About Reading!
About Reading Strategies!
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About the Author:
My Experience:
- First year teacher in a split grade 3/4 class. Ecole Edwards in Western Canada.
- 11 years in Grade 3 and 4 not teaching to the provincial test – never ever even looking at the practice tests.
- Using the Diagnostic Reading Program and/or Fountas Pinnell, to determine the reading level of each student, three times per year.
- Observing each student to see if they were applying strategies, and reporting on these strategies in every report card.
- Using strategies for all level of readers: Enrichment, Grade Level and Monitor Kids (KBZ)
- Mexico –Repeated Partner Reading in a community of Readers.
- Mexico Grade 1: Singing Vowels
- 7 months at an ESL School with no English first language speakers. I taught the same strategies that I used in Grades 3 and 4. These Grade 2 Kids excelled.
- Its all strategies. It’s the only way to teach. I can vouch for Grades 2 to 4.
- The Question is… Do you want to teach strategies to your own kids?
My Road to Reading Strategies
A Story About Reading Strategies – Reading for Meaning!
Please be aware, that I speak primarily from my own experience as a grades 3 and 4 language arts teacher. My strategies are inspired by Anita L. Archer. This is what I believe, “When children learn comprehension strategies in reading, they succeed in reading for meaning.”
This is what I’ve learned: Simple reading comprehension strategies improve comprehension, retention of what is read, and vocabulary. Here are four guidelines.
- Effective reading strategies must be concise, systematic, and have clear steps.
- Always remember KISS: Keep It Simple. Simple!
- Teach strategies formally, practice them occasionally (review), and reinforce them informally (Point them out and reward them with a comment.)
- Reading and reading strategies, must be fun, and the easiest way to make things fun, is to make sure that the learner experiences success.
- Easy fun factor: Kids read and practice strategies together. (Especially grades 1 to 4.)
So you know, “I didn’t make any of this up.” I did make up my own strategies but I followed some guidelines. As noted, I was fortunate, as a first- and second-year teacher, to attend professional workshops provided by Anita L. Archer. What I learned from her, made so much sense, and was so significant, that I immediately began developing my own reading strategies and lesson plans based on her guidance.
The End of Story – Short Version
The Long and Windy/Windy Version
This is what happened:
In my first year of teaching, I had a split, grade three/four class with 32 students. Many of these kids needed enrichment. Many were reading above grade level. Of course, some kids were reading below grade level. It was a big range. I was supposed to teach curriculum at two grade levels.
One of the things that they didn’t stress as much as they might have, in my university program, was how to teach a class of students who are reading at 4 to 5 different levels, and how to teach them all at the same time.
This is a scary question for any new teacher, and getting scarier. From what I’ve heard, it is much, much, worse in today’s modern times (North America). Children are entering grades 5,6 and 7 at a grade two reading level, or lower. Classrooms are full of children that don’t have the skills to even approach the reading and writing levels required in earlier grades.
So, within my first month as a teacher, I decided to get help. We were allowed to attend a two-day workshop of our choice, each year, and it was paid for. I chose a workshop focused on teaching high needs learners.
The workshop was taught by Anita L. Archer. I only went to two of her workshops. I was lucky that they were offered in my province, in those particular years. Those two, straight forward workshops, formed the basis of much of my lesson planning for the rest of my career.
Years later, I still remember this main point: “Strategy-Based Teaching was meant to help children who were struggling in school, but the wonderful side benefit is that strategies help all readers and learners.
The result, for me, was that instead of looking for content and trying to teach completely separate materials, I could teach strategies that would benefit all of my students.
Another thing I learned was how to teach challenging skills and writing concepts using what Anita Archer calls I – We – You. (Available on our Free Strategies tab)
We often think that teaching a reading strategy might be difficult. It’s not! Not if its a good strategy and not if you we use the I – We – You process. In the “Homeschool’s Resources,” section, I’ve given two examples of easy strategies that all learning and advanced readers can use to gain information before they even start reading the book, and while they read it.
School kids love the second strategy, with reason. “Stop: It Doesn’t Make Sense.” Think about that name. It is the simplest strategy you can imagine. Yet so many readers don’t do it, at any age. They never formally practice stopping when new vocabulary doesn’t make sense. This essential reading habit can be taught in Grades 2 to 4. Why to the kids/readers really enjoy it so much, because they get to repeatedly point out that the teacher is wrong. The teacher should make decoding errors once in a while just to check it out. And good materials should mean new vocabulary, that at first doesn’t make sense.
For me, going to these workshops for struggling readers meant one big thing: No teaching theme-based lesson plans using one story or at one level. Even if I do teach themes, I always find a large selection of books and literature at three levels.
An aside: Kids know what grade level they are at, and not once in 14 years, have they ever been offended by me assigning them to a group K, B, or Z. Of course, some will ask me if they can move up a group. And isn’t that fantastic! Isn’t that the entire point of teaching!
But first they need to demonstrate success at each level. And to have success with reading comprehension, they can use strategies.
If you do purchase any of my reading strategies materials, or book accompaniments, I hope that your kid learner enjoys them and sincerely believe that these materials can help you in the classroom or homeschool.