reading Strategy Resources?

Click the images or HERE to grab some Reading Strategy Resources!