5 Strategies for Project-Based Learning

One might ask themselves, what is Project-Based Learning? This is my favorite methods for learning in the classroom! Project-Based learning allows students to gain a deeper understanding of content through hands-on activities that allow them to ask questions, be more engaged, solve a problem and be challenged. Listed below are 5 strategies that I use when creating Project-Based learning activities in my classroom.

1. The teacher guides the students, while the students take the lead in their education.
In Project-Based Learning, I like to act as a navigator for my students. I guide students by asking them questions to get their ideas started or for ideas on what they might want to think about. I also provide examples for how they may want to solve a problem. Students may receive some guidance, however, they will be the ones actually in charge of their project and how they want to solve the problem.

For Example: How to catch a leprechaun writing activity turned to stem project. 
In a first grade classroom, students were writing a how to catch a leprechaun piece. In order to get the ideas for their steps of catching a leprechaun, students made leprechaun traps with shoe boxes, straws, cups, plates, pipe cleaners, gold nuggets, glitter, etc. Once they made their traps, students wrote the steps of how to catch a leprechaun in their journals. This was challenging, engaging, and allowed students to take the lead in how they would complete the problem and create their steps for catching a leprechaun.

2. Reflection builds appreciation for the progress that students have made on their projects. They may also want to set goals after their reflection of their project. 
It is important that students take moments to think about how their project is going. Is there a way they may be able to change something to make it better? Can they create a new goal for their activity based on the way their project is progressing? I encourage my students to take moments, reflect on their projects, ask questions, and set new goals if necessary.

For Example: How to make a paper airplane writing activity turned into a stem project that required reflection on their progress.
Students followed steps on a YouTube video for making a paper airplane. One the paper airplanes were made, students wrote the steps for how to make a paper airplane in their journals. We then took the paper airplanes outside and tested them out. Students watched their airplanes fly through the air. Then we came back into the classroom. Students were asked to reflect on their paper airplanes and think about how they could make modifications, or changes, to their airplanes to make them fly farther. Students made their modifications, or changes, and then we went back outside to see if the paper airplanes would fly farther. This reflection allowed students to think outside of the box and evaluate their current progress on their project. They also changed their goal from getting their airplane to fly to getting their airplane to fly farther. Students had a great time with this project and their writing was very detailed in their journal because they were writing on a topic of interest.

3. Challenge students to promote critical thinking and engagement. 
I believe students should be challenged through critical thinking during their projects. Students should create their own questions and try to solve them by themselves, with a partner, or in a small group. The teacher should not be providing students with all of the answers. Students need to get to some of the answers on their own. When students are responsible for asking their own questions and finding their own answers, they are more engaged and excited about the activity they are completing.

For Example: Making Weather Tools
In this activity, students made their own weather tools with a partner out of paper plates, cups, pipe cleaners, paper, straws, pencils, pins, etc. They were able to make a weather tool that already existed, a weather tool that measured more than one type of weather, or a weather tool that had not been invented yet. Students had to ask themselves questions in order to make their weather tools. Some questions students thought about were: what is the weather tool going to measure, why it is important to measure that type of weather, what supplies do they need, and what should their weather tool look like? Students were excited, engaged, and retained a deeper understanding of weather tools through this hands on learning activity.

4. Collaboration: students create and learn together to reach a common goal.
Students collaborate and communicate ideas, strategies, and solutions to problems in partners or small group projects. By discussing ideas together, students are able to learn from each other. For example, struggling students are guided by the higher achieving students through discussions, while, the higher achieving students are gaining a deeper understanding of content through the ability to teach another student. Collaboration is a win for students of all levels of abilities.

For Example: Making a Gold Course
Students in a fourth grade classroom made a golf course hole while working in partners. They had to select a person from California's history, research them, write a paragraph on their selected person, make angles with a protractor, measure and draw the openings on the board of wood for the golf ball, paint the wood for their hole based on the person they selected, and work as a team to discuss the information on the person they selected with students from the school that played their golf hole. This project took about two weeks. Students were passionate about this acidity because they were researching someone that they found interesting. They also learned to work as a team and collaborate with another person to complete the project. This is a skill that will be crucial for their future careers.

5. Provide students with a choice and a voice. 
I like to provide my students with a choice, or options, in how they may show their understanding of content. I do not believe that students must show their understanding of material in the same way. When students may select their project, they are more motivated and engaged in the activity. They are passionate and excited about completing their work and putting forth a great deal of effort in their project.

For Example: Students show their understanding for how California changed due to the Gold Rush.
In a fourth grade classroom we were studying how California changed due to the Gold Rush. I wanted students to express specific details of how California was before the Gold Rush and how those details changed due to the Gold Rush. I allowed students to select how they wanted to express this to me. They could make a Powtoon, IMovie, Prezi, poster, create a song, act things out in a skit, etc. I had told students that all they needed to do was get their project approved by me before starting. Students were extremely excited about completing a project of their choice. They stayed focused during their work time and were highly motivated to complete their project with their best work.

* I hope these strategies and examples for Project-Based learning inspire you to use Project-Based Learning activities in your classroom. You will truly see a positive change in your students!

Strategies For Improving Reading Comprehension

Ever wonder how to improve your students' reading comprehension? I have seen improvement in my students' reading comprehension through implementing these 4 strategies in my classroom.

1. The following two websites offer reading comprehension questions after the student reads a story or book. Students needs to retain and process the information from the story, or book, in order to be able to correctly answer questions from theses websites. Answering reading comprehension questions from these websites assist students to look for the main characters, setting, main events, problem, solution, and any other details within the story. Raz Kids offers stories and books on its website that students may read. It also has quizzes with reading comprehension questions already made for students to take after reading. Reading Counts from scholastic has quizzes with reading comprehension questions for multiple books and stories. Students may take a Reading Counts quiz on their Chromebooks based on a book that the whole class read together, an article or story from our reading textbook, or even books that they read during independent reading time. During independent reading time, when students complete their book, they quietly get a Chromebook and take a Reading Counts quiz. To find a quiz on Reading Counts, you just type in the title or author and the quiz with appear. I have seen my students' Lexile reading levels increase every semester through the use of Raz Kids and especially Reading Counts. Our class tends to use Reading Counts more because you may just search for a quiz on a book of your choice, whereas Raz Kids you read one of their stories before taking the quiz.

Reading Counts Information Page

Reading Counts Website

Raz Kids Login






2. Being able to identify the following story elements during a re-telling of a book, or story, will assist students to improve their reading comprehension: setting, main characters, main events in proper sequence, problem, solution, etc. After reading a story, or book, I ask students to write a summary, or re-tell, the story in their journals. Students would include a description of the story elements in their journal entry. Students may also include an explanation of the author's purpose and state their opinion on the story. These journal entries assist students process and gain a deeper understanding of the story, which will improve their reading comprehension skills. I have also seen students improve their Lexile reading levels through our journal entries including a summary, state the author's purpose, and express their opinions on the story.

3. Annotated notes is another excellent strategy for improving students' reading comprehension. I like to read Scholastic News or Time Magazine for Kids and have students make annotated notes next to the paragraphs. The annotated notes assist them in looking for the main idea and details within the article. The notes also prepare the students to answers questions on their articles. I also have students make annotated notes while we read short stories, in their social studies packets, and during science. Having these notes also assist them with their responses to the text in persuasive papers, informational writing, and any other types of written responses to their text. Annotated notes assist students to look for and identify main ideas and details in an article, book, or short story, etc. It also helps them to process the information from their reading before putting the information into their writing. I have seen students improve their reading comprehension skills through the use of annotated notes.

4. In upper grades, I love having reading clubs. Each reading club group will consist of 4-6 students. Groups will be able to select a book to read from a list that I provide them. One to Two chapters are read every evening at home. Students then come back to class reading to discuss with their groups the chapters they read the night before. I provide each group with a list of questions they may discuss to get their conversation started. Students may also discuss anything of their choice that is going on in the book. Some of the sample questions I will provide the students may include:

• What did you notice in the book?
• Does the book remind you of anything?
• What were you wondering while you were reading?
• What was your favorite part? Why?
• Was there a part of the book that surprised you? Why?
• What reason is there for the character to…?
• What was the motive behind…?
• What do you suppose the character was thinking when…?
• Predict what the character will do next.
• Can you predict what the outcome will be if…?
• Analyze how the character's feelings changed in the book.
• Whats is the relationship between the two characters?
• How would you compare these two characters?
• What was the turning point in the story?
• What is a different way to solve the problem?
• How would you have solved the problem?

I have found students to improve their reading comprehension skills through these reading clubs. Students have these questions in mind when they are reading the story. They also have the opportunity to learn from their classmates while listening to them during the discussions. 

5. Lastly, I have improved my students' reading comprehension skills through the use of  story maps. After reading a story or book, I have students recognize story structure through the use of story maps. The story maps consist of students describing the main characters, setting, problem, solution, main events in sequences, or story elements on a graphic organizer, or story map. We might complete the story map as a whole class during guided practice, or, students may complete the story map independent, in partners, or in a small group. These story maps have improved students' reading comprehension because they have students analyzing and processing all parts of the story. The story maps are also a great strategy for students to use as a method of brainstorming prior to writing about a story or book. 

I hope these strategies assist you in improving reading comprehension in your classroom. I have already had great success with all five of these strategies in my classroom and I look forward to using them again next year. 

Curricular Resources/Vocabulary Activities

Introduction

It's been a little while since I posted on my blog, so I wanted to re-introduce myself by explaining the purpose of my bog, my beliefs on academic vocabulary development, my philosophy on education and provide sources/vocabulary activities that I use in the classroom.

The purpose of my blog is for me to share successful instructional strategies, activities/lessons, and links to resources that I use with students in the classroom. I just completed my student teaching in 1st and 4th grade. During my student teaching, I developed my current philosophy on education.

Philosophy on Education

My personal goal for my future classroom is to challenge students and assist them to reach their full potential. I want to meet each individual student’s needs by differentiating instructions, content, and assessments as needed. I also value forming a sense of community within the classroom. Therefore, group work is key in developing a community within the classroom. Group work allows students to support and learn from one another while also transforming the atmosphere of the entire class.

In my classroom, I want students to freely express their ideas and be creative. Students will express their interests, dislikes, and gain an understanding of their strengths and areas of improvement. After I have identified this information on each student, I will develop the curriculum to meet each student’s learning styles, needs, and abilities.

I strongly believe in a classroom management that has an emphasis on reinforcing positive behavior. I have had great success when I provide students with lots of praise and focus on the desired behavior rather than undesired behavior.

When presenting new content, I use direct and explicit instructions, while also providing students with room to expand on the content independently. I believe students should create their own questions and try to find the answers independently. This will help students to gain information through a variety ways. I also believe in integrating technology throughout my lessons and curriculum. For example, I frequently have students use Powtoons, Prezi, IMovie, Kahoot, and much more.

As an educator, I believe my philosophy on education and teaching styles may change throughout my teaching career. I want to remain receptive to new ideas, open to suggestions, and motivated to grow and improve my teaching skills.

During my student teaching, I was also able to create my ideas, or theory, for general academic vocabulary development. 

My Academic Vocabulary Development Theory 

During my student teaching in 1st and 4th grade, I found a few successful strategies for academic vocabulary development for my students. The first strategy I used was to have my students read independently everyday to improve their vocabulary during morning reads. I also encouraged my students to pick books from different genres. When reading about vocabulary online, research said that the more a student reads independently at their independent reading level, the more they will increase their vocabulary. Another strategy I used for increasing students' vocabulary is through direct instruction. For example, I used direct instruction for vocabulary when I do a read aloud with the class. I make a PowerPoint presentation where each slide consists of the unfamiliar terms in the book, their definitions, and pictures to further explain the terms. I pre-teach the unfamiliar vocabulary terms prior to reading the book so that students may increase their vocabulary and have a better understanding of the book. While I read books aloud to the class, I also provide instructions and model how to use context clues to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar term in a book or story. To improve students' academic vocabulary, I also provide students with weekly spelling lists that students must also learn the terms' definitions and use the terms in sentences. I have found that using these strategies have improved my students' academic vocabulary development. During my career in education, I will continue to research for new strategies to improve my students' academic vocabulary development. 

Curricular Resources and Vocabulary Activities That I Use in the Classroom:

Lexia Reading Core 5

Lexia Reading Core 5 is a website students can use on their chromebooks, or an app that students may use on their IPADS. This website offers a personalized learning path based on students' individual levels of abilities. Lexia Reading Core 5 also offers students support in phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, automaticity/fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Students will complete independent application of their understanding of vocabulary terms and demonstrate mastery of the selected vocabulary. If students do not show mastery of the selected vocabulary, the website will provide guided practice, or scaffolding support. If students are still not understanding the meaning of the selected vocabulary terms, the website will provide direct, and explicit, instructions and resources for teacher-led instruction if needed. This is a wonderful tool for students to use at their own pace and independent levels of abilities within the areas that this website supports, for example, vocabulary development. 

Spelling City

Spelling City is also a website that students may use on their chromebooks, or an app that they may use on their IPADS. This website offers students practice and an opportunity to develop their vocabulary and spelling abilities. Teachers are able to upload their own spelling and vocabulary lists to the website. Spelling city then offers students fun, game-like, activities to practice their spelling list and develop their vocabulary lists that were uploaded by the teacher. This website also allows students to move at their own pace on each activity.  

This is a book that you may purchase from Amazon, Scholastic, Barnes and Noble, and many more places for all grades. 

I like to have one of the pages from this book copied and set on students' desks before they enter the room. Students come into the room and begin this vocabulary development worksheet as a daily warm up while I take attendance. The worksheet will provide one word on the bottom. Students will then read the clue, or definition, for the words in the box above and write the word in the box. Students will start on the bottom box and climb their way up the ladder, or boxes, to the top of the page. This a fun and engaging strategy for students to develop vocabulary and a great way to start the morning. 

Student Login to Game

Teacher Sign In

Kahoot is a fun, engaging, and quick assessment strategy that I use for multiple subjects. One subject that I use it for is vocabulary. I use Kahoot to pre-assess my students before beginning our new vocabulary for the week to see which words some students already know. I also use Kahoot to assess students' vocabulary development throughout the week to see which students are mastering their vocabulary lists.  I am able to make my own quizzes on Kahoot. One vocabulary quiz may provide the word and students must select the correct definition from four choices. I may also provide students with the definition and they must select the correct word from four choices. After each question, I am able to see how many students selected each choice for the answer of the question. If needed, I am able to re-explain the vocabulary term to the class in that moment before moving on to the next question.

I have made a packet for students consisting of the Greek and Latin roots, definitions, and example words for my 4th graders. 

During my student teaching in 4th grade,  I gave my students at least 5 Greek or Latin roots on their weekly spelling lists. I began by explaining the Greek or Latin roots on their spelling lists at the beginning of the week. I reviewed the definition, example words, and showed how the words can be broken down to smaller parts, where the definition of the words will become clear. We practice our Greek and Latin words for the week daily. We practiced by myself saying the root and the class responded by saying the definition. We also played around the world with the Greek and Latin words. One student would stand next to another student sitting down. I would state the Greek or Latin root and the students responded by saying the definition. The first student to say the correct definition moved on to the next student in the class and so the game would continue. The goal is to get all around the room getting each definition correct. I may also switch around the world by myself saying the definition and the students say the Greek or Latin root. I have found that when students have a mastery of Greek and latin roots, they also have a better understanding of vocabulary in the English language. I have found this to be true because much of our English language, or vocabulary, comes from Greek and Latin. 

1st Grade Place Value and Digital Citizenship

1.NBT: Number and Operations in Base Ten

2. Understand Place Value

This standard is extremely important for 1st graders to learn because the concept of place value must be learned in order for them to be prepared for the math to come in future grades. Children need to have a concrete understanding of place value in order to be ready for adding or subtracting large numbers, estimating, regrouping, division, and multiplication. It is also helpful if students use digital citizenship to learn and practice the concept of place value. In today's society, technology is used in many parts of our lives. We use technology for work, play, education, online banking, shopping, and for many other functions. It is important that children learn and are comfortable using digital technology. The digital resources that I will recommend will be a great starting point for children to get comfortable using technology to enhance their knowledge on place value. Some of the resources will be for students to use in the classroom and at home, while others will be resources for parents to refer to. 

 Powtoon: Digital Citizenship

Before students begin using their Chromebooks or IPADs, I will have students watch a Powtoon on how to use technology responsibly. I want students to know how to be a digital citizen before using technology in our Place Value lesson. I will show this video to the whole class, have a class discussion, and end with questions the students might have on how to properly use the Chromebooks or IPADs. Once students have an understanding of how to be a digital citizen, they will be ready for the following resources. 

The following links are YouTube videos on Place Value:

  

Place Value First Grade - Tens and Ones From Math & Learning Videos 4 Kids

I will show this videos to the whole class prior to myself beginning the lesson. These videos will provide students with a quick over view of Place Value before I begin the full lesson. I have found these videos to be engaging and meet the needs of diverse learning styles within the classroom. Students will also be able to refer back to these videos on their Chromobooks or IPADs at their desk or at home. I will provide the link for them on Edmodo and our classroom web page. Edmodo is a website that allows me to communicate with my students, provide links, and assignments for them to access. 

Place Value Lesson - 1st and 2nd Grade Math From Math & Learning Videos 4 Kids

This video will also be shown at the beginning of a lesson to give students a quick over view of Place Value in ones and tens. I like how the video provides the concept through visual and audio to meet the needs of diverse learners. I will display this on the board for the whole class to see, but students will also be able to refer to this video at their desks or at home on their Chromebooks or IPADs. The link to this video will be on Edmodo and our class's web page, so students have access to it any time. 

The following links are for students to access free games on place value:

 ABCya! First Grade Numbers

The first grade place value games include: Base Ten Bingo, Base Ten Blocks, Base Ten Fun, and Comparing Number Values. These games can be accessed in the classroom on the students' Chroomebooks or IPADs. I would recommend having students try these activities after the lesson to assess their understanding of Place Value. The website provides the students with immediate feedback, or scoring, of the their answers. This website can also be accessed at home if students want or need extra practice through our class's web page. I might also have this website be a math center for students to practice.

1st Grade Interactive Math Skill Builders

This website offers 22 exercises and games along with 7 practice tests and quizzes. This is another website that I will have students use after a lesson to assess their understanding of the material. This website could be used as a center during math centers for students to have extra practice. The website provides students with the number of questions they answered correctly. This website will tell me and the students if they are understanding the concept of Place Value. The practice tests and quizzes are also another resource I can use for assessing students' understanding of place value. Students can also access these exercises, games, practice tests, and quizzes at home for studying for a math test or extra practice. This link will be provided for my students on Edmodo and our class's web page. 

 1st Grade Games - Understand place value

This is another website that offers 5 free games for students to play for checking their understanding of Place Value: Shark Place Value, Dino Place Value, Place Blocks, Count Up Place Chips, and Duck Golf. All of these games provide students and myself immediate feedback on their understanding of Place Value. Students are able to see right away the number of questions they answered correctly. This would be another option for students to do during math centers for extra practice. Students will access these games in the classroom and at home for extra practice and as a  method of studying for  a test. The link will be posted on Edmodo and our class's web page. 

The following links are for students to sing and listen to songs on Place Value:

place value math song: ones, tens, hundreds From Mr. R's Songs for Teaching

This song and video have great visual aids to assist students understand the concept of Place Value. I also find that students are able to remember concepts better when they know a fun song or phrase. Students will see this on the board when I project it for the whole class to see. I will also have this website on Edmodo and our class's webpage, so students can access it at their desks or at home on their Chromebooks or IPADs. This song can be introduced at the beginning, middle, or end of a lesson. 

 Math Videos That Teach Place Value

This website provides math videos that will be shown at the beginning of a lesson to provide students with a quick over view of Place Value. These videos can also be used to prepare students for an activity during math centers. The website has both videos on place value and fun songs for students to sing and listen to. These videos can be shown to the whole class, or students can view them individually at their desks on their Chromebooks or IPAds. Students will have access to the link for this website on Edmodo and our class's web page. 

The following link can be used by teachers or parents:

 1st Grade Math Worksheets: Place Value

This link can be used by teachers to get worksheets for their students to complete on Place Value. They could be used as an exit slip or a quick quiz to assess student's understanding of Place Value. Parents can also use this website to provide their children with extra practice on Place Value for studying for a math test. I will provide a link to this website on our class's web page, so that parents and students have access to it.

The following link is for teachers and parents:

 Explain Place Value

This website provides lesson plan ideas and worksheets that teachers can use in their lessons on Place Value. I believe this website is just a starting point of ideas for teachers and should not consist of their entire lesson. Technology should be integrated in the lesson. This website is also for parents to refer to when they need to refresh their memory on Place Value. I will have a link to this website on our class's web page for parents to access it.

It is crucial that teachers integrate technology into our lessons as much as possible. Digital citizenship is growing, therefore, students need to use technology and feel comfortable with it at an early age. This is a great starting point of digital resources that teachers, students, and parents can use on Place Value for in the classroom and at home.

21st Century Communication Skills Necessary For Today's Students To Develop

The 21st century skills are a set of abilities that students need to develop for living and thriving in the 21st Century. Effective communication is the foundation on which many careers are built on. Communication skills will be necessary for students' lasting success in their personal and professional lives.

21st Century communication skills that should be developed in students are:

Collaborating
Use: This is when students are able to engage and discuss an idea or topic with fellow peers. This may be done digitally or non-digitally.
Necessity: This skill is important because collaborating is crucial for students' learning, mental, and emotional health. It is also essential for students to be able to work in a group to formulate ideas.

Communicating
Use: Students will develop the ability to use multimedia to express themselves in an appropriate manner.
Necessity: This skill is necessary for students to build personal interactions. Students' ability to communicate will help them to put forth their best representation of who they are as individuals in relationships throughout their lives. This skill will assist them in their personal and professional lives.

Social Skills
Use: Students need to be able to interact with various people, different cultures, and people of different ages.
Necessity: This skill is necessary for students to build human relationships and intertwine into society and cultural events.

Problem-Solving
Use: Students need to develop the ability to define a problem, create a solution, and follow through on resolving the problem.
Necessity: Students need to have the ability to devise effective solutions to real-world problems in order for them to be more successful.

Creativity
Use: Students need to be able to think and work in both digital and nondigital environments. They also need to have the ability to develop unique and useful solutions.
Necessity: This can be a method for students to express themselves and their uniqueness. Creativity is an outlet that helps students see who they are and what they can do. This skill also nurtures children's emotional health.

Strategies that I will use to assist my students in attaining the previous 21st Century Skills:

• Create lessons where students will discuss content as a whole class, small groups or in partners.
• Have opportunities for students to give oral presentations, for example, presenting a poster report to the class.
• Teach students to evaluate their voices to enhance their presentation. 
• Have students be able to express themselves by writing in a variety of formats.
• Provide opportunities for students to interact with one another to build social skills.
• Present a problem to the class and have the students create solutions. For example, discuss with students problems in their environment, have students brainstorm to create solutions, and then present their solutions to the class. 
• Students may also create a problem that they would like to find solutions for. 
• Allow students to complete an assignment in their own imaginative ways. For example, students may make a video, a poster report, write an essay, or draw pictures. 

Inspired Versus Deflated In My Own Education

When creating motivation strategies for my future classroom, I take moments to look back on my past experiences as a student and what my teachers did that motivated me. I think of examples from past teachers of mine that motivated and deflated me. I then try and incorporate the motivating strategies into my future own classroom.

One teacher of mine that immediately stands out was my 7th and 8th grade history teacher. She always had our class engaged and excited about the material we were learning. For example, when we studied the Civil War, we received the content from multiple resources. As a class we read chapters from our history book, watched Gone With The Wind movie, watched a show on the Civil War from the National Geographic channel, and read articles the teacher had printed for us. We also had our own Civil War in the classroom. The classroom was split down the middle into the North and the South. After learning the content for the day, each side would be given the chance to answer questions. Students were motivated to pay attention during the lesson and retain knowledge on the content because if a student answered a question correctly, their side (North or South) would be given a point and a chance to throw a soft nerf ball towards the other side. If the nerd ball hit a student, they would be "dead". We were also given the opportunity to answer questions to bring people back to life. The side with the most points at the end of the unit won the classroom civil war. This made learning extremely fun for students. I didn't realize this at the time, but how she offered the content through multiple sources met the needs for various learning styles.

A teacher can also deflate a student's motivation. The first teacher that comes to mind when I think of deflated motivation, I am reminded of my 9th grade history teacher. This teacher only provided the material in two methods; the teacher would lecture while sitting in his chair or we would read the chapter in our history book independently at our desks. This class was very boring, not motivating, and did not keep most students engaged on the content. The teacher would lecture in a mono tone and sat in his chair at his desk. The teacher appeared bored during his lecture on the material. I wish we had a collaborative discussion on the material in the class. I am a strong believer that if students can talk about the material, then they understand the material. I did not retain the information well from just reading it independently. It would have been more engaging to have a class discussion after reading the material. My father would take over teaching me the material in the evenings at home. He would read the chapter, then we would have a discussion on the entire chapter. My father took over the responsibility of engaging and motivating me in history. I was soon back on track and retaining all of the material.

This is why it is crucial teachers take the time and the effort to create strategies for motivating and engaging their students. I believe one of the most important strategies is to provide the material through various sources to reach all students' learning styles. I will always remember my 7th and 8th grade history teacher for showing me how much fun learning can be. I will try my hardest to create that same environment in my future classroom.

5 Outstanding Strategies for Increasing Reading Comprehension

While volunteering in classrooms, I have observed teachers use five outstanding strategies to develop reading comprehension. These strategies are: Think-Pair-Share, mind maps, shared reading followed with a collaborative discussion, independent reading followed with answering questions on the content, and by making predictions prior to reading. I am so excited to announce that I have also been using some of these strategies right away in the classroom because I have started substitute teaching while I finish getting my teacher's credential and master's degree.

The first strategy, Think-Pair-Share, is a collaborative activity that helps increase reading comprehension. Students may read independently, the teacher may do a read aloud, or the class may do a shared reading. The teacher may pause during the reading or at the end of the reading to ask a question based on the material read. Students may be given a moment to think about their answer to the question. Then, they will turn to a partner and discuss their answer to the question. Once students have discussed with their partners, the teacher will bring the students back to a whole group. The students will discuss with the whole class the answers they came up with their partner. This strategy allows students to collaborate and learn from each other. My best practices book A New Teacher's Guide to Best Practices by Yvonne S. Gentzler states an instructional strategy for use during a unit is to, " Ask students to work sometimes individually, but other times in cooperative groups" (Gentzler, 2015, pg. 136). This is exactly what Think-Pair-Share does for students. 

Another extremely beneficial tool for developing reading comprehension that students can do individually or collaborate with a partner is to make mind maps. Mind maps are a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. Students may read individually, the teacher may do a read aloud, or the class may do a shared reading. Once the students are done reading, the teacher must give a detailed explanation on how to format their mind maps. I would recommend doing an example on the document camera or Promethean Board as a whole class before the students complete their own mind maps individually or with a partner. Students will use their mind maps to help structure information, analyze the material, comprehend, synthesize, recall and generate new ideas. Gentzler describes this learning strategy, " Use a graphic organizer to create mind maps for students, thereby strengthening learning and subsequent recall of material" (Gentzler, 2015, pg. 147) This strategy may also be differentiated based on the ability of the student. Gentzer recommended differentiating this activity, "A slightly different twist is to use pictures or drawings instead of words to create a mind map" (Gentzler, 2015, pg. 147). This is a learning activity that can benefit different student learning styles in the classroom.

Another favorite strategy of mine to develop reading comprehension is through a shared reading. The teacher reads aloud while the students follow along. The other day when I was substitute teaching in a third grade classroom, we did a shared reading for Charlotte's Web. The teacher had the book on a CD. The students read along to Chapter 3 while it was played from the CD out loud. I would occasionally pause the CD when we came to words the students may not know or to ask questions on what was happening in the story. We discussed the Chapter as a whole class, which allowed me to check for understanding. Gentzler further explains the importance of shared reading as, "…you can teach thinking skills at the same time you are teaching the content of your subject" (Gentzler, 2015, pg. 129). It is important we show our students how to think or what they should think about while they are reading. Pausing during the shared reading to ask questions helps teach thinking skills to students and will develop their reading comprehension skills. 

Students may also develop their reading comprehension skills by reading a passage or level guided reading independently. After their reading, students will answer questions on a worksheet and label which paragraph the answer was found in. When I was substitute teaching in a 6th grade classroom, I saw this strategy done during science. The students appeared to comprehend the material much better than if they had just read the material. I believe that by having the students state where in the reading they located the answer to the question helped them to develop their reading comprehension skills. They needed to really understand what the question was asking, have a strong comprehension what they read, and to be able to state where in the reading they located the answer. 

The last strategy I believe helps with developing reading comprehension is to have students make predictions. Predictions encourage active reading and keep students interested to see if their predictions were correct. I have seen predictions made prior to reading or after the students read the first paragraph. The teacher had their students write down their predictions on a piece of paper. She also wrote the students' predictions on the whiteboard, document camera, or promethean board. During the reading, the teacher would check in with the students to see whose predictions were correct or whose were incorrect and why they were incorrect. Gentzler also discussed an instructional strategy for use during a unit as, "Provide students with ways of thinking about a topic in advance" (Gentzler, 2015, pg. 136). Here, Gentzler is also describing the importance of getting students thinking about the topic prior to reading. Gentzler also recommends, "Ask students to revise linguistic and nonlinguistic representations of knowledge in their notebooks as they refine their understanding of the knowledge" (Gentzler, 2015, pg. 136). This is when the teacher will pause throughout the reading to check in and see whose predictions were correct or whose predictions were incorrect and why. This strategy will increase students' reading comprehension and keep them more engaged and interested throughout the reading. 

I have seen these five strategies be a success in developing reading comprehension for students. I look forward to using these strategies while I substitute teach and in my own future classroom.

References
Gentzler, Y. (2015). A New Teacher's Guide to Best Practices. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing.