Reading Skills
Prediction - Little White Owl
is a great story for encouraging prediction because there are so many ellipses (...). a great place to stop and ask what's going to happen next before you turn the page. Just a Dream
by Chris Van Allsburg is a suspenseful story for older readers that works well for practicing predictions.
is a great story for encouraging prediction because there are so many ellipses (...). a great place to stop and ask what's going to happen next before you turn the page. Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg is a suspenseful story for older readers that works well for practicing predictions.
Inference - I've read the poems in Desert Voices
without reading the title. Kids can use evidence in the poem to infer which animal the poem is about. Fables
by Arnold Lobel is also a great one because students can try to guess the moral.
without reading the title. Kids can use evidence in the poem to infer which animal the poem is about. Fables by Arnold Lobel is also a great one because students can try to guess the moral.
and 
both raise great questions.
Visualizing- ANY book works for visualizing, especially books with lots of descriptive text like Meteor!
by Patricia Polacco. Read the page before you show the picture and instruct students to imagine it in their own minds.
by Patricia Polacco. Read the page before you show the picture and instruct students to imagine it in their own minds.
Making Connections - The classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
is perfect for making connections since who hasn't had a bad day?? The Pain and the Great One
also works well, since most students can identify with feeling that they are treated unfairly compared to a brother or sister.
is perfect for making connections since who hasn't had a bad day?? The Pain and the Great One also works well, since most students can identify with feeling that they are treated unfairly compared to a brother or sister.
Nonfiction Text Features - Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women
is about women inventors and a great resource for nonfiction articles suitable for older readers.
is about women inventors and a great resource for nonfiction articles suitable for older readers.
Writing Models
Memoirs - Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: A Memoir of My Fifth-Grade Year
is a collection of stories from Esme Raji Codell's fifth grade year.
is a collection of stories from Esme Raji Codell's fifth grade year.
is a great model for writing the sequel of a story.
Format Texts - Fortunately
and except if
are two great formats that students can use as models for their own writing.
