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May 28, 2019
Assigning and Working Through Research Projects: Study Skills in Early Elementary School
As teachers, we have all been faced with the challenge of engaging our learners in shared research. This activity has always been challenging for me: what will my students get out of the project, who is doing the actual research, and what the end result will look like? Again, I have really shifted my way
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May 23, 2019
Measuring Reading Progress
Accuracy: Educators should use a range of word lists for sight words and multi-syllable words. Sight words give the educator a sense of automaticity with those words whereas multi-syllable words provide insight into decoding strategies and recognition of morphemes. Oral Reading Context Fluency (Accuracy, Smoothness, Rate, Intonation & Expression): Educators can provide students with a
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May 5, 2019
Creating Richer Personal Narratives: Creating Positive Student Outcomes in Middle School Special Education:
Each year, I do a personal narrative writing unit with my seventh grade students. There have been years where I’ve received some really moving, thoughtful narratives…. and years where a student tells me the only event he can think of to write about was the time he accidentally shaved off part of an eyebrow. (Yes,
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Apr 25, 2019
Vocabulary Instruction Strategies and Activities: Study Skills in Early Elementary School
Vocabulary instruction is a vital part of teaching The more students understand vocabulary, the more they will be able to understand what they read, what they hear, and how they speak. I was reminded of the need for explicit vocabulary instruction during a study skills course that I took with Landmark Outreach. After taking the
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Apr 25, 2019
Tackling Text Structure: Creating Positive Student Outcomes in Middle School Special Education
Working with Author’s Purpose As testing season rapidly approaches, I’ve begun to target my focus on specific reading skills that come up often in standardized testing, but always with an eye on how I can use these skills to also improve my students’ writing. Reading and writing, of course, go hand in hand, so I
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Apr 23, 2019
Promoting Student Interest and Motivation
On the other hand, students under stress or faced with a perceived threat are known to show decreased interest and motivation. The human brain is wired for survival, and, when presented with a perceived threat, the brain will transform into a reflex survival response. Students under stress or faced with perceived threats may relate to
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Mar 21, 2019
Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension requires the seamless integration of multiple skills beyond just decoding words accurately. In order for students to comprehend the information that they read, a variety of factors must be intact. First, students must understand the structure of the language they are reading, including grammar, syntax, and figures of speech. Students also need to
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Mar 19, 2019
How to Teach Point of View: Creating Positive Student Outcomes in Middle School Special Education
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has made this mistake. “Rewrite the chapter from another character’s point of view,” I instructed my students a few years ago, feeling good about this creative, more interesting variation of writing a chapter summary. After collecting their work, I sat down to read their stories and immediately
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Mar 19, 2019
Teaching Time Management: Study Skills in Early Elementary School
Another big take away that I have learned and been able to implement into my substantially separate second grade language-based classroom is the importance of explicitly teaching time management skills. Many students can learn to tell time accurately at this young age, but the actual concept of the passage of time is a very challenging
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