Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

If you are a new teacher or brushing up on your teaching of beginner reading skills, Read Write Think has put this lesson together for you! When you reach the page, you will be in the preview; just above that, find tabs for Standards, Resources & Preparation, Instructional Plan, Related Resources, and Comments. In this lesson, students use Jack & Jill to identify words that belong to the -ill family using analogy onset-rime and substitute consonant sounds to form new words. In addition, there are several links to use like "Copy Change" worksheets, a computer-assisted program, "Construct a Word," which focuses on onset-rime analogies, and others.

tag(s): phonics (52), preK (286), reading strategies (96), science of reading (34), spelling (98)

Are you looking for professional development or wondering how to teach reading better? At Reading 101 by Reading Rockets, you will find both. Extend your knowledge of how students learn to read and how best to teach them. Start on the left menu with the introduction, and then work at your own pace through the nine-course modules, which include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, writing, and assessment. You will also find video clips, assignments & quizzes (for you), classroom strategies, and additional resources. All of these are designed to help you become the best literacy teacher you can be. You can also get a letter of completion for your administrator and goals. There is no log-in for this program, so be sure to save your work if you are using this as the year's goal for professional development.

tag(s): fluency (26), literacy (123), phonics (52), preK (286), professional development (392), reading strategies (96), Research (88), science of reading (34), writing (325)

Find various resources for emergent readers and teachers provided by PBS Learning Media. Select content by topics that include fluency, phonics and word recognition, phonological awareness, and print concepts. Use filters to narrow information by grade, resource type, or relevance, including the newest additions or most popular items. Choose from various resources, including lesson plans, interactives, videos, and much more.

tag(s): literacy (123), parents (56), phonics (52), preK (286), professional development (392), reading comprehension (150), reading strategies (96), science of reading (34), writing (325)

This blog post shares easy to implement ideas to share nonfiction text features with students. Each of the suggestions also includes pictures of each of the elements in use in a classroom setting. Use the links at the top of the home page to find additional tips for incorporating reading and writing activities into classroom lessons.
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tag(s): reading comprehension (150), reading strategies (96)

Improve reading and comprehension skills for all students and adults with this BeeLine Reader Collection on Literacy Central. Find over 100 passages from stories as downloadable PDFs, all using BeeLine Reader technology to highlight and wrap text to improve focusing and tracking while reading. Use the leveled reading passages within Reading is Fundamental for multiple grade levels and books. Find additional support materials for each book, including author interviews, lesson plans, crosswords, and word searches all as downloadable PDFs. Though Beeline Reader is not usually a free tool, Literacy Central is providing it to its members for free through these PDFs. You do not need to create a free membership to use these materials, only to save them as a favorite. Learn more about the Beeline Reader tool and how it improves reading comprehension by watching the YouTube video introduction on this page.
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tag(s): independent reading (82), multilingual (78), reading comprehension (150), reading strategies (96), Special Needs (53), Teacher Utilities (203)

Classroom Strategies contains a vast library of resources for teaching reading skills. Choose from six different literacy strategies to find instructions on using the strategy, templates, examples, children's books to teach the strategy, and much more. The interactive chart also includes information on when and how to use each strategy. Many strategies include a video showing how to use these ideas in the classroom. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. This site is a must-have for any reading teacher!

tag(s): fluency (26), persuasive writing (58), phonics (52), reading comprehension (150), reading strategies (96), writing (325)

The scientific research behind WriterReader is that one develops and improves reading skills by writing. With WriteReader, kids create their books, including text, pictures, and voice recordings. Adults/Teachers have space on the page to write comments and make corrections. The interface is so simple that even a young child can use it successfully after some adult guidance. Open the Features tab on the top menu to see an index to all features categorized by Literacy Development, Easy Book Creation, Publishing and Sharing, and Teacher & Student Management, all with several links to explore. Click the Resources Center tab on the top menu to select Lesson Plans, Templates, Writing Prompts, Videos, and more. The basic plan offers 60 books and all the essential features. Register by email or your Google account. After logging in, use the menu bars in the upper right corner and find Guides, which has a Parent Letter, a Quick Start Guide, a Template, and a few other get-started items. For creating student accounts, you can enter students manually, or students can join the class with a class code. WriteReader has upgraded its page templates to support older students. US English, UK English, Dansk (Danish), and Svenska (Swedish) are available. There is also an introductory video on the landing page that will help everyone get started. This video resides on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable. WriteReader has added new premium features such as Read Aloud, Voice Search, Book Templates, and several others. For these, you must pay.

tag(s): digital storytelling (155), literacy (123), multilingual (78), reading strategies (96), science of reading (34), writing (325)

Read, annotate, bookmark, and share literature, poetry, and nonfiction with Owl Eyes. Read any available selection without registration; however, free registration (with email) opens up a world of options. Add any book to your library to add your own highlights or annotations. View analysis available on the site broken down by chapters and literary context. Options for annotating include adding highlights, questions, tags, and correlation to Common Core Standards. Create a classroom to assign books. Video tutorials reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): authors (108), book lists (167), literature (221), poetry (196), reading comprehension (150), reading strategies (96)

TextProject's YouTube Channel has many videos to provide support in reading instruction for beginning and struggling readers. Choose from playlists with subjects including Beginning Reading, Texts That Teach, Literacy Leaders Answer CCSS Questions, Vocabulary Matters, Teaching English Learners Vocabulary, and much more. Click Playlist on the menu to see them all. Be sure to subscribe to this YouTube Channel to receive notification of new additions. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): commoncore (73), literacy (123), professional development (392), reading comprehension (150), reading strategies (96), video (267)

Find many strategies and techniques to keep your class engaged and interested! Many of the strategies are also helpful in adult meetings. View the short video on the home page to get a good overview of what to find and how to navigate this site. Click the View Our Tools button next to the video to see all the tools offered. Not only will all the tools be displayed, but on the left, find a menu with categories to make it easier to find what you are looking for. Most tools now have a video to see the tool in action. There are Opening and Closing Activities, Checks for Understanding, Reading Strategies, and more. There is no sign in to see all the activities. However, by joining the site, you will be able to take and save notes for the different tools of interest. Each tool has an overview of how and when to use it, variations of the tool, and templates (downloaded in Word) for participants to use. Some tools have accompanying videos to show the tool in action. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable; be sure to look at alternatives for sharing the videos on classroom computers.

tag(s): back to school (55), classroom management (119), reading strategies (96), Teacher Utilities (203)

TeachThought stretches teachers to think beyond the norm, and try new exciting ideas such as learning in a digital world, flipped classrooms, project based learning, and simulations. A few examples of the articles include: 10 Team Building Games that Promote Critical Thinking, 25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area, 55 Free Apps For iPads, 249 Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs for Critical Thinking, 14 Brilliant Bloom's Taxonomy Posters For Teachers, and 20 Things You Can Do in 10 Minutes For A Smoother Running Classroom. Join in the conversation, add your opinion, or ask a question. Sign up for TeachThought's newsletter.
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tag(s): blooms taxonomy (7), classroom management (119), critical thinking (136), flipped learning (9), professional development (392), reading strategies (96)

The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages you in historical inquiry. Each of the 130 lessons revolves around a central historical question. Each lesson features sets of primary documents modified for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and more. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on issues from King Philip's War to the Montgomery Bus Boycott (and more). Next, they make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. Choose from the units menu to find lessons divided into 12 units: introduction through the Cold War Culture/Civil Rights. Read a short overview, then choose from the list of included lessons. Most lessons are in PDF format and may include PowerPoint presentations with additional images and/or maps to use with the lesson.

tag(s): american revolution (83), civil rights (217), civil war (140), cold war (31), colonial america (95), colonization (21), emancipation proclamation (14), new deal (5), reading strategies (96), slavery (79), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (162)

Reading Rockets is a comprehensive guide for parents, teachers, librarians, principals, school counselors, speech therapists, school psychologists, preschool caregivers, summer care providers, and anyone interested in keeping kids reading! This site is an amazing resource to answer your reading needs. Updated continually, it keeps you informed with the latest research. New teachers, seasoned teacher, parents, principals, and anyone who works with students (reading) can benefit from the information included. Teachers will find: classroom strategies, how to help struggling readers, professional development webcasts, how to build strong parent teacher relationships, booklists, and how to use books in your curriculum. For principals, under the Resources tab, discover information on school level leadership, supporting teachers, closing the achievement gap, and working with parents. Find over 100 interviews with award winning authors reviewed here, an author study tool kit, themed booklists, holiday gift guide, research-based articles, parent letters, launching young readers (series) on ipod, reading adventure packs, and other great tools. A librarian toolkit offers free video modules on finding the right book, becoming aware of print, reading as dialogue, and writers secrets. Many detailed articles discuss information about speech pathology, dyslexia, comprehension, motivation, phonics, writing, and spelling.
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tag(s): authors (108), book lists (167), dyslexia (11), literacy (123), literature (221), parents (56), phonics (52), reading comprehension (150), reading lists (77), reading strategies (96), speech (69), spelling (98)

Find a comprehensive list of sources for eBooks and ways to use them. Dr. Terry Cavanaugh has a wide variety of information dedicated to using eBooks in the classroom. Find links for online libraries, news, blogs, history, platforms, features, accommodations, samples, and borrowing guidelines. A section entitled educational applications, features creating eBooks with PowerPoint, digital Big Books, and eBooks in higher education. Classroom lesson ideas along with reading strategies help you incorporate eBooks into your curriculum. A link to the Florida recommended eBook list is also given. Find advice on video book talks, Book trading with eBooks, and an online Book cataloging library resource tool. A section for books promoting eBooks use in the classrooms lists resources to make you proficient. Find samples for creating eBooks to fit into your own classroom needs.

tag(s): ebooks (46), reading strategies (96)

The focus of this site is to encourage better literacy and reading enjoyment among pre-teens and adolescents. Sister sites Reading Rockets, Colorin'Colorado, Start with a Book, and LDonline offer summer reading strategies, book lists, book clubs, classroom technique hints which encourage the development of reading attack skills, and a special section on authors and their best books. For a Spanish language version of the main topics available as an A-to-Z list, click on the left side of the screen En Espanol. This site has everything you need to know about teaching reading in easy-to-use formats.

tag(s): authors (108), independent reading (82), reading strategies (96)

Wow - this website provides ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations on over 100 topics. The presentations were created by teachers - for teachers to use in their classrooms. This website organizes topics by general grade levels (K-5 and 6-12). Just to give you a taste of the uniqueness of these presentations, topics include such diverse topics as Shakespeare, "grammar goofs," active reading strategies, haunted house graphic organizer, phonics millionaire game, pronouns, and numerous others. Any language arts teacher is guaranteed to find something useful at this website. Do yourself a favor and check it out! You may need PowerPoint software to be able to view these files, depending on how the site creators save them. Note: while files are downloading, it may appear that nothing is happening and that the links are dead. Look for a tiny "downloading" icon in the lower left corner of your screen, and please be patient! This site has heavy advertising at the top of the landing page. Scroll down to find the presentations.
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tag(s): air (100), grammar (138), narrative (16), reading comprehension (150), reading strategies (96), shakespeare (99)

This wonderful site has a collection of original stories read by actors and actresses. This is an excellent way to show children that reading is valued by folks in all walks of life! An example is "Dad, Are You the Tooth Fairy" read by Jason Alexander. Many of the story titles are parodies of famous tales. Viewers can see the actor holding the book and turning the pages as he hears and sees the story being read. An accompanying Teacher's Guide with activities and an activity guide complete the offerings. The activities are terrific comprehension checkers and build solid reading strategies. The videos are available in two different programs: YouTube and SchoolTube.

tag(s): reading comprehension (150), reading lists (77), reading strategies (96)