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By:

~Mrs. Susan Stein

 

 

Look for the sign that says  

 

 

 

 

 

April 21, 2002       April 27, 2002         Visit my award page

I have been teaching for 34 years.  It was very difficult to change the way I was teaching children.  Many programs have fallen by the wayside in those 32 years.  So, I was skeptical, and had resistance to learning anything new.  Pretty normal, wouldn't you say?

Implementing the new Literacy Program was done a little at a time. It was scary at first, but then I noticed something I hadn't before.  Books were flying off of the shelves.  Children began challenging themselves, and wanted desperately to go to the next reading level.  Reading buddies became very popular. Lots of cooperative learning was taking place. Children couldn't wait to do Writers' Workshop. Something magical was happening in my classroom!

I have learned a lot these past few years.  That is why I have created this page.  I am encouraging all of you to take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy your teaching years.  Don't get stressed out by others.  Only you know your kids!  I am confident that by sharing with your peers (problems and successes), keeping current in reading, and teaching with the style that only you possess, success will be underway.

 

These are the components of a Balanced Literacy Program.  I will provide you articles to explain each component, teacher websites in which they are used, and links to many different lesson plans, books and activities. 

Read about:

Literacy Collaborative  

Reading Together Tips                

Instructional Guide K-2 Literacy(PDF)

Four Blocks Literacy Model

  Journal Writing

   Any questions or comments? 

*Let me know if this page seems to be of use to you or if there is anything else you'd like added.

 [email protected]

"A book is like a garden in the pocket."       

-Chinese Proverb

Making Class Big Books

  Phonemic Awareness Ideas

Balanced Literacy

Literacy Center

Literacy Connections

   Poetry Notebooks

Class Big Book Ideas   Blank Big Books        

Literacy Hour

Educators' E-Source

              

 

          

 

Word Wall              Mini Lessons           Reading  Links           

Leveled Book Sites        Questions           Reader's Theatre 

Assessments      Professional Books     Teacher Websites for Lessons  

  Reading Strategies      Reading Comprehension     Phonetics and Sight Words

Word Study: Word study provides students with the opportunity to become aware of sounds in words and how they relate to symbols in written language. Word study prepares students to become familiar with both the visual aspects of letters and words and the phonological pattern of words. Beginning readers are taught the alphabet, the relationship between sounds and letters, blending of sound-letter links, high frequency words as well as regular patterns.

Word Study Strategies

Look, Cover, Write And Check

  Word Study and Literacy Links

   Words Block

  Word Knowledge  

  What Teachers Need to Know About Word Study

  Word Sorts and Activities

   Word Study/Phonics

  

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Guided Reading: Guided reading provides an opportunity for students to practice reading strategies and take responsibility for their reading. Students practice for themselves the strategies that have been introduced in shared reading. The text that is selected must match the needs of the group of readers. Teachers using this approach must be able to identify the supports and challenges in the reading material. With some guidance, students read for themselves within the group setting. Teachers listen in and make decisions on the instructional needs of each student.

Guided Reading Opportunities in Good Literature    

                               

  Getting Started With Guided Reading 

 

Guided Reading Sample Lesson

Guided Reading Small Book

  Ohio Reading: Resources

    Reading Workshop

   Readability Tools : Find stories your student can read using Reading Level Estimator then Score your reading assessments (a.k.a. running records) quickly and accurately with this online calculator! Reading Assessment Calculator

Guided Reading Plan

Teacher's Guided Reading Planning Template

Guided Reading 

Everything About Guided Reading  

Leveled Book List

Guided Reading Through Children's Literature

Road to Reading

  Four Blocks    

  Guided Reading the Four Block Way

Four Blocks for Upper Grades

Jordan School District Balanced Literacy Pack 

Literacy Core Resources

Literacy Development

Blocks4Reading.com         

Leveling Help   

 

Shared Reading : Shared reading with an enlarged text or a text everyone can see provides an opportunity for all students to successfully participate in reading. Each student, regardless of reading level, can be engaged in the reading process. Teachers demonstrate the reading process and strategies that successful readers use. Students and teachers share the task of reading, supported by a safe environment in which the entire class reads text (with the assistance of the teacher) which might otherwise prove to be too difficult. Students learn to interpret illustrations, diagrams, and charts. Teachers identify and discuss with students the conventions, structures, and language features of written texts.

Using shared reading

Shared Reading: An Effective Instructional Model

What Is Shared Reading?

Shared Reading/Big Books

 Shared Reading Motivates Children

 

Writer's Workshop ~Types of Writing:

Modeled Writing
Modeled writing introduces students to the joys of writing. Teachers demonstrate strategies as a proficient adult writer. Teachers model the writing process and through the process adds, revises, asks questions and clarifies purpose of the writing.

Shared Writing
Shared writing provides an opportunity for all students to successfully participate in the writing process. The students and teacher share the task of writing. The writing comes from the students' thoughts and ideas. Teachers identify and discuss with students the conventions, structures and language features of written text.

Guided Writing
Guided writing provides an opportunity to work with groups of students or an individual student on effective writing strategies as determined through teacher observation of student behaviors and work. The needed strategies and skills are demonstrated within the context of authentic writing tasks. This is an opportunity to develop a student's independence and ability to self-monitor own learning of writing strategies and skills.

Independent Writing
Independent writing provides an opportunity for students to practice using the writing strategies they have learned during modeled writing, shared writing and guided writing. Students are encouraged to write for authentic purposes and use a variety of styles. Teachers conference with students and encourage them to publish their work.

What is Writer's Workshop?

Writing Workshop

Making Writing Fun

How to Start a Writer's Workshop

  Grade 3 Writer's Workshop

  Writer's Workshop Grades 4-6

 

Read-Aloud : Reading aloud introduces students to the joys of reading and the art of listening. Reading aloud provides opportunities to model reading strategies. Through reading aloud students understand that the language of books is different from spoken language, develop understanding of the patterns and structures of written language, learn new words and ideas, and learn about and locate models of particular genres or forms of writing.

  Reading Aloud To Children

Read Alouds

Read Aloud Books

Favorite Read Alouds

Chapter Books to Read Aloud

 What Are Read Alouds?  

  Read Alouds Sorted by Grade Level

Independent Reading: Independent reading by students gives them opportunities to practice the strategies they have learned in shared reading, guided reading, read aloud and word study. Teachers provide guidance with book choices, tailor teaching to meet individual needs and meet with individuals to monitor progress. Books from a range of levels are available in the classroom. Students become proficient at selecting books that match their interests and reading level.

Independent Reading Rubric

The Effects of Independent Reading on Reading Achievement

Independent Reading  ~ How do I get started?

Reading Language Arts-Independent Reading

Independent Reading Scoring Guide

             

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site                                             

Children's Literature Web Guide   Cyberguides

Trelease on Reading        Beginning to Read

  A Rhyme A Week            Children's Storybooks Online

Compact for Reading 

   Literature Circles & Role Sheets                      
Structure for Literature Circles K-12
 Lisa's Literacy Connections    Literature Circles                                                 
Harry Potter    

 

   Reader's Theatre
    Stellaluna Readers Theatre
    Readers Theater Scripts of the Month
    Readers Theater Plays and Scripts - To Print 
   Gander Academy: Readers Theatre
      Readers Theatre          Readers Theatre Scripts
    Language Arts and Readers Theatre
    Mrs. McGowan's Reading Theatre
    Readers Theatre for Teachers
    Readinglady Readers Theatre
Three Billy Goats Gruff     The Magic Carpet Ride
     Swamp Thing!!        The King's Wish
   Dinosaur Land
     Little Red Hen       Rumpelstiltskin, Private Eye
    Moira's Birthday       Nursery Rhymes with a Twist
     The Grasshopper and the Ants         Chicken Little
   The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo
   Dinosaurs Reader's Theatre     Where the Wild Things Are
   The True Story of the Three Little Pigs  Casey at the Bat

 

         
Interactive Word Wall                Word Wall Cheers
Mrs. Tonnesen's Word Wall 
Word Wall Lists K-3                Word Wall Activities

Wendy's Word Wall                  Word Wall Review Games

 Questions:

Go on line  ~Ask the Literacy Teacher

                      Professional Books                   
  Six Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide
Teaching for Comprehension in Reading, Grades K-2 by:  Pinnell & Scharer 
Guiding Readers and Writers by Fountas and Pinnell
Marie Clay's Observation Survey:   This book contains good information about taking and interpreting Running Records. In addition, many teacher resources from Wright Group and Rigby will be of value.
 
On Solid Ground by Sharon Taberski
Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in Reader's Workshop ~By: Ellin Oliver Keene

 

A Writer's Notebook : Unlocking the Writer Within You                                                      By: Ralph Fletcher
Live Writing:Breathing Life Into Your Words 

                                                    By: Ralph Fletcher

Scaffolding Young Writers By: Linda J. Dorn

It is primarily geared for K-3. Good examples of mini-lessons, and ways to organize.

 

Strategies That Work : Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding  By Stephanie Harvey, Anne Goudvis

 

Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for AllChildren    By: Irene C. Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell

Matching Books to Readers: Using Leveled Books In  Guided Reading, K-3    By: Gay Su Pinnell, Lois Bridges Bird, Irene C. Fountas                                                           

Guided Reading Making It Work: Grades K-3          

By: Mary Browning Schulman, Carleen dacruz Payne

The Key Elements of classroom Management: Managing Time and Space, Student Behavior, and Instructional Strategies
By: Joyce McLeod, Jan Fisher, Ginny Hoover
 
K-5 First Year Teacher's Guide to Survival                         By: Susan R. Stein

                                    
 
How To Catch a Shark and other Stories About Teaching  By: Donald Graves

           

Teaching the Youngest Writers  By: Marcia Freeman

 

                                                

Assessments: Systematic assessment, which is recorded, builds a profile of the progress a child is making in literacy. Ongoing assessment informs teaching, tells teachers what students can do and what they need to do next. Teachers assess students in a variety of ways and focus on individual students. Running records, informal comprehension assessments, observations and writing samples are all critical components of purposeful assessing. In addition to ongoing assessment, students participate in assessments such as standardized testing and district assessment portfolios.

 

The Eclectic Teacher
by Ginny Hoover


Benchmarks, Assessments, Rubrics, and Instruction

Ginny's Educational Web Pages

Rubrics and Assessments

Writing & Reading Check Lists

Assessment~ Reading

 

Mini Lessons

Language Arts Mini Lessons K-5

Four Blocks Writing Mini-Lessons

Finding Poetry for Mini Lessons

Comprehension Strategies-Mini lessons  

Teacher Websites for Lessons
  Reading Lesson Plans from Teacher's Corner
Marcia's Lesson Links    Centers in the classroom
Children's Literature Activities for The classroom
Leveled Books and Activities     K-3 Reading Rug

   Link Helpers      Literacy Centers at KinderKorner 

  Spelling Plans    Spell It Right   Literacy4Kids

  Spelling Ticklers       Reading Language Arts 

Teaching for Strategies for Emergent/Early Developing Level         

 Primary Reading Games      Literature Circles

  Literacy...Interactive     Making Words: Activities

  The Literacy Pet         Computer Literacy

   Self Selected ReadingActivities

 

Reading Strategies
Ready to Print Resources to Accompany Mosaic and Strategies That Work!
Pre-Reading Strategies from Bank Street College
Teaching For Strategies (Chart and Examples)
During Reading Strategies from Bank Street College

  Reading and Literacy- Second Grade, links include K-3

                                                                           

 

[IMAGE]Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension Strategy
 Questioning Techniques from Bank Street College

Phonics and Sight Words
Mrs. Williamson's Sight Word Games database
Mrs. Broome's Phonics Rules
Phonics Songs
Fun With Phonics

                               

Leveled Books Sites

Aldert Root's Leveled Lists by Publisher

Leveled Book Site

Leveled Books.com

PPS Leveled Book Lists

Rigby Education Leveled Book List

Scholastic Reading Counts

 

     

 

This site was built and is maintained by Mrs. Susan Stein, Tooter4Kids

Copyright © 2001-2007~ Susan Stein

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 Thanks to the San Diego Schools for use of their terminology.