With the holidays right around the corner, I wanted to send some gifts to you…
and say a big thank you to all the amazing work you are doing with students each and every day. There is no end to the impact you have on each child’s life.
Just yesterday I was in the Target self-checkout line with mounds of Lego and Nerf toys for my boys when I heard an excited, “MRS. BENGEL!?” from behind.
You know that sound!? It can only come from a former student. I spun around to see one of my beautiful little 3rd graders all grown up and eager to tell me about what’s happening in her life. She was ecstatic I remembered her name…of course I did! lol
But, for real, those moments are a treasured reminder of all the hard work teachers put in day after day, conversation after conversation.
So, to say thank YOU for all your hard work, please enjoy these 12 days of Christmas gifts!!
How to Receive Your Gifts:
- Join the newsletter by clicking HERE (it’s totally free and easy to do)
- If you are already on the newsletter list, you don’t need to do anything!
- Watch for an email every morning from December 25-January 5
- If you use a school email, the emails may be blocked. I recommend a home email.
- If you have trouble finding the email, check your junk folder too!
I wish you all a very Happy Holidays!!
Jen
Hello! Today I wanted to take some time to discuss what exactly are reader’s theaters and some of the roles that go along with them.
Two or more people read a brief piece of writing from a script, assuming the roles of particular characters. So in reader’s theaters, there will always be at least be two characters, but most of the time even more! These students will have their script and their assigned character from that script and will read each part when it’s his/her time.
The Narrator:
Today I have 4 quick tips for you when asking students questions in your class. Plus, these work awesome in any subject! So let’s get started!
Allow for those awkward moments of silence in your classroom. Embrace them. If students don’t answer your question right away, it will be okay, I promise!
Count to 5 in your head, and then ask the question in the same exact way! Asking the same question, but in different ways, often times leads to confusion. Your students are now trying to process 2 questions instead of just one even though they both are the same question! Again, don’t be afraid of the silence. Kids need time to process the question before another is thrown at them.
If after a couple of times you’ve given the same question in the same phrasing and they still don’t understand, then its time to rephrase. Again, even if you have to rephrase, wait for a little bit to give the students time to process the question. Don’t fill that empty space with more questions or information.
Once the student finally processes the question, whether when its first asked or later,
Today I wanted to spend some time on the classroom library and more specifically, how to organize it. The classroom library can be one of your greatest assets to your class! It can very easily become your student’s favorite spot to go to and spend time, and that is exactly what we want! In order to achieve this though, you have to make sure your library is set up properly. So let’s get started!
Today might be the very most important blog yet! It might even be the most important thing you do all year in literacy. The best part about today is that it’s actually super easy to implement this strategy and you can start doing it as soon as you’re done reading this!
Today I’m sharing 10 little knowledge nuggets all related to teaching writing. My challenge to you is to latch on to one or two of these “Ah-Ha” moments for teaching writing. Spend the day thinking about a few ideas that really resonate with you as a teacher of writing. Decide how you can expand these thoughts and implement them into your class to help your young writers today. Here we go!
So often our young writers struggle with being able to focus for more than a few minutes. This is especially true at the beginning of the school year, or after a long break away from school. Today I’ll share one of my favorite writing mini-lessons with you on how to help students build their writing stamina.
I also write a title for a list the students will help me complete. The title of that chart is “Ways We can Build Our Writing Stamina”. So on the top of my anchor chart, it says “Writers work to build their writing stamina so that they can spend more time doing their best writing”, and then I have a title that says “Ways We can Build Our Writing Stamina”.
If you have yet to read my latest blog post where I define the 6 characteristics of interactive read aloud’s that make them so great, I highly encourage you to read it
Some of you may be unsure as to what an interactive read aloud is. A brief description is when the teacher reads a picture book, or a section of a chapter book aloud to the class and engages the students in becoming active participants in the thinking and reading. They’re not just passive learners. We as teachers aren’t simply reading to them. Let’s dig a little bit deeper into what exactly an interactive read aloud is by going over 6 characteristics that make them up. Each one of these descriptions will give you a better understanding of interactive read aloud’s.
Both the teacher and the students think about, talk about, and respond to the text. Instead of the teacher reading AT the students, the teacher actually engages students in conversation and thinking.
The students are engaged in the text, therefore, the learning is active. It is not passive.
Students process information, language, ideas, and make connections just as a reader normally would.
The teacher stops intentionally at places planned ahead of time to share thinking. So the teacher will plan a few places before reading aloud to stop to share his/her thinking and invite the students to share their thinking as well.
The read aloud is interactive and fun. There is no way to plan ahead for what listeners might share when they are talking about a text which makes read aloud’s unique and fun!
There is a shared text experience. The conversation is grounded in a shared text experience that is new every time. You can read the same book to the class and have a different experience each time!
Today I would like to talk to you about some classroom library do’s and don’ts. I’ve got a few things that you should not do in your classroom library as well as some things you SHOULD do in your classroom library. Let’s get started.
Today I want to talk about the difference between old school traditional spelling programs and the differentiated spelling approach. So many teachers I have talked to have told me that the old way of teaching spelling just doesn’t cut it for them and that they wish there was a different way to meet all of their spellers needs. Well, what if I told you there was? Today I want to take a little time to compare traditional and differentiated spelling programs. Here we go!
Tier 1 is known as the start of literacy instruction. It is the time when educators teach the entire class a lesson. It is almost always based on a specific grade level standard that needs to be covered and is appropriate for the average reader at that grade level. So tier 1 instruction is the overarching blanket of instruction that every reader at that grade level should receive. Often time for the majority of students, this is the most instruction that they need before going off to practice the skill on their own. However, some students are reading below grade level, or beyond their grade level, and these students require additional support.
Students reading 1 or 2-grade levels below their matching grade level need additional support on top of their tier 1 instruction, this is known as tier 2 instruction. In a tier 2 level of instruction, students meet in groups of 3, 4 at the most, to receive additional support on top of their whole group tier 1 instruction. This instruction will target a specific skill that students have demonstrated a lack of understanding in. Typically a research and evidence-based intervention program is used to provide instruction. Usually this happens about 3 to 4 times a week here. Again, this can vary based on schedules and student needs. Tier 2 interventions last approximately 20 minutes. They can be led by the classroom teacher, a specialized teacher, or maybe even a trained aid, tutor, or school volunteer. To be effective the intervention program must be implemented with fidelity. Often times the teacher collects data in the form of running records and comprehension checks. On average, in a tier 2 intervention, the teacher conducts a running record on each student either weekly or bi-weekly to track reading progress. This also allows you to monitor whether the student is making gains with this intervention.
When a student does not show enough progress through data collection in a tier 2 intervention, he/she may require a more intense form of instruction. This is known as a tier 3 intervention. In tier 3 interventions the instruction is often more intense, it lasts longer, and it is more individualized. It will happen on a one-on-one basis. More data will be collected in a tier 3 intervention as well. This is often for students who are 2 or more years below their grade level. Running records are typically taken weekly and more data for progress monitoring is collected. The type of instruction in tier 3 is often the same research or evidence-based curriculum being used in tier 2 but at a more intense one-on-one support level. If a student still is showing no signs of progress after going through all tiers of instruction, it may be time to explore more alternative options for instruction, such as testing for special education services.
Several teachers have approached me before asking how they can revive or motivate their reluctant readers. This issue seems to be a common problem for teachers alike. So I thought I would take a minute to share some ideas on reading motivation. Today I’ll be sharing 4 ideas and mindsets to help even the most reluctant readers in your class. These strategies have worked for me over my years as a classroom teacher and I’m sure they can help you and your students as well!
You’d be surprised at how often our kids are simply responding to our own attitudes. If we come into class tired and really down, they’re probably going to follow our lead. But, if we come super excited they’re going to hopefully follow that lead as well. So be really excited about the books that your reading. Get really into it, even dramatic. I promise you, its okay.
One year when I was teaching fifth grade, I had a group of students that got really into the Bermuda Triangle. They couldn’t understand what was happening to all the boats and the planes. It turned into a huge mystery within our class. So guess what I did, I collected as many books about the Bermuda Triangle as I could find: informational books, option books, magazines, articles, chapter books, picture books, personal narratives. Any type of book, realistic or fiction, that I could find about the Bermuda Triangle, I collected. This got my kids, who originally weren’t very motivated, really interested in reading those books. Because we were socially engaging in conversation so much around the Bermuda Triangle, they wanted to read about it as well. They were really motivated. We also got really into Bigfoot that year, whether the Sasquatch was real or not, so I also collected a bunch of books about that. So whatever your class gets really involved and into, start collecting books and articles around that topic and build it up.
So if you have kids who are reluctant readers but know they are really into video games, look for articles or books, about cheat codes or how to win a video game. Get them excited about those types of readings. When you have a reluctant reader but have a book they’re interested in finding out about, it changes their whole demeanor.
When you are talking to your students about books that their reading, sometimes we can get caught up in collecting grades or taking notes from them, but let’s just try to pause for a second. Have a conversation about books just for fun. Model to them what real readers in the real world outside of your reading workshop class do when they talk about books. Ask questions like “Did you like the book? Was it fun? Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing!” And if you only are getting one-word answers from them, be really engaged and interested. Make good eye contact and just focus on that conversation. I know as teachers we have 1000 things going on, but just slow down, and take a minute with those reluctant readers. Tell them that’s fascinating. If they mention something about a boat getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle, tease their interest. “You’re kidding me?! It got lost? I need to know more about this.” I use this specific three-word phrase all the time: “Tell me more.” And they’ll reply with “Well the boat just never got back.” You know, because they don’t really want to talk, they’re reluctant. So I’ll say “It got lost? How in the world did it get lost? Tell me more!” And I’ll change the way I phrase “tell me more” so that they stay engaged and I slowly begin to peel the reluctance back layer by layer. That simple phrase gets them thinking intrinsically to want to say things about the book they’re reading.
One of the biggest questions I get asked is “How do you set up your daily writing workshop routine?” I always answer with “Stay consistent with your routine to help students anticipate the learning AND to ensure you cover everything you need in the time that you have.” Some teachers have a 60-minute writing block, some have a 45-minute block. Today lets look at what is a common routine for a 30-minute writing block. Now 30 minutes is a tight schedule for a writing or reading block so I recommend using an A/B schedule for your block. Now, this schedule can be daily, or it can be weekly. With writing, I always recommend a daily A/B schedule.
Today I want to talk to you about something a little bit personal but something that still applies to us all as teachers. As many of you guys that follow me know, I have four kids. We adopted our youngest son from Uganda when he was 6 years old. He’s 10 now. As a transracial family we are working our way through this world one day at a time, and using the things that we hear, see, and feel as learning experiences to grow and become better world citizens. So something happened to my little Jonah a few months back and he just now found the courage to tell me about it. I’m sharing it with you today and being a little bit vulnerable because I feel strongly about what happened to Jonah and that we as teachers can put it to a stop if we have this very important conversation. It may be the most important conversation you have with your class all year but, before I share with you what that conversation is, let me tell you the story.
Hello!
If you’ve ever struggled to keep your mini-lessons in reading and writing actually mini, trust me, you are not alone. I’ve lost count of how many time I’ve walked into class thinking I could finish the lesson in 10 – 12 minutes and next thing I know, 20 minutes had gone by and I wasn’t even close to being done. When I realized how long my mini-lessons were really taking I sought out on a mission to find a way to keep them actually mini so my students had more time to practice reading and writing independently each day. Heres 5 quick steps that I’ve followed for years to eliminate all kinds of unnecessary time and keep my mini-lessons super focused and intentional.
Hello, it’s Jen Bengel here from Out of this World Literacy! Today I’m going to go over 8 layers of understanding a word. Before we dive into these layers, or shades if you will, id like to explain why I’m going over this. Often times when I talk with educators about providing direct vocabulary instruction they say things like “Oh my students already know that word” or “how can I differentiate these words because they all seem so simple, or hard, for my kids” These are great points and I value the thinking behind these questions. Each word in our English language is so much more than just one definition. So if a student “knows” a word I would say do they really know and understand that word. Do they know that word for all 8 shades of meaning it holds? Let’s get into these layers of understanding words.
