Accountability Activities for Read-Alouds

Are you looking for ideas for holding students accountable for the information given during read-alouds?  Check out these simple activities and suggested titles for your secondary classroom.

In the first two posts in this series, I talked about titles for Social Studies and Science Read-Alouds.  Be sure to check those posts out for suggested titles.




Accountability activities for books being told from multiple viewpoints:

• Have students keep a t-chart in their notebooks comparing the two (or more) narrator's stories.
• Talk or write about how it would change the story if a certain character had made a different decision earlier in the story.
• Have students complete a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the characters

Accountability activities for books based on historical events/containing historical dates:

• Have students complete journal entries based off an event in the book or a significant quote from the chapters you read that day
• Have students make a timeline of the major events in the story
• Have students interview experts on the time period/subject of the book
• Have students create their own test or essay questions about the text. This allows them to simultaneously think about the story and prepare for the test on it

General Accountability Activities:

• Have students make a list of questions they have about a character or part of the book.  Have a class discussion to come up with possible answers.
• Search for movie trailers or book teasers based on the book
• Have students make their own movie trailers or book teasers
• Have students recommend other books to the class that have similar plots/characters
• Use Sticky Notes to track reading comprehension

What accountability activities do you use?  Which of the activities will you be using from my list?  I'd love to hear from you!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane-Velveteen Rabbit Reading Comprehension

Are you ready bunnies, read-alouds, and reading comprehension?  Then read on to see how I incorporate them in my The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane/Velveteen Rabbit Packet!

I love, love, love Kate DiCamillo!  One of my favorite books by her is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Upper elementary students love this book just as much as I do.  In case you're not familiar with the book, it's a fantasy book about a stuffed rabbit that becomes lost at sea and journeys around trying to find his way home.  It's a great book to talk about perseverance and the fantasy genre. I always like to read this book just before spring break because it ties in nicely with the season. 

Another of my favorite rabbit books: The Velveteen Rabbit. While these two books have completely different plots, they are similar in many ways. They both are of the fantasy genre, have a rabbit as the main character, and involve the loss of a favorite toy.

I like to read Edward Tulane as a class, and then split into pairs/small groups to read The Velveteen Rabbit.  

I created a  comprehension packet  for use with the books that incorporates the following skills/subjects:  

~Compare and contrast 
~Science (habitats/ecosystems) 
~Research (online and print resources) 
~Writing (conventions/editing/adjectives/creating mental images) 
~Comparing fiction/fantasy to nonfiction texts 
~Making inferences  


Do you love these books or similar titles?  I'd love to hear about your favorite rabbit books!

Reading Comprehension Bookmarks: An Alternative to Reading Logs

Would you like:

1.  A quick and effective way to involve parents in nightly reading?
2.  An alternative to a reading log that still holds students accountable for what they read? 
3.  A supplement to your current reading log that keeps things fresh?

I if you answered yes to any of these questions, then Reading Comprehension Bookmarks are for you!

I came up with this idea when parents were asking me for an alternative way to assess their child's nightly reading comprehension, rather than just signing the Reading Log. I sat down and thought about the core questions that would demonstrate an overall understanding of any text. This is how my Reading Comprehension Bookmarks were born.

Using the bookmarks instead of a Reading Log:

I have parents choose 2 of the questions on the bookmark to ask their child each night after reading, and write the number of the questions asked in their child's agenda. I ask parents to choose different questions each night, so different levels and concepts of comprehension are tested.

If the reader truly understood what they read, they should be able to answer all of them correctly.  If the reader is unable to answer, they should go back and reread that portion of the text.If the reader truly understood what they read, they should be able to answer all of them correctly.  If the reader is unable to answer, they should go back and reread that portion of the text.

Using the bookmarks with a Reading Log:

I've used them in conjunction with a Reading Log.  In this case, I still have parents sign the reading log and there is a section to indicate which numbers of the questions from the bookmark were asked that night.

I've found both ways to be effective, depending on the needs of the student and parent. This is a great way to differentiate reading comprehension homework. 

If you'd like to pick up a copy, click here.

How do you hold students accountable for their nightly reading? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!

Using Sticky Notes for Reading Comprehension

Do you have students track their comprehension while they read?  Do you use Interactive Notebooks?  It's time to combine the two for an interactive, comprehension-packed activity that allows you to track students' thinking during reading with this Sticky Note Comprehension Activity!

This PDF can be turned into a poster or simply printed and stapled into readers' notebooks. It is designed to help readers track their thinking on sticky notes, which in turn, helps the teacher see the areas in which the students need help or have mastered.          

Although this is great for your Language Arts block, why not add a copy of it to your Social Studies or Science notebooks?  There is so much reading comprehension that needs to happen for full understanding in these subjects as well.

You can pick up a copy by clicking here.



Do you already use this or a similar method?  Is there anything you do differently?  I'd love to hear your strategies!

Close Reading for Complex Texts

I just finished reading Guided Highlighted Reading by Weber, Nelson, and Schofield.  It's a great addition to my Close Reading strategies I've already gathered.  This book focuses on techniques for complex nonfiction texts, such as historical documents and classic literature, such as the works of Mark Twain.  I gained some valuable techniques I will be applying to our science articles as well.

This book gives instructions for using complex texts to teach the following strategies:

Summary

Author's Craft

Vocabulary

Multiple-Choice Questions

Common Sense Text (including vocabulary and Cloze assessments)

One of the things I plan to use them for is Guided Highlighted Reading of online texts. Essentially, all you need to do is the following:
1:  Find a text online and copy/paste it as a Word document/Google Doc OR simply type up a text you want to use and save it that way.
2:  Number the paragraphs or lines and save the document on Google Drive.
3.  Provide the link to students or share it with them on Google Drive.
4.  Have students use the highlighting tools on Google Add-ons to highlight (see picture below)
5. Have students share the link/document with you (see picture)

I also plan to use the strategies I learned from the book in conjunction with my Close Reading in Middle School directions.

As you can see in the picture below, we didn't have an orange marker so we just colored over it in red and used that instead.

I like to laminate the first few articles so they are reusable and I can practice with all my classes.   It also allows students  to use dry-erase markers to annotate directly on the article, just as the would with highlighters or colored pencils on a paper copy.  This is also is a form of differentiation for students who do not yet have the skills to highlight a text online.

Do you have any other strategies for teaching Close Reading/Guided Highlighted Reading of online or print texts?  I'd love to hear about them!

Summarization Techniques That get Students Moving and FREEBIES

I just finished reading Summarization in Any Subject by Rick Wormeli.  It was a quick read because I found so many things that gave me a "light bulb moment".  It's all about different techniques to incorporate meaningful summarization activities into your lessons.

I just kept finding more and more activities that I wanted to incorporate into my curriculum next year!  In particular, I looked at activities that get the students up and moving.  All students need to move more throughout the day, especially middle-schoolers.  The following are my favorites:


Human Bingo:
In this technique, a bingo board of summary questions is given to each student.  They must try to find another student who can answer the question and sign their initials.

It got me thinking that this would be a great twist on that "get-to-know-you" activity that many teachers do at the beginning of the year!  I almost always start with a unit on the Scientific Method.  I decided to combine the two.

To pick up a FREE copy, click here.



Carousel Brainstorming:

• Put up different pieces of chart paper around the room with Lesson Essential Questions (LEQs) or key concepts from the lesson.  I like to make my LEQs based on the language of my state's standardized testing.  For example, if the guidelines say, "The student will investigate and understand similarities and differences between plant and animal cells", I would write "What are the main differences between plant and animal cells?" on the chart paper.
• Create student groups of 3-5.  I like smaller groups.  It seems to facilitate more conversation.
• Give each group a different color of marker/writing utensil.
• Each group either answers the question, adds something to what another group has written, or considers what another group has written.  They can also draw a diagram, concept map, or other graphic related to the question.
• Set a timer for group rotations.  Even if the group is not finished writing, they move on to the next station.  You can always discuss later what they intended to write during group discussion.
• After all groups have visited all stations, assign each group to a station again.  This time, they will summarize the information from all the groups that have visited the station and present their findings to the class.

Lineup:

In this technique, students line themselves up according to a set of criteria.

For example, Life Science standards state that students need to be able to name the major contributors to our understanding of DNA (Gregor Mendel, Reginald Punnett, Rosalind Franklin, and James Watson and Francis Crick).

I would divide students into groups of 5 (one student for each person previously named).  I would present the groups with cards with each of the scientists' names on them and ask the group to arrange themselves in the order in which the discoveries were made.

There are actually several correct answers, since Mendel and Punnett and Franklin, Watson, and Crick made their discoveries around the same time in history.  They just have to be able to explain why they have lined up the way they chose.




Partners A and B:

This is a great way to teach minilessons and then quickly have students summarize that information.  After teaching your minilesson, pair students up (Partner A and Partner B).  I like to use my Life Science Clock Partners sheet for this.

Set a timer.  Partner A talks nonstop for 1 minute, saying anything that comes to mind about the lesson.  If they get stuck, they may use notes or other materials to help.  During this minute, Partner B is only allowed to listen.

When the minute is up, the roles reverse and Partner B talks while Partner A listens.  The catch:  Partner B may not repeat anything Partner A has said.  They may use their notes and materials if they get stuck, as well as pointing out things that still confuse them.  This will be valuable feedback to the teacher as to the level of comprehension of the minilesson.




Share One, Get One:

This Cooperative Learning strategy asks students to fill in 3 of 9 boxes with information they recall from the lesson.

They then move around the room and ask their classmates to fill in new information from the lesson, until all boxes are filled.

As a challenge for students who need it, early finishers take the information and write a summary of it.  This written portion may also be assigned as homework for that day or as an opening/review activity the following day.

I created a board for students to write their summary information.  You can pick up a copy by clicking here.



Do you have any summary activities that get students moving?  Any other books that compliment Summarization in Any Subject?  I'd love to hear about them!

Reading Comprehension Strategy: Determine Importance

We have been using the "Determine Importance of a Text" reading comprehension strategy.  I found that this was easier for students when the selection was nonfiction than it was for them with a fiction text.  So, we started by focusing on the nonfiction text features in our Science and Virginia Studies textbooks.

We focus on heading, bold/italic print, pictures/captions.  Then we turn the heading into a question:  What are the five regions of Virginia?  We use the nonfiction features to answer the question.

After we've practiced just finding the features, we start completing the graphic organizer for this strategy in our Reader's Response notebooks.  This is part of my "Determine Importance of Fiction and Nonfiction" packet.

Next, we dive into fiction texts.

I prefer to tackle this during read-aloud time with chapter books of different genres, but there are a number of great picture books that fit the bill as well.  Some of my favorites:

Tops and Bottoms

Encounter

And of course...

The Important Book
This one is great to use at the end of the year as well.  I often have the students choose their favorite subject and write an "Important Book" of their own about that subject.  So fun!

While we are reading, we record what's important on the Determine Importance: Fiction Books organizer.

If you want to pick up the packet with more mentor text suggestions, click here.

This packet includes:
~Suggested uses and directions for the graphic organizers
~Suggested fiction and nonfiction mentor text suggestions
~One organizer for determining importance in nonfiction texts
~One organizer for determining importance in fiction texts

Do you have any go-to texts or organizers for determining importance in texts?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?

Are you searching for a way to teach or review the conflict between King George and the American colonists?  Do you love it when Language Arts and History play well together?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, then this post is for you!

I'm always trying to find ways to incorporate reading into other subjects.  I especially like it as introduction to a concept or unit.  Jean Fritz's books are fantastic for this purpose in history!  I really love "Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?" for this purpose!

After using it for read-aloud for a couple of years, I knew I wanted to take it to the next level.  So, I created a comprehension sheet to go along with the reading.

There are a couple of different ways I've used this sheet:

Option 1: have students read the book.  I've used pairs/trios and independent, depending on the level of challenge the student needs.  After reading it all the way through, I have them go back and answer the questions in the packet together or independently.  

Option 2:  Work with your small reading groups to read the book together and answer the question packet.  Again, I've decided whether to have students answer the questions as a group or independently to differentiate instruction.

In addition to a reading comprehension tool, it also serves as a great review when placed in your Virginia Studies/ U.S. History binder.  It reviews the difficulty the American colonists had with coming to the decision to declare war on King George, including:
~ French and Indian War
~ Taxation without representation
~ Intolerable Acts
~ The Boston Tea Party

It also includes an answer key, so important to make the activity self-checking!

You can pick up a copy of my packet at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you have any other great books to use for the American Revolution?  I'd love to hear about them!

Reading Comprehension Strategy: Ask Questions

Asking questions seems to come so naturally for students, doesn't it?  Natural until asked to do so about what they're reading.  Then, it seems to need a lot more prompting and modeling from the teacher.

I choose my mentor texts for this strategy based off of how many plot twists the books have or the higher level of vocabulary.  The following are some of my top picks:

Most books by Chris Van Allsburg will keep the reader guessing about what's going on.

Mr. Peabody's Apples will keep the reader guessing about the moral character of the main characters.

We use the "Before, During, and After" reading organizer and the following language to begin our questions:

I wonder...
I am not sure why...
I am curious about...
How does...
I was confused when...
Why didn't...

Do you use any particular texts or organizers for Asking Questions?  I'd love to hear them!

Monitoring Understanding While Reading

We have been working on Monitoring our Understanding while we read lately.  In an effort to combine previous strategies we learned during our "Fix-Up Strategies" unit, I created an organizer that mentioned the most pertinent strategies (in my humble opinion).

This organizer asks students to monitor their understanding while they read.  When they come to a word, sentence, or phrase that confuses them, they use a strategy to clarify their misunderstanding.  The organizer lists several examples of strategies students may use, but I never limit them if they choose to use one that is not listed.

You can pick up a free copy by clicking here.

Now, for some suggested mentor texts because I would much rather use picture books when I'm first introducing an organizer!

This is a great text to model how readers need to closely observe and integrate what is happening in both the pictures and the words. 

 

Use this book to model how to decode a multi-syllabic word and how to use context to determine the meaning of an unknown word. You will authentically need to model rereading to understand!

 

Now, I'm sure there's a ton of great mentor texts out there for this strategy.  I would love to hear your suggestions!

Reading Comprehension Strategy: Synthesize

One of the toughest reading comprehension strategies for my students is synthesizing information.  In my quest to find good resources for this strategy, I came across the following:

Finding mentor texts for synthesis is tough!  The plot needs to have some kind of twist or change that isn't at all apparent in the beginning.  Here are a couple that work well.

The point of view changes from the Native Americans to Columbus throughout the book.  The illustrations reflect these changes.  For example, the Native American boy sees Columbus's ships as sea monsters and Columbus sees the Native Americans as Indians.

This one is great.  First, because I love Patricia Polacco.  Secondly, you really have to use all the text and picture clues to understand and synthesize all the information.  Through most of the book, you think it's about the girl and her best friend, who is an elephant.  On the very last page, you find out that it's an elephant family and the girl is her best friend. 


Now, I know we are big, bad Fourth Graders, but we still need some cutesy representations of things like synthesis to make them understandable.  For example, I found this unit by Nancy Vandenberge that relates synthesis to baking a cake.  I love this organizer that she made!

You should check out her entire post by clicking here.

Do you have any go-to resources for synthesizing information?  I would love to see them!

Reading Comprehension: Fix-Up Strategies

We've been working on using fix-up strategies to monitor and fix problems in our reading as they happen.  The organizer below shows several of the strategies we have worked on.  You can pick up a free copy by clicking here.

This organizer includes a place for students to track the following:
Use illustrations
Reread
Read on
Break the word into parts
Use a dictionary

Now, here's my problem:  I know you can use almost any text to model this strategy.  I am having trouble finding recommended picture books to use specifically. 

Do you have any good mentor texts to recommend?

Compare and Contrast Genres Organizer

I mentioned in an earlier post that I like to start my year talking about genres, particularly realistic fiction.  Andrew Clements is my personal choice for an author that makes realistic fiction fun.  Frindle is quite possibly my favorite book of his, but it's such a tough choice!

After talking about genres and reading a bit of Frindle, we're ready to start applying our knowledge to our nightly reading choices.  I assign this organizer on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

I fill out this part of the organizer as an example and we discuss as a class and during small reading groups with our various reading choices.

The next part is what they complete on their own at home on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

You can pick up a free copy by clicking here.

Do you have any graphic organizers you like to use for genre study?

Using Sticky Notes for Reading Comprehension

I love using a Reader's Notebook to increase reading comprehension.  A goal I have for myself for next year is to increase readers' use of sticky notes to mark their thinking.  After digging around for a bit on Pinterest and the Internet, I came up with the following visual.

This PDF can be turned into a poster or simply printed and stapled into readers' notebooks. It is designed to help readers track their thinking on sticky notes, which in turn, help the teacher see the areas in which the students need help or have mastered.             


You can pick up a copy by clicking here.

I also felt like this is not solely for reading class, either.  Why not add a copy of it to our Social Studies or Science notebooks?  There is so much reading comprehension that needs to happen for full understanding in these subjects as well.

What about you?  Do you already use this method?  Is there anything you do differently?  I'd love to hear your strategies!