Steps to Launching Lifelong Readers

Chapter 2

Here are a couple ready-to-use Reading Without Limits lesson plans!

Download: Conversational Voice Lesson Plan (PDF)

Download: Visualization Lesson Plan (PDF)

This resource offers different activities that you can do to promote prior knowledge. Prior knowledge refers to when readers access what they know about the world in order to figure out text. It’s an essential skill toward making inferences and fixing confusions. The best part is that the activities presented here are kid friendly!

Download: Accessing Prior knowledge (PDF)

Videos that show these resources in action:

Watch Now on Vimeo (password: "readingwithoutlimits"): Reading Without Limits


Chapter 3

Download: Routines for Building Stamina

Download: Building Stamina podcast (MP3)

Download: A list of routines to track stamina (PDF)

Download: Free read-a-thon prizes (PDF)

Videos that show these resources in action:

I was inspired by dance-a-thons where couples dance until they drop.  I thought, I wonder if we could do something similar with reading? Read-a-thons promote stamina and love of reading.  Here, watch a video of teachers unsuccessfully trying to distract readers during a read-a-thon and sample kid-created, free read-a-thon prizes.

Watch Now on Vimeo (password: "readingwithoutlimits"): Reading Without Limits


Chapter 4

During shared reading, the teacher supports the class in a close reading of the text. During close reading, the teacher ensures that the students are able to paraphrase so she helps them figure out the text using different strategies. She then helps students discover implied meaning, and ensure that they always go back to the text with their analysis. In addition to the transcript provided in Reading Without Limits, here’s another way a teacher does close reading with her class.
Download: Transcript of shared reading (PDF)

Shared reading professional development

Adding shared reading to your literacy program will ensure that students have practice working with difficult texts. Here is a narrated PowerPoint and interactive notes summarizing shared reading you can use for staff development.
Download: Shared Reading (PDF)
Download: Shared Reading Podcast (MP4)

Graphic organizers for struggling readers during shared reading

The Common Core pushes that we use texts that are at or above grade level in order to increase rigor. In Chapter One of Reading Without Limits, I share that not all of our readers come into our classes on grade level. In fact, the average class has a span of six years of reading levels. Leveled reading needs to be a huge part of your reading program, so that readers are reading texts on their independent level during choice reading. However, the purpose of shared reading is to work with texts that are beyond students’ comfort levels. I share many different strategies for how to support readers who aren’t yet reading on the shared reading level. Here are some graphic organizers that will also support:

Download: Story Map (PDF)
Download: Resource Fix It graphic organizer (PDF)
Download: Resource Questioning graphic organizer (PDF)

Close Reading

Download: Close Reading Podcast (MP3)

 

Videos that show these resources in action:

Watch Now on Vimeo (password: "readingwithoutlimits"): Reading Without Limits


Chapter 5

Use this tracking sheet during guided reading or tweak it to suit the needs of your kids.
Download: Guided reading tracking sheets (PDF)

During guided reading, I pop from student to student usually spending about two minutes per kid. I listen in to help with decoding, and I have comprehension questions ready to go. Sometimes students are so focused on reading aloud that they forget to read and think. Remember dependent readers? They don't think as they read, yet. Conferences help support the thinking behind the reading during guided reading.

Download: Questions to ask during Guided Reading (PDF)

Download: Narrated Powerpoint (PPT)

Want to start guided reading in your classroom, but don’t have the resources? Feel free to copy and paste this grant and submit it on Donors Choose

Download: Grant template (PDF)

Table 5.2 in Reading Without Limits shows how I plan out a guided reading group for seven weeks for students reading on a second grade level. That means I am going to show them strategies that would help them read on a third grade level. A list of which strategies to teach are found in Chapters Two and Four. I plan seven-week cycles in advance, since I usually assess every six to eight week.

Download: Seven week scope (PDF)

Guided Reading Lesson Plans

Here are some lessons that you can use during guided reading. Remember, for the most part, these lessons should have been taught previously to your entire class. Match student’s comfort level with the corresponding guided reading lesson. For instance, if a student is reading on a grade four level comfortably, find lessons with this box:
These lessons can take anywhere from 25-60 minutes.
For more information about Guided Reading see Chapter Four of Reading Without Limits.

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 1 (PDF)

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 2 (PDF)

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 3 (PDF)

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 4 (PDF)

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 5 (PDF)

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 6 (PDF)

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 7 (PDF)

Download: Guided Reading lesson plan, Level 8 (PDF)

Videos that show these resources in action:

Watch Now on Vimeo (password: "readingwithoutlimits"): Reading Without Limits