Chunk Letters and Sounds Together

Another Accuracy strategy I teach is to chunk letters and sounds together. Since I have already taught students to use beginning and ending sounds, this continues to support the idea that they need to slow down and look at the whole word. When students get past reading one-syllable words, stretching a word one letter at a time becomes tedious and often sounds very different from the actual word. By teaching students to look at blends and word families they know, they are able to become more independent in reading muti-syllable words.

Explaining the Strategy:

“You can look for parts that you know.”

“You can use word parts to solve a word.”

“You can look at the first and last parts of a word to read it.”

Ideas for Teaching:

• While reading a big book or poem together, focus on a challenging word. Ask students to highlight (using different colored markers) parts of words they know. Sound out the parts together to solve the word.
• Read aloud books with rhymes so students can hear and notice word parts.
• During guided reading or writing, have students use white boards to chunk words into parts. Practice writing words that have the same spelling patterns.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/studentCenterActivities23.shtm

This website is created by the Florida Center for Reading Research. There are many activities for teacher to use in the classroom that involve teaching syllabication, word parts, and chunked text.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/c51

This website includes many articles discussing phonics and decoding in for primary students.

Supporting Picture Books:

Cronin, D. (2000). Click clack moo. New York, NY: Simon and Schusters Children’s Publishing Division.

Martin, M. J. (1996). From Anne to Zach. New York, NY: Boyds Mills Press.

Professional Resources:

Pinnell, G., & Fountas, I. (2003). Phonics lessons grade 2. Portsmouth, NH: FirstHand.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Reutzel, D., & Cooter, Jr., R. (1999). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Summarize Text; Use Sequence of Main Events

Another Comprehension strategy I teach is to summarize text; include sequence of main events. By the time I introduce summarizing to my second grade classroom, they have usually become pretty good at retelling the story. Students need to learn that sometimes the story needs to be cut down to just the bare essentials. Learning to look at only the important information and leaving out the insignificant details can be a challenge. Students learn to tell just the key ideas that must be remembered to understand the story.

Explaining the Strategy:

“What is the selection about?”

“What are the main ideas of this selection?”

“What is not important to remember in this selection? Why?”

Ideas for Teaching:

• Start teaching this strategy with a chapter book. Have an “artist of the day” draw what was important information from the chapter just read. As an entire class, write the main ideas under the picture, being sure to leave out the unimportant details. When the chapter book is finished, compile the picture summaries to create a class book.
• Model how to find the important parts by using a purse. Set out items from you purse, explaining that because you are walking after school, you can only take the most important things with you. Together, determine what is important from you purse.
• Use spaghetti, water, and a strainer to show how to leave out unimportant details. Show how a strainer can separate the important from the unimportant. This is what your brain must to when reading.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/summarizing

This website gives an explanation and teaching ideas for summarizing.

http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=4

This website gives ideas on how to find the important pieces of a text.

http://www.songsforteaching.com/jeffschroeder/summarize.htm

Here is a song that goes along with summarizing.

Supporting Picture Books:

Brett, J. (1989). The mitten. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group.

Freeman, D. (1966). A rainbow of my own. New York, NY: Penguin Books, Inc.

Garland, S. (1993). The lotus seed. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace & Co.

Professional Resources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2008). The primary comprehension toolkit. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (Strategy Book 1)

McGregor, T. (2007). Comprehension connections. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Miller, D. (2002). Reading with meaning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Predict What Will Happen; Use Text to Confirm

Under Comprehension on the CAFÉ menu, I teach predict what will happen; use text to confirm early in the year. Teaching students to predict is something that students catch on to very fast. I find that they sometimes begin to use the strategy too much… every time I read a page of a story someone raises their hand to share their prediction. Although making predictions may be easy, teaching primary students to confirm predictions based on the text becomes a little trickier. We must teach students to look back to see if the prediction was true, partially true, or way off.

Explaining the Strategy:

“Based on what you have read, what do you think will happen next?”

“What from the story helped you make that prediction?”

“What from the story tells you your prediction is true/partially true/way off?”

Ideas for Teaching:

• Model this strategy during your interactive read-aloud. Tell students your predictions and what from the text helped you make that prediction. After reading a little more, return to your prediction to decide if your prediction was true, partially true, or way off.
• After modeling how to predict, have students work in pairs. Ask one partner to look at the text and predict what will happen. The partners then read the text together. The second partner finds places in the selection that can prove whether the prediction was true, partially true, or way off.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/doesn-have-that-using-87.html

Here is a lesson where the students make predictions through their illustrations.

http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/Prediction%20handout%20by%20Deb%20Smith.pdf

This is examples on how to teach predictions from the book, Reading With Meaning.

http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/first_lines

This website teaches students to use predictions as a pre-reading strategy.

Supporting Picture Books:

Henkes, K. (1986). A weekend with Wendell. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Steig, W. (1986). Brave Irene. West Melbourne, FL: Sunburst Books, Inc.

Henkes, K. (2006) Lilly’s big day. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Alsenas, L. (2007). Peanut. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

Professional Resources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Miller, D. (2002). Reading with meaning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Voracious Reading

Teaching students voracious reading is one strategy I really love teaching and find very valuable. This strategy fits under Fluency and Expanding Vocabulary on the CAFE menu. I consider myself a voracious reader as an adult, and I love to guide these students towards their own love for reading. Reading, reading, and more reading will help students gain word knowledge for their daily lives and for their writing. As a primary teacher, it is important for me to help my students learn at a young age the importance of reading. Voracious reading involves having many options for students to read, giving reading time every single day, reading to students every day, and modeling what it means to be a voracious reader. If I can surround students with my own love for reading, then this will help develop their own love for reading.

Explaining the Strategy:

“We can become better readers by reading every day.”

“Remember to choose good-fit books when you are reading.”

Ideas for Teaching:

• Read to the students every single day. Use a variety of text to model the love of reading. Pull in picture books, chapter books, poems, big books, newspapers, magazines, letters, and pamphlets.
• Give students time every day to read independently. Let them have choice in what they read and offer them a variety of high-interest text to choose from.
• Help students choose good-fit books for independent reading time.
• Create a classroom library organized by author, genre, topic, series, etc. Make the classroom library accessible to all students throughout the day.
• Keep a log of books you have read as a class. Refer to the list often, highlighting books that you loved and certain things you remember or learned from the books.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/c55

This websites is an assortment of articles that help build motivation in readers.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/catching-reading-through-interactive-241.html

This website offers tips on conducting an interactive read-aloud. Reading aloud to students is one way to help build voracious readers.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/29298

Here is an article and pictures on how to organize your classroom library to make it friendly for your students.

Supporting Picture Books:

Bertram, D. (2005). The best time to read. New York, NY: Random House Books for Young Readers.

• This story is about a boy who just learned to read. He searches his house looking for someone to read to.

Kirk, D. (2007). Library mouse. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

• In this story, the mouse lives in the library. He loves books so much he decides to become an author himself.

Knudsen, M. (2006). Library lion. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

• The lion in this story has a deep love for reading and books. Even though he may not be the normal library patron, he becomes a regular visitor of the library.

Professional Resources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2006). The daily 5. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Practice Common Sight Words

Another strategy I teach in second grade is to practice common sight words. This strategy fits under Fluency on the CAFÉ menu. Our reading, even as adults, is primarily made upon high-frequency words. They are words we see everyday and we must be able to read and write in a snap. I notice that most of my students that struggle with fluency are also very behind on their knowledge of sight words. Since most texts, especially for the primary grades, are made up of sight words, it is very important that we explicitly teach these words and students recognize the importance of knowing these words in a snap. As readers, we cannot usually decode sight words, so we need to remember these words, read them quickly, and understand what they mean.

Explaining the Strategy:

“You see some words many times when you read.”

“Words you see a lot are important because they help you read and write.”

“Do you see any sight words you recognize in this sentence?”

“Do you know any of the words in a snap?”

Ideas for Teaching:

·      Introduce five words each week to the whole class. Review these words throughout the week by making connections to the words, playing word games, finding them in reading, and using them in writing.

·      Practice words during Word Work (discusses in The Daily Five). Practice words with white boards, letter tiles, magnetic letters, or special markers.

·      While reading big books, call the children’s attention to some of the sight words.

·      Have students play games such as BINGO, Lotto, Go Fish, or Memory using sight words they have learned.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.k12reader.com/sight-word-teaching-strategies/

Here is a website that gives more ideas for integrating sight word instruction into your day. It also gives tips for parents to use at home.

http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?t=120105

Here is a discussion thread with many ideas other teachers use to teach high frequency words in their classroom.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2093503_teach-kids-sight-words.html

Here is a list for both teachers and parents. It gives more ideas on how to help a child learn high frequency words.

Supporting Picture Books:

Carle, E. (1987). Have you seen my cat? New York, NY: First Aladdin Paperbacks.

Seuss, D. (1957). Cat in the hat. New York, NY: Random House Books for Young Readers.

Wood, A. (2005). The deep blue sea. New York, NY: The Blue Sky Press.

Professional Resources:

Pinnell, G., & Fountas, I. (2003). Phonics lessons grade 2. Portsmouth, NH: FirstHand.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Reutzel, D., & Cooter, Jr., R. (1999). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Retell the Story

Another important strategy to teach primary students is to retell the story. This strategy fits under Comprehension on the CAFÉ menu. Retelling a story seems like an easy task, but for primary students it sometimes can be challenging. I find that many of my students cannot remember anything except a sentence or two. The rest of the students try to tell me the entire story, word for word. Finding a balance between the two is something I work on throughout the year. Teaching students to retell a story in sequence with information about the character, setting, and plot is essential to helping them become a good reader. It also helps develop their knowledge of story structure for their own writing.

Explaining the Strategy:

“Who were the main characters?”

“What was the problem? How was it solved?”

“What happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story?”

Ideas for Teaching:

• Model this strategy during an interactive read-aloud. Use a retell rope (a rope with 8 knots tied in it). Each knot stands for the following: Characters, setting, problem, event 1, event 2, event 3, event 4, and ending.
• Emphasize that retelling means to tell what is important, in a way that makes sense, without telling too much.
• Have students read independently for 5-10 minutes then stop and practice retelling with a partner.
• Start by practicing with real-life experiences from the students. Have them retell and event from their weekend. Remind them to tell what is important, in a way that makes sense, without telling too much.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.liketoread.com/read_strats_retell.php

This website offers tips and activities to use in the classroom when teaching students how to retell.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/13282

This article gives ideas on how to incorporate pictures into retelling.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/33920

This article offers a link to the retelling pyramid, which is a graphic organizer that can be used when teaching how to retell a nonfiction selection.

Supporting Picture Books:

Lobel, A. (1980). Fables. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

• Most fables include a lesson or theme in the story, relatable characters, and a repetitive story structure. This makes it easier for students when they are beginning to retell stories.

Brett, J. (1987). Goldilocks and the three bears. New York, NY: The Putnam and Grosset Group.

• As I mentioned above, folktales, fables, and fairytales are a good place to start when teaching students how to retell. Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a story that most students have heard multiple times, so it will be easy for them to retell.

Galdone, P. (1973). The little red hen. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co.

• The Little Red Hen is another classic story told to children. Retelling will come naturally with the repetitive nature of this story.

Professional Resources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Miller, D. (2002). Reading with meaning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Tune into Interesting Words

Teaching students to tune into interesting words is something I do in the first week of school. This strategy fits under Expand Vocabulary on the CAFÉ menu. When readers pay attention to the words around them, they will slowly begin to develop their own vocabulary for both reading and writing. They can pay attention to words through listening to someone read or reading a story by themselves. Keeping a collection of interesting words will help students give importance and meaning to these new words. Hopefully, as we talk about the words we have collected from texts, students can transfer their word knowledge to their own reading and writing.

Explaining the Strategy:

“This author really chose his words carefully when she said…”

“Did you notice any interesting words in your reading?”

Ideas for Teaching:

• Keep a word-collector in the classroom. Use and poster-size ABC Chart so the words you find will be organized by the beginning sound. Review the words on the word-collector a few times each week and add new words regularly.
• During an interactive read-aloud, stop and make a big deal about one or two words. Point out how much you love the word and write it on the word-collector.
• Keep another ABC Chart to keep track of academic words from the content areas. Review these words regularly using vocabulary review games and activities.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.smekenseducation.com/idea-library-teaching-writing/category/word-choice/

This website belongs to Kristina Smekens, a presenter for the 6+1 Traits of writing in our area. This link gives many ideas and lessons for teaching word choice, also related to interesting vocabulary.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/alphabet/

This tool allows you to print an ABC chart with the words you choose typed into it. I think it is helpful to use for students to have their own copy of the ABC chart. Also, it makes it easy to update often.

Supporting Picture Books:

Cannon, J. (2000). Crickwing. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.

• Crickwing is about a cockroach. Using great word choice, Cannon is able to capture a different side of a cockroach than most of us might know. 

O’Connor, J. (2006). Fancy Nancy. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

• Fancy Nancy uses such colorful vocabulary. There are so many words you can point out while reading this story aloud.

Edwards, P. (1996). Some Smug Slug. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

• This has many examples of alliteration. The story is told using words that begin with s, both common and uncommon.

Professional Resources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Reutzel, D., & Cooter, Jr., R. (1999). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Using Beginning and Ending Sounds

When teaching students to solve words, I teach students to use beginning and ending sounds. This strategy fits under Accuracy on the CAFÉ menu. Towards the beginning of second grade, I notice that the majority of my students know their consonants, but still struggle with many of the vowel sounds. This causes them to quickly guess a word based on the beginning sound. By teaching students to also pay attention to the end, it forces beginning readers to slow down and look at the whole word. They are usually much more successful when they are able to use the beginning and ending sound to help them solve the word. Once they read the word, I always remind them to ask themselves, “Does that make sense?”

Explaining the Strategy:

“You can look at the first and last parts of a word to read it.”

“You can use word parts to solve a word.”

“Did you look at the whole word?”

“Did what you read make sense?”

Ideas for Teaching:

• While reading a big book or poem, highlight the beginning and ending sound in a few words from the text. Have the class help solve the word, being sure to pay attention to the whole word. 
• While reading or writing as a whole class mini-lesson, have students come up and highlight the beginning and ending sounds in a word. Have the students tell the first and last parts of the word. 
• Have students play Word Race. On a blank game board, write one-syllable words in each box. Work in groups of two, three, or four. They place their colored markers at Start, roll a die, move the number of spaces, read the word written on the space, and tell the first and last parts. The first player to get to the end wins. 
• As a class, hold up a few one-syllable word cards and have the children read them and tell the parts.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/building-phonemic-awareness-with-120.html

ReadWriteThink offers a lesson to teach phonemic awareness. The lesson uses chants and matching activities to help students recognize words with the same sound.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/flash/phonics/index.htm

This lesson may be too easy for second grade, but it reinforces words that have the same sound.

http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/longsmart_elem.html

This website offers many lessons for a SmartBoard. About halfway down the page, there is a lesson for beginning and ending sounds.

Supporting Picture Books:

Kellogg, S. (1992). Aster Aardvark’s alphabet adventures. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

• This picture book is a good book to read-aloud. It features sound substitutions at the beginning of words.

Slepian, J. (2001). The hungry thing. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

• This book also features sound substitutions at the beginning of words. It helps students focus on the beginning sounds.

Gowler, R. (2001). Barnyard song. Hartford, CT: Atheneum.

• If you want to focus on ending sounds, this book can help. Using it at as a read-aloud will allow you to find words that end the same.

Ahlberg, A. (1999). Monkey do. London: Walker Books Ltd.

• This book also features words that end the same.

Professional Resources:

Pinnell, G., & Fountas, I. (2003). Phonics lessons grade 2. Portsmouth, NH: FirstHand.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Reutzel, D., & Cooter, Jr., R. (1999). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Read Good-Fit Books

To help students become fluent readers, they need to spend most of their reading time with books they can read at 99-100% accuracy. To help students grasp this, I focus on teaching students to read “good-fit” books. This strategy fits under Fluency on the CAFÉ menu. In second grade, chapter books quickly become the “in” thing to read. As soon as students see a classmate holding a chapter book, they quickly realize that they, too, want to hold a chapter book. This becomes a problem, because this is exactly what they do… hold a chapter book. They are not reading the words, but they try their hardest to pretend to read it. I really focus on “Good Fit” books throughout the entire year. I try to help those itching for chapter books find chapter books that “fit” them well. I also help them find high-interest picture books at their level. Leading them to books they can read independently will keep them on task during reading and also help build their fluency.

Explaining the Strategy:

“Is that a good-fit book for you? Show me how you know.”

“Show me a good-fit book for you.”

Ideas for Teaching:

• Teach students to remember I PICK good-fit books.
• Introduce this strategy using the lesson in The Daily Five. Bring in different types of shoes, such as gym shoes, slippers, high heels, or cleats. Explain that each pair of shoes has a different purpose, just like books do. Also, show that some shoes may be for the right purpose, but may not fit well (model this with shoes that are too small or too large for you). Refer to this analogy throughout the year when discussing good-fit books.
• Help students book shop in you classroom or school library. With each student, take time to find books that interest him or her. Model the I PICK strategy, and have them try it out with you guiding them.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/choosing-right-book-strategies-916.html?tab=1#tabs

This website offers a lesson on teaching children to choose just-right books. It uses an analogy of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to help even the youngest students understand.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/28279

This is a website that uses the five-finger rule for choosing a just-right book.

Supporting Picture Books:

Boelts, M. (2007). Those shoes. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

• This book by Maribeth Boelts can go along with a lesson relating good-fit shoes to good-fit books.

Brett, J. (1987). Goldilocks and the three bears. New York, NY: The Putnam & Grosset Group.

• This book can support the lesson on using Goldilocks and the Three Bears to teach just-right books.

Crews, D. (1996). Shortcut. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

• This books, along with many others by Donald Crews, offer those struggling readers with good picture books they can read on their own. 

Johnson, A. (1993). Do like Kyla. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

• Angela Johnson also writes many books that are appropriate for the younger readers.

Professional Resources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2006). The daily 5. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Checking for Understanding

One of the first strategies I teach in my second grade classroom is Check for Understanding. Check for Understanding fits under Comprehension on the CAFÉ menu. I find this strategy to be very valuable in the primary grades because the main focus for students always seems to be getting the words right. By starting my year off with a comprehension strategy, it reminds both me and the students the main purpose of reading… to make meaning!

Explaining the Strategy:

“When I read a story, I need to think of who the story is about and what just happened.”

“Who did you just read about? What just happened?

“Think about who the story was about and what just happened.”

"Real reading includes both the text and thinking."

Ideas for Teaching:

• Use a wooden checkmark to help students remember to check for understanding while reading. On one side of the checkmark, write “Check for Understanding.” On the back side of the checkmark, write who and what.
• While reading with a partner, have the partner that is listening respond with, “I just heard you read…”
• Model this strategy during your interactive read-alouds. Explain to students that reading is not just about the words, but we must also think about the information. Teach students to use Post-Its to track their thinking while they read.
• Explain that just like a salad with a mixture of lettuce and tomatoes, a reading salad is a mixture of text and thinking. Label two small bowls text and thinking. Label a large bowl real reading. Place red cards in the text bowl and green cards in the thinking bowl. As you read a story, point to the text when you are reading from the text and point to your head when you are thinking aloud. Have a student add a tomato (text card) to the real reading salad when you point to the text and lettuce (thinking card) when you point to your head. This helps students visualize that real reading must be a mixture of text and thinking.
• Create a poster-size thought bubble. As one child sits and reads aloud, stand next to the child and hold the thought bubble. Explain your thinking while the student reads. This helps students understand what goes on inside a reader’s head.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think_alouds

This website explains how to conduct a Think-aloud. Think-alouds are a great way to reveal to students how readers think about the text. Use a think-aloud before or during reading.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4464

This is another website that lists resources for conducting a think-aloud.

Supporting Picture Books:

dePaola, T. (1989). The art lesson. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group.

• This book helps initiate thinking about the text because most students can easily relate to the boy in the story.

Danneberg, J. (2000) First day jitters. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

• Because I usually teach this strategy at the beginning of the school year, I like to pull in books about school. I also like this book because it has a surprise ending. Students realize that thinking may change while reading. 

Fox, M. (1988). Koala Lou. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.

• This book also is helps initiate students’ thinking. Because they can usually relate, they are quick to share their thinking during the story.

Professional Resources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2006). The daily 5. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2008). The primary comprehension toolkit. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (Strategy Book 1)

McGregor, T. (2007). Comprehension connections. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.