The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) place a significant emphasis on reading, reading comprehension, and textual support.  Engaging reluctant readers with the standards in mind can be a daunting task.  At the International Reading Association (IRA) Conference in San Antonio on April 21, 2013, Jane Feber, presented a session specifically about this challenge.  Her answer? 
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by Steve Reifman, Monthly Columnist My classroom’s daily Reading Workshop period consists of several components: mini-lessons that aim to build students’ comprehension skills, independent reading time, partner reading time, and word work that addresses spelling, grammar, and other language conventions and standards. This article focuses on how I structure the work my students do during
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Have you been considering the Daily 5? The wonderful teachers at the #TeachChat on February 6, 2013 shared their advice, expertise, and encouragement to help get you started. Check out the transcript below and remember, scroll down and read up!

Looking for a great read aloud for your class?  We asked our Facebook friends what they are currently reading and compiled a list of their answers for you.  The grade level the book is being read to, if mentioned in the original comment on Facebook, is included in parentheses after the author’s name.

by Lori Wolfe, Monthly Columnist As elementary teachers we are always looking for and finding strategies to use with our students that broaden and deepen their understanding when reading. We know that when students, especially second language learners, can distinguish between the shades of meanings of related words, then they can be more precise and
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Graphic organizers are a staple of every elementary and middle school classroom.  The more in-depth students get with their writing and reading, the more important it is to provide them with tools to organize their thoughts and critical information.  If you are tired of using the same old organizers year after year, take a look
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Are you looking for some fun new ways to encourage your students to read? We have some really good ideas from some really great teachers across the country. Take a look at how they keep their students motivated, on task and excited about reading.

Idea by Cara Grebner, a 6th Grade Teacher, in Lincoln University, PA. To encourage students to read over the summer, I help them begin to plan a summer book club. Whether students choose a title from a required book list, or they agree on a title of their own choosing, I recommend helping students set
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Idea by Marcella, a 2nd Grade Teacher, from Richmond, CA. Each spring, I choose a popular book series to introduce to my children. In the past, I have chosen books from The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Children of the Red King series and The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives series. I read aloud two or
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Idea by Cynthia, a 6th-8th Grade Middle School Teacher, from Bozeman, MT. Each year I collect at least a hundred or books to add to my classroom library. At the end of the year, I invite students to choose and keep one or books from our library. It has never cleaned me out and, since
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