Literacy

Here is the Massachusetts 2011 Literacy Framework that has incorporated Common Core curriculum expectations.  Here is theNational Principal's Guide to Literacy Instruction and The Child Becomes a Reader recommendation guides.  Put Reading First is another national publication that thought about reading instruction.Creating Readers for Life is an amazing resource when thinking about your entire classroom and engagement in learning how to read.Scholastic also put together a Guided Reading research paper worth reading. We can also use checklists to think about what we include in our classrooms.  Here is a early literacy checklist and one for grades one and two.

Guided Reading Instruction

Supporting Struggling Readers

Using Interactive Read-Alouds and Graphic Organizers is a great, practical idea and a short article gets you thinking about how to use graphic organizers during Read Alouds. This is a 96-page resource book of reading activities that can be easily used during literacy time. Cherry Carl has put together a easy to read booklet on strategy ideas for specific literacy challenges.  It is clear and well-organized.  Here are over 33,000 free Reading Activities throughteacherspayteachers, wow!  Fluency is another area that requires support when it becomes challenging and this may help you rethink how to support growth in fluency.  Here is a checklist that helps learning and teachers remember all of the elements of fluency: Speed, Feelings, Punctuation, Tone of Voice and Natural Talking Character Voice. If you are very interested in Fluency then this text may be quite helpful.

This two-page article is a great starter for working with non-readers:Strategies for Struggling Readers. What Really Matters to Struggling Readers is an article by Richard Allington, a long time supporter struggling learners. You may not agree with all of his ideas but it provides a place to rethink and reaffirm what you do believe works.  Allington also wrote Every Child, Every Day in which he described six key elements to a successful learning environment. Here is another opinion about literacy intervention by Fountas and Pinnell.  It is a 15-point intervention guide written in 4 pages. They have also produced alesson framework that you may also want to incorporate. Teaching problem solving behaviors in reading is another area of interest with Fountas and Pinnell.  Here are instructional strategies that encourage literacy learning across content areas.  Here is a great resource for teaching literacy.  It provides student characteristics, student goals and text characteristics for each developmental stage. 

Sight Word Knowledge

Here is a must have list of the top 100 common words found in texts.  Automaticity of these words can make a real difference in reading fluency and progress.  Scholastic has a good list of classroom activities and environments to support sight word learning.  Learning High Frequency Words is another great document that gives great strategies.Pinterest is another way educators share ideas and her are two linksthat have loads of ideas.  Mrs. Perkins has a great website where she provides free materials to teach the Dolch Sight Word List.
Sparklebox does have many word lists but a few words are spelled differently since it is a UK website but still worth a look. Sightwordgamesis another great sight filled with downloads and game ideas.  Clever Classroom is another great resource for videos and printables. Many educators like the material from Carl's Corner. Here are over 600 free downloads from teacherpaysteachers, not bad!  This program has many handouts and is organized to teach sight words.

The Reading and Writing Project shares the results of their research and institutes.  This 2-page article on sight words is very helpful in understanding why we teach high frequency words.  Pearson Publishing has also shared a chapter about the importance of sight words and ideas for teaching them. Roadsters also talks about a new way of teaching high frequency words.

Reading Centers

Learning Centers are a great way to meet individual student needs in a diverse classroom environment.  These center ideas focus on reading comprehension.  Two sets of literacy centers focus on early childhood.  Finally, the lastlearning center focuses on reading and writing.  These Reading Centers were developed to support a wide range of learners.  This text thinks about how to use images to develop and support literacy centers. 

Partner Reading

Partner Reading is another element in Literacy Centers that can be cultivated and used in most classrooms.  This text will help you get started.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic Organizers are another way to support comprehension and extended learning.  Once taught and practice with adult guidance, students can begin to use them to record their understanding and as a guide to a book group discussion.  These response sheets are another way to support comprehension and oral discussion. Second and Third graders might enjoy these graphic organizers