Reading

 

The “Reading Center” should be a very important part of any classroom. Students are able to practice their reading skills in a variety of ways. They can improve both their word attack and their comprehension at this center. Make sure to model the use and organization of the library at the reading center.

The books in the reading center or library should be organized for easy access for both teachers and students. Book baskets should be carefully labeled so students can find books, and put them back in the right basket. Some “basket titles” could include:

·        picture books

·        fantasy/traditional

·        poetry

·        realistic fiction

·        historical fiction

·        mysteries

·        animal stories

·        animals

·        nature

·        science

·        social studies

·        travel

·        math

·        informational

·        seasonal/monthly

·        authors

·        humor

·        class books (written by the class)

·        student authored

 

Teachers need to model how to:

·        Use and store materials

 

Materials

·        Comfortable seating

·        Books

·        Magazines

·        Newspapers

·        Telephone book

·        Comics

·        Flannel boards / characters

·        Catalogs

·        Encyclopedias

·        Bookshelves

·        Book rack

·        Stuffed animals

·        Plant

·        Lamp

·        Rug

·        Book checkout system

·        Bookmarks

·        “How to Choose a Book” chart (see figure 3.1) made by the class

·        “How to Write a Book Review” made by the class

·        Sticky notes

·        Sequence cards of popular stories

 

Activities

·        Read silently books from the library

 

·        Look at pictures in a book and tell a story to go along with them (emergent readers)

 

·        Read Big Books

 

·        Read books and magazines to a stuffed animal

 

·        Read about an author

 

·        Write a book review

 

·        Write personal connections or questions on sticky notes as a student reads a book

 

·        Write a new ending to a story

 

·        Write in your reader’s response journal

 

·        Make a story map

 

·        Take mixed up sentences from familiar stories and write them on sentence strips. Students put the sentences back into the correct order.

 

·        Take mixed up pictures from a familiar story and put them in order

 

·        Compare (and contrast) two different books

 

·        Sequencing using mixed up pictures (example- steps in how to do something such as brush teeth)

 

·        Read a book. Fill in the information for the 5 W’s (Who? What? When? Where? Why?) in the story.

 

·        Take index cards (with different categories and have students sort them (multiple ways: names, nouns, verbs, animals).

 

·        Read a restaurant menu. Decide what to order. Extensions (examples): How much will it cost? Which restaurant did this menu come from? How many salads do they serve?

 

·        Book box- Students read a magazine box containing familiar reading material. Example: books from previous guided reading sessions, songs and poems collected in folders, any mini reproducible books made in class....

 

·        Cover an empty Pringles Can with plain paper (it's the perfect size for small hands to reach into without peaking). Fill it with small cards that are labeled with sight words. Also add 4-5 extra cards that are labeled, "BANG!" The students take turns drawing a card. If they can read the word they keep it. If they draw a Bang card they must return all of their previous cards to the can, but keep out the Bang card. Eventually all cards get drawn and the one with the most words is the winner.