Comprehension

Teach Nonfiction Text Features (Free Graphic Organizers)

Teaching young minds to navigate the pages of informational texts is a crucial skill that will empower them to become independent readers. In this blog post, we’ll explore effective strategies to introduce nonfiction text features, conduct engaging mini-lessons, and provide free graphic organizers to support your students’ learning journey. What

Read More »

4 Steps to Successfully Teach Compare and Contrast

Are you looking for a fun, engaging way to teach your students to compare and contrast? Teaching how to compare and contrast in 2nd grade can be one of the most challenging, yet powerful topics in any classroom. Understanding how items are similar and different is essential for student success.

Read More »

Teaching Guided Reading in a Virtual Classroom

 I started this post back in July but I had to stop. I knew I wanted to help teachers plan for virtual reading groups. But, honestly, I still wasn’t sure exactly how it would all work. Now that I am teaching (both in person and virtually), I feel a little

Read More »

Activities and Books for Teaching Fact and Opinion

Facts and Opinions I love having activities and books for teaching fact and opinions prepared and ready to teach! In this post, I’m sharing with you how I teach facts and opinions using mini-lessons and mentor texts. Out of all of the comprehension skills, I have found that teaching facts

Read More »

How to Teach Author’s Purpose in a Fun and Engaging Way

Are you struggling to get your students interested in author’s purpose? Teaching this important concept can sometimes be dull or perplexing. But fear not! There are plenty of exciting and enjoyable methods to teach author’s purpose that will capture your students’ attention. In this blog post, we’ll explore ways to

Read More »

How to Teach Story Elements using Mentor Texts

The first comprehension skill for the school year I teach is how to identify story elements. I love using Mentor Texts to support my shared reading lessons. I pick this skill for a few reasons; but, primarily because in order to effectively retell or summarize a fiction story, students need

Read More »

Sequencing Events Activities and Mentor Texts

Here’s a common scenario: You have a class full of many fluent readers. Their accuracy is strong. But, they struggle with comprehension. Whether it’s an oral retelling or a written response, we need to engage students by using comprehension strategies, such as sequencing events, in a variety of ways so

Read More »