Reading To Learn

allthingsliteracy

Kellie Doubek, Instructional Technology and Literacy Consultant

Reading to Learn: Content Area Literacy Resources

If every teacher is supposed to be a teacher of reading, how can we still address our content area standards? These resources and four simple strategies will not only build literacy skills, they will increase your students' comprehension of your content!

Making Connections and Activating Schema

Finding Appropriate Resources

Cloze Procedure

A quick comprehension check for content area teachers. The text is at the student's independent reading level if they had 55% or more correct. The text is at the student's instructional reading level if they have between 38% and 55% correct. The text is at the student's frustration level if they had less than 38% correct.

Kidsclick

This database has an approximate reading level for each site.

Infoplease
A great resource for finding text to complement your units.

Digital Collections from the Library of Congress
No place has a better collection of primary resources!

Onekey
Google's search engine for kids.

Blue Web N
Check out these "blue ribbon" web sites. Sign up for weekly updates to keep up with new sites.

Wikibooks
A free library of online textbooks anyone can edit! And trust me, if there is incorrect information, someone will edit it!

Literature Learning Ladders
A great resource for novel and genre studies!

Pulling Apart the Text

These include before, during, and after reading strategies to increase students' comprehension of text.

Adlit... your one stop shop for a plethora of strategies, resources, and more!

ABC Brainstorm is a great strategy for pairs and small groups of students.

Inquiry Charts are great for research and/or comparing multiple texts.

Anticipation Guides are a great way to activate background knowledge before reading and encourage reflection.

Other Active Strategies:

Pre-Reading Plan

3-2-1 Notes

Graphic Organizers

Organization Strategies

Trash-n-Treasure Notes is a great strategy for research and online text.

Power Thinking is an oldie but a goodie!

Working with Words

Whether you teach English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Art, Music or PE, all teachers have content area vocabulary to teach. These are some great resources for vocabulary activities.

Word Sorts

Active Strategies for Building Vocabulary

Word Maps

Research and Strategies for Building Fluency

Visual Thesaurus

Visuwords

Talking and Writing About Learning

Having students talk and write about what they read will increase comprehension and encourage metacognition.

Active Assessment Strategies to help students write about learning.

3-2-1 charts can help students organize their thoughts as they read.

This site includes some guiding questions to help students reflect in their writing.

Scaffolding for Summarizing can help students determine importance.

RAFT can help your young authors think about their audience and write for success.

These Discussion Strategies will help foster meaningful dialouge in your classroom!

Special Person

Word Sort Template

Topic Probe Template