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Middle School Reading Apps and Websites. LA0953Invited. Close Reading Checklist to Use with Students in Class. January 13, 2018 Close reading is an essential survival skill specially now that we live in a data-saturated world where we are constantly bombarded by all forms of textual and non-textual stimuli. At its core, close reading is a metacognitive practice that allows you to achieve a deeper understanding of complex texts. It is a methodically analytical process that aims at deconstructing both the surface and deeper meanings of a text through a close analysis of its language.

Close readers pay attention to syntax, lexicon and linguistic cues that can help uncover the implicit import of a textual output. According to PARCC (2011 cited in Hinchman and Moore, 2013), Close, analytic reading stresses engaging with a text of sufficient complexity directly and examining its meaning thoroughly and methodically, encouraging students to read and reread deliberately.... This visual is available for free download in PDF format. Text-based questions: What is the text about? EJ1071Saying.

Essential Elements of Guided Reading. There are three essential elements in Guided Reading, they are before reading, during reading, and after reading. Here we will take a look at teacher and student roles during each element, along with a few activities for each, as well compare the traditional reading group with a dynamic guided reading group. Element 1: Before Reading This when the teacher introduces the text and takes the opportunity to teach students before the reading begins. Teacher's Role To select an appropriate text for the group.Prepare an introduction to the story they are going to read.Briefly introduce the story to the students.To leave a few questions unanswered that can be answered throughout the story.

Student's Role To engage in a conversion with the group about the story.Raise questions about the story to be read.Build expectations about the text.To notice information in the text. Activity to Try: Word Sort. Element 2: During Reading Read the text to themselves quietly or softly.To request help if needed. Syllables and Affixes Sorts. Meet Google Drive – One place for all your files. One account. All of Google. Sign in to continue to Google Drive Find my account Forgot password? Sign in with a different account Create account One Google Account for everything Google. 13 Short Stories for Engaging Secondary Students & Teaching Literary Elements - The Literary Maven. Don't let your literature anthology dictate the short stories you read with your middle school and high school students. There are so many wonderful short stories out there, many of which can be used to teach a variety of literary elements and paired with other texts.

Here's 13 of my favorites.1. The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty I’m always looking for texts that will draw in my reluctant male readers. Anything with war, guns, or a little violence ups the appealing factor immediately. This short story is one that I like to read just before the holidays because of its message about giving and thinking of others. “The Interlopers” is a short story that is sure to hook reluctant readers. 4. This is one of my absolute favorite short stories to dig into. Literary criticism can be a complex idea to introduce to students. This short story is full of imagery and symbolism, and also great for teaching the different types of conflict. The idea behind this short story has always fascinated me. 12.

Herro Call For Chapters. HANDOUT4 ACADEMIC WORD LIST. Developing critical reading skills with media literacy apps on Chromebooks. Frontier, an app from eSpark Learning, teaches critical thinking about media through reading and writing lessons for students in grades three through eight. Frontier offers a library of online lessons centered on thought-provoking topics that engage all types of readers—from eager to reluctant.

“It's a differentiated research, reading and writing product that allows students to have choice,” says Cindy Kopp, a fifth-grade English language arts and social studies teacher at Mineola Middle School in Mineola, NY. “It enables them to think beyond the text.” Kopp says Frontier projects are “inherently something students are excited about. They become so interested in some of the projects that on their own they look to read more about them.” One student, for example, became fascinated with crime-scene forensics, and his research paper was shared with a law enforcement officer in Michigan.

Cultivating Informed Citizens with Listenwise. As concerns about fake news mount, it’s increasingly important that we expose students to high-quality news stories about current events and encourage them to think critically about those stories. The more informed our students are about the world around them, the less likely they'll be duped by fake news stories.Click To Tweet So, I was excited to stumble on Listenwise, which is bringing public radio into the classroom. Listenwise offers educators a growing collection of news stories tagged as ELA, science, or social studies.

The audio recordings effectively weave the information into a story that is both interesting and informative. The audio recordings of each news story can be played at their normal pace or slowed down for students who need it. This is an easy way to allow students to control the pace of their learning and make accommodations for second language learners. There are Listening Comprehension Questions, which I love! How To Read A Book: 3 Strategies For Critical Reading. How To Read A Book: 3 Strategies For Critical Reading by Terry Heick If you’re not familiar with Adler and Van Doren’s How To Read A Book, it is worth, well, reading. As you might’ve guessed, these have less to do with decoding, and more to do with comprehension.

Actually, more to do with the perspective you approach your reading with. Which is where the following sketch note from livinganawesomelife.com comes in. 3 Strategies & Questions For Critical Reading For most of us, reading strategies aren’t new, nor is reading through a critical lens. Inspectional Reading: Reading with a focus on grasping the book as a “whole thing”–what Adler & Doren call ‘Systematic skimming’ Example question: Why is this book important and/or worth reading? Analytical Reading: Reading with a focus on close examination and analysis of the text in and of itself Example question: How does the Thomas Merton use setting to establish and develop the theme of ‘Seven Story Mountain’? Now go read the book. ; ^ ) Putting a Focus on Media Literacy in the Digital Age | EdTech Magazine. For K–12 students, there has never been a time in their lives when information wasn’t just a Google search away. But does that mean that these digital natives are savvy when it comes to knowing what information to trust?

The answer is overwhelmingly no, reports Stanford’s History Education Group (SHEG) in a 2016 study. “Our ‘digital natives’ may be able to flit between Facebook and Twitter while simultaneously uploading a selfie to Instagram and texting a friend,” reads the study. “But when it comes to evaluating information that flows through social media channels, they are easily duped.” In the study, SHEG asked students in middle and high school to determine if the content was unbiased based on its source — a piece of sponsored content for middle schoolers and a National Rifle Association chart on gun laws for high schoolers. It found that the students were overwhelming “unprepared” to make that judgment.

Earlier research revealed similar outcomes. Fostering Difficult Conversations. Whats hot 2017 report. 7 Strategies For Using Context Clues In Reading - 7 Strategies For Using Context Clues In Reading by Kathy Glass We often ask students to use context clues to figure out a word’s meaning; therefore, it is our job to formally teach how authors use them. In doing so, students become armed with an inventory of ways to access unknown words to help gain deeper meaning of the text. Without awareness of the types of context clues, students are at a disadvantage to decipher meanings for themselves. Teaching this skill supports self-agency so students can define unfamiliar words independently.

The following are devices that authors use to incorporate context clues into their writing. Although the following list seems straightforward, neat and tidy, demonstrate to students to read the surrounding passage in which unfamiliar words appear. 1. The idea: Break down the different parts of a word—base word (word stem or root word), prefixes, and suffixes—to figure out what it means. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Figure A: 4-Square Graphic Organizer Examples 1. 2. Poetry Across the Curriculum. April is National Poetry Month, so why not try pairing two short poems to make a mini-study of a concept, theme, structure, or perspective? In the space of a class period, it’s possible to employ multiple reading strategies your class has studied this year, just by putting two poems side by side and engaging your students’ curiosity.

Consider these three pairings, which would fit well into any secondary English class and have cross-curricular possibilities as well. Or come up with your own pairings to suit your subject. “Because I could not stop For Death” by Emily Dickinson and the lyrics to “Reaper” by Sia Each of these short poems personifies death, but to different ends.

Other classes for this pairing: music. “The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski and “The Human Family” by Maya Angelou Both of these poems have been repurposed in the video links above to promote products or brands. In my classroom, we conclude our discussion with a “Who wore it better?” Ej1026longer. Knowing the Difference Between Digital Skills and Digital Literacies, and Teaching Both. Annie Murphy Paul on Why 'Digital Literacy' Can't Replace The Traditional Kind. Have you heard about the octopus who lives in a tree? In 2005, researchers at the University of Connecticut asked a group of seventh graders to read a website full of information about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, or Octopus paxarbolis.

The Web page described the creature’s mating rituals, preferred diet, and leafy habitat in precise detail. Applying an analytical model they’d learned, the students evaluated the trustworthiness of the site and the information it offered. Their judgment? There’s something wrong with this picture, and it’s not just that the arboreal octopus is, of course, a fiction, presented by Leu and his colleagues to probe their subjects’ Internet savvy. (MORE: In Praise of Tinkering) There is a flaw in this popular account. Indeed, evidence from cognitive science challenges the notion that skills can exist independent of factual knowledge. (MORE: Should Your 2-Year-Old Be Using an iPad?) Leu D.J. Zawilinski L. Forzani E. Timbrell N. in press. VM0194Risks. How Amy Krouse Rosenthal Inspired Malcolm Mitchell. You’ve likely seen the story. Last week in The New York Times’ “Modern Love” column, children’s book author Amy Krouse Rosenthal published an essay entitled, “You May Want to Marry My Husband.”

The 51-year-old Rosenthal is fighting ovarian cancer and may not have long to live. In the essay, framed as a dating profile should her husband, Jason, soon become widowed, she describes their 26-year romance and the attributes—caring, supportive, thoughtful, adventurous, handsome, a great father—of the man with whom she has shared her life. “The most genuine … gift I can hope for,” she writes, “is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins.”

Rosenthal’s story went viral. The Associated Press synopsized the essay, as did People magazine, the Daily Mail and numerous other outlets. “Good Morning America” and the “Today” show did segments. Through her more than three dozen books, Rosenthal has touched and inspired countless readers. Question or comment? 21 Anchor Charts That Teach Reading Comprehension - WeAreTeachers. This reading blog is sponsored by Questar Assessment, a K–12 assessment-solutions provider focused on building a bridge between learning and accountability. Reading comprehension is one of the most complex skills to teach. It’s also arguably the most important. Students will only succeed in other subject areas (and make it a lifelong habit to read for pleasure) if they understand what they are reading on an ingrained level. Many factors go into the development of reading comprehension, including building an extensive vocabulary, asking questions, making connections and visualization.

Below, you’ll find 21 anchor charts that tackle some of the trickiest parts of teaching comprehension. Use them as models for your own teaching and pass them along to a teacher friend! 1. SOURCE: Life in Fifth Grade 2. SOURCE: McDee’s Busy Bees 3. SOURCE: Head Over Heels for Teaching 4. SOURCE: Creating Readers and Writers 5. SOURCE: Just Reed 6. SOURCE: Teacher Trap! 7. SOURCE: Teaching With a Mountain View 8. 9.