Reading Strategies Resources from TeachersFirst
This collection of reviewed resources includes teaching ideas and sites to promote proven reading strategies of effective readers. Find engaging texts to use as your class focuses on a particular strategy as well as professional resources to improve your own understanding of this research-based approach to building literacy skills. Don't miss "In the classroom" ideas for specific projects or ideas for before, during, and after reading.
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Adolescent Literacy - adlit.org
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
The focus of this site is to encourage better literacy and reading enjoyment among pre-teens and adolescents. A sister site to Reading Rockets and Colorin'Colorado, Adlit...more
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The focus of this site is to encourage better literacy and reading enjoyment among pre-teens and adolescents. A sister site to Reading Rockets and Colorin'Colorado, Adlit offers summer reading strategies, book lists, book clubs, classroom technique hints which encourage development of reading attack skills, and a special section on authors and their best books. For a Spanish language version of the main topics available as an A to Z list, click on the left side of the screen ( En Espanol ). This site has everything you already know about teaching reading in easy-to-use formats.
This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): authors (119), independent reading (125), reading strategies (56)
In the Classroom
If you need ideas to get students reading for fun and to help develop their confidence, try this site. Highlight this on your class website so parents can try the activities with their older students. When doing author biographies, share this site with your class using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to check out the "Classroom Strategies" link for even more literacy ideas.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics - U.S. Geological Survey
Grades
7 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
This site provides an organized and user-friendly explanation of the history of plate tectonics as described by the U.S. Geological Survey. It includes a lot of detailed information...more
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This site provides an organized and user-friendly explanation of the history of plate tectonics as described by the U.S. Geological Survey. It includes a lot of detailed information as well as photographs and diagrams. This site has some tough reading depending on the reading level of the user. Allow plenty of time to take in all of the information.
tag(s): earth (224), earthquakes (51), geology (78), plate tectonics (22), volcanoes (67)
In the Classroom
This site is useful as a supplement to a geology unit or for review. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class. It is also a great reference tool when preparing your lesson plans. This is a great site to use when teaching about informational text(s). Open it on an interactive whiteboard and review reading strategies using highlighters and pens as you learn about plate tectonics.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Language Arts Presentations - Free Club Web
Grades
K to 12
12 Favorites
0 Comments
Wow - this website provides ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations on over 100 topics. The presentations were created by teachers - for teachers to use in their classrooms. This website...more
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Wow - this website provides ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations on over 100 topics. The presentations were created by teachers - for teachers to use in their classrooms. This website organizes topics by general grade levels (K-5 and 6-12). Just to give you a taste of the uniqueness of these presentations, topics include such diverse topics as Shakespeare, "grammar goofs," active reading strategies, haunted house graphic organizer, phonics millionaire game, pronouns, and numerous others. Any language arts teacher is guaranteed to find something useful at this website. Do yourself a favor and check it out! You may need PowerPoint software to be able to view these files, depending on how the site creators save them. Note: while files are downloading, it may appear that nothing is happening and that the links are dead. Look for a tiny "downloading" icon in the lower left corner of your screen, and please be patient! This site has heavy advertising at the top of the landing page. Scroll down to find the presentations.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): air (145), grammar (210), narrative (19), shakespeare (110)
In the Classroom
Try these ready-to-go PowerPoint presentations on an interactive whiteboard or projector in your classroom. Some may also be well-suited for individual students to run on a single classroom computer for remediation or review. There are games, resources and a lot of information. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CAST UDL Book Builder - CAST
Grades
K to 12
18 Favorites
0 Comments
This fabulous, FREE online tool allows you to create your own interactive "books" to help young readers learn reading strategies to build comprehension. The tool allows you to enter...more
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This fabulous, FREE online tool allows you to create your own interactive "books" to help young readers learn reading strategies to build comprehension. The tool allows you to enter your own text, images, and hints. The finished product is a very polished-looking book in a form that you can save on your computer or burn to a CD and use over and over and over with students for years to come.
Be sure to try the model books and read the tips for writers and illustrators. Take the time to learn the tool. Click to see a sample we made for you and placed on our site.
Be sure to try the model books and read the tips for writers and illustrators. Take the time to learn the tool. Click to see a sample we made for you and placed on our site.
tag(s): digital storytelling (153), reading comprehension (129), reading strategies (56)
In the Classroom
Locate or create your own copyright-free text and images for which you have the rights to make more than one copy (Fair Use does not apply!). Copy/paste the text and resize/upload the images--following simple directions to create the pages and accompanying hints. Be sure to learn about the three interactive characters who teach the strategies! Publish and download the files of the finished "books" and save on your computer. Extract the zipped files and save locally, on your network, or burn to CD so your students can access them directly.The uses of this one are endless. If you take the time to get permission from the publisher to use text from some of your textbooks or reading books, you could create interactive versions to use in your classroom or with special ed students. More simply, use student-written stories and artwork (scanned -- or created in Paint) to create the "book." Imagine creating a class "book" at the end of a unit on Communities or Animals, and including images you take with your digital camera. If you copy the CD's, students could sign out the "book" and read it to relatives using their home computer. You can keep the "library" of past books to help future classes. Or ask your middle/high school or gifted students to create books as writing/service project for struggling readers to use.
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Bookpal's Storyline Online - Screen Actors Guild Foundation
Grades
1 to 6
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0 Comments
This wonderful site has a collection of 17 original stories read by actors and actresses. A wonderful way to show children that reading is valued by folks in all walks ...more
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This wonderful site has a collection of 17 original stories read by actors and actresses. A wonderful way to show children that reading is valued by folks in all walks of life! An example is "Dad, Are You the Tooth Fairy" read by Jason Alexander. Many of the story titles are parodies of famous tales. Users can see the actor holding the book and turning the pages as he hears and sees the story being read. Accompanying activities and an activity guide complete the offerings. The activities are terrific comprehension checkers and build solid reading strategies. The video is available in three screen sizes. Flash required.
In the Classroom
Make the stories a center or use a projector for the whole class to watch the video. Then share the link on your teacher web page for students to repeat it over and over at home. Make sure your spakers are turned up!
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
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Takako's Great Adventure - Brian Rhodes
Grades
4 to 6
4 Favorites
0 Comments
A story in 10 serial units for ESL students leads a newcomer to Canada and the English-speaking world through the agonies of arrival, acculturation, education in a new setting, and...more
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A story in 10 serial units for ESL students leads a newcomer to Canada and the English-speaking world through the agonies of arrival, acculturation, education in a new setting, and making friends. Text offers vocabulary definition through hyperlinks; audio version is available with a Shockwave plugin. (Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.) Besides the story, vocabulary, and pronunciation, sets of comprehension questions include work on word meanings and online reviews and quizzes which make use of standard reading attack skills. The stories are available in PDF downloads as well as on screen at the left. Audio files are available for MP3 downloads also.
tag(s): listening (86), vocabulary (315)
In the Classroom
Use the stoies for ESl students to increase understanding or for your weak readers to develop reading strategies such as vocabulary development and comprehension. MP3 files offer the option of putting the stories on MP3 players for ESL students to listen to on the bus or at home.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Current Events Lesson Plans - Sean Banville
Grades
3 to 8
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Find excellent multi-skill topical social studies lessons based on current news appropriate for limited English speakers, slow readers, and average students alike! This site offers...more
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Find excellent multi-skill topical social studies lessons based on current news appropriate for limited English speakers, slow readers, and average students alike! This site offers a new comprehensive lesson plan about breaking news every three days or so. The site is rich with pre-reading and pre-listening activities, oral and written comprehension exercises, assignments, and best of all, the option of selecting the easy or more difficult session and accompanying activities.
In the Classroom
All news stories are offered in multiple forms: auditory (can be downloaded as a podcast or played on your computer, equipped with speakers), word document, pdf, and on the web page itself. You can play the auditory version for the class or use the print forms to reinforce reading strategies while differentiating using the "easy" and "harder" versions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Activities: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 8
1 Favorites
1 Comments
TeachersFirst offers a set of chapter-by-chapter response activities for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Use art, writing, and web research to answer questions or think...more
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TeachersFirst offers a set of chapter-by-chapter response activities for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Use art, writing, and web research to answer questions or think about the issues in a particular chapter. Ideal for individual use, and many of these could serve as the basis for a group discussion on topics like loyalty and leadership. The ideas and activities ask you to respond, extend, discuss, create, and more. There is simply no better way to try new "After Reading strategies. Don't miss this great collection as a way to encourage anyone to get the most from reading and re-reading a new favorite. Find links to two other sets of Harry Potter book activities on the Intro page.
tag(s): harry potter (10)
In the Classroom
Share the link on your teacher web page or in a parent newsletter, if you don't have time to do all the activities at school. Ask students to design similar activities to accompany other Harry Potter (or other favorite) books.Comments
Very good way of planning.kel, GA, Grades: 3 - 5
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Reading Comprehension Connection - Merit Software
Grades
4 to 11
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Give your students some independent practice in reading comprehension with this collection of interactive lessons. Select a subject (vocabulary in context, reading for understanding,...more
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Give your students some independent practice in reading comprehension with this collection of interactive lessons. Select a subject (vocabulary in context, reading for understanding, or reading strategies) and a skill level. Check out the lesson summaries for guidance in determining the reading levels addressed by each module. This site offers great practice for state assessments. Be aware: this site does sell software but teachers can use this portion of the site for free.
tag(s): assessment (118), reading comprehension (129)
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Dave's ESL Cafe
Grades
4 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Here's a site with resources specifically for ESL students. The concentration is on building fluency in English using a variety of conversational and reading strategies. There are also...more
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Here's a site with resources specifically for ESL students. The concentration is on building fluency in English using a variety of conversational and reading strategies. There are also links to a number of other ESL resources. Some of the material is designed for adult learners, but could be adapted for secondary students.
tag(s): vocabulary development (120), word study (78)
In the Classroom
Use the practice quizzes on this site to both get students more practice with reading English and content material from other classes they may be having trouble with. There are quizzes on history, geography, grammar and science topics to name a few. Allow students to work on the quizzes during a lull in the class on classroom computers or a computer lab.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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