Best Practices & Resources

Compiled by:
Mary Pat Andreas, Adrienne Fisher, Elizabeth Lebedda, & Caitlin Michels

Best Practice Explanation Resources

http://www.collegewood.org/ourpa
This resource shows information
ges/auto/2014/8/17/63598523/Bey
about the process, reasoning and
Annotating the Text ond%20the%20Yellow%20Highligh
purpose, and how to utilize annotation
ter.pdf
during reading:

Adolescents are aware of the practical

purpose of the things that they learn.
Authentic assessments ensure that
Authentic http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/t
the way adolescents are assessed is
Assessments oolbox/whatisit.htm
true to what they have learned and a
valid and personal way to see what
they have learned.

Before, During, After By using before, during, and after http://www.katyisd.org/campus/K

Reading Questions reading questions, students are able DE/Documents/Before%20During
 to set a purpose for reading and %20and%20After%20Questions%2
monitor their comprehension 0-%20ELA.pdf
throughout the reading of the text.
Any uncertainties encourage students
to go back to the text and look for
clues and answers. Being able to
answer questions at these three
points of reading are essential to
comprehension.
The following article offers
information and strategies for
building background knowledge for
http://www.readingrockets.org/ar
Building Background students and is a good location to
ticle/building-background-knowle
Knowledge begin planning for building
dge
background knowledge in the
classroom:

http://www.readwritethink.org/pr
This resource shows information ofessional-development/strategy
Close Reading about utilizing close reading in the -guides/close-reading-literary-tex
classroom. ts-31012.html
 Use Collaborative Strategic Reading
(CSR) so that students are required
to participate in the reading, but not
be overwhelmed by the content.
Collaborative Strategic Adolescents typically enjoy socializing,
Reading however in the classroom some shy
away because the weight of the work
falls on them. This plan requires all
students to do their part to help their
group.
Cooperative learning groups at school
are an excellent intervention for
students who struggle with
Cooperative Learning comprehension. In cooperative
Groups learning groups, the teacher models
comprehension strategies. Students
work together to understand texts
and apply comprehension strategies.
For older readers who read dysfluenty, Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing
Fluency Intervention intensive programs can be beneficial
to provide practice.
This is an article that explains
how to set up a CSR lesson as
well as provides a cue sheet for
guiding students through the
process:
http://www.readingrockets.org/ar
ticle/using-collaborative-strategic
-reading
More information on cooperative
learning groups can be found
here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/ar
ticle/seven-strategies-teach-stud
ents-text-comprehension
Program for Reading, Spelling,
and Speech (www. Spelling, and
 Speech (www.lblp.com/)
Wilson Reading System
(www.wilsonlanguage.com/Cours
esatglance.html)
Phonographix
(www.readamerica.net/)
SpellRead SP.A.T. (www. P.A.T.
(www.spellread.com/)
Language! www.sopriswest.com)
Corrective Reading (www.sra
-4kids.com/teacher/directin/correa
d.html?

More information about this

strategy, and a graphic organizer,
This strategy is used to teach
can be found here:
It Says-I Say-And students how to draw inferences
http://www.readingrockets.org/pd
So from text while also utilizing their
fs/inference-graphic-organizer.pd
prior knowledge.
f

Interactive Interactive assessments would be This assessment does not need

Assessments beneficial to model fluency. The any tools. Reviewing and working
 interaction would allow for
explanation of key terms and ideas
when Samantha reached them. This
also allows for teacher
encouragement to help a students
self-doubt.
An effective strategy that assigns
roles to different students to ensure
Literature Circles group members contributes to a
group project. It targets interests
related to reading.
Modeling for Teaching metacognition helps
Metacognition students learn how to monitor their
through an assessment together
helps support the areas where
the student has room to grow.
These could be combined on a
Google Drive app to incorporate
technology into each section.
http://www.lauracandler.com/stra
tegies/litcirclefavs.php
More information about
Literature Circles can be found
at
http://www.litcircles.org/Overview/
overview.html
The following link gives seven
strategies for comprehension,
 thinking to check for understanding.
Modeling it demonstrates to students
the types of questions to ask and the
natural breaks in a text where it
makes sense to stop and check for
understanding. This also allows
students to set a purpose for reading
to better make sure she can achieve
it.
Reading text from different
perspectives helps students think
critically about different events.
Multiple Perspective Comparing and contrasting multiple
Reading points of view on one
event/opinion/etc. would aid
understanding and encourage critical
literacy.
one of which is metacognition.
The resource has a list of
questions that model
metacognition.
http://www.readingrockets.org/ar
ticle/seven-strategies-teach-stud
ents-text-comprehension
The following link has a sample
lesson plan that compares
multiple perspectives. Within the
sample lesson are a number of
resources to implement into any
lesson teaching critical literacy
through multiple perspectives.
http://www.readwritethink.org/cla
ssroom-resources/lesson-plans/
multiple-perspectives-building-cri
tical-30629.html?tab=4

This strategy helps students identify
and explain the main idea.
Paragraph Shrinking
Can be done in small or whole group.
The following link provides a
multitude of summarizing
graphic organizers.
http://www.gcasd.org/Downloads/
Summarizing_Strategies.pdf

This strategy is essential for using

resources to write essays and reports.
This strategy demands
comprehension because a student
must RAP: Read a text, https://k12teacherstaffdevelopme
Ask what is the main idea and nt.com/tlb/what-is-the-rap-strat
Paraphrasing supporting details, and egy/
Put into his/her own words.

Begin with this in the beginning of

the year and use it throughout the
year to see students grow in their
ability.
Allow peer-led discussions to engage How They Work:
students in the content based on http://blog.enroll.com/post/Empow
Peer-Led Discussions what she found interesting or ering-Students-through-Peer-Led
confusing in the text. This will allow -Discussions
student interests to be expressed and
 allow for peer interaction in a way
that all students have to contribute
to the activity.
This resource shows several
strategies for asking and answering
Questioning
questions within small group
discussions.
Questioning the Author allows
Questioning the students to develop inference skills.
Author While some naturally bring
background knowledge to a text, this
strategy will help students use
The following resource provides a
guide for the teacher and a guide
for the students to lead and
participate in a discussion while
being held accountable:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/
books/108035/chapters/Procedure
s-for-Classroom-Talk.aspx
These can be modified to best
suit the classroom environment
in which the strategies will be
employed:
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/str
ategies-for-inquiry-based-learnin
g-john-mccarthy
This link gives an overview of
Questioning the Author as well
as has links to resources to use
in the classroom immediately:
http://www.readingrockets.org/co
 background knowledge to better
understand the text.
Students should have many
opportunities to practice their oral
reading skills in order to increase
Readers Theater fluency, build confidence, and improve
inflection. Engaging in activities such
as Readers Theater will assist their
oral reading ability.
Incorporate projects into the
classroom that connect to the real
world. Exposing students to how they
Real World can get involved gives purpose to the
Connections assignment and to the student.
Can be done as a whole class or
collaboratively in groups.
When students have a great deal of
Selecting Words pre-existing vocabulary knowledge,
they, should be encouraged to
self-select words that they need
defined. When reading, students
ntent/pdfs/QuestioningtheAuthor
.pdf
Examples of Readers Theater
activities for adolescent students
can be found at:
http://www.readerstheater.com/fr
eemini/romeo-juliet-mini.pdf
For ideas, use the link below.
www.dosomething.org
More information on this activity
can be found here:
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/voc
abulary-instruction-teaching-tips
-rebecca-alber
 should create a chart where they
write down words and rate each one
as know it, sort of know it or dont
know it at all. This activity will help
guide vocabulary instruction both at
home and at school.
For adolescents with lower literacy
skills, small group instruction can
bring increase their skills in phonemic
How to Use and Plan for Small
decoding, text reading accuracy and
Small Group Groups:
fluency, and comprehension into the
http://corkboardconnections.blogs
Instruction average range.
pot.com/2015/03/how-to-effectivel
y-use-interventionists.html
For more severe learning differences,
more intensive instruction is
beneficial.
Vocabulary journals help students
track new, unfamiliar vocabulary prior
An example of Vocabulary
to reading and during reading.
Journals can be found at:
Students should add and define words
Vocabulary Journals https://goalbookapp.com/toolkit/st
throughout the reading process. It
rategy/vocabulary-journal
will help build vocabulary recognition
and understanding in order to
increase comprehension.