Read, Write, Think          

I love the way schools address the need to give students more time to read and write. I've seen reward systems, drop everything a read time periods, Stop and Jot, silent sustained reading and more AR each year. I watch kids read on their computers, in handhelds, cell phones, and even iPads and am very excited to see a new group of 6th graders come into our middle school with an enthusiasm for reading. I even had the privilege of working with the instructional coaches for the Albuquerque Public Schools who were well-versed in a multitude of reading strategies that work. Nonetheless, there are still too many students who have not yet found the joy of reading. This "tuesdays" is to offer hope and encouragement to keep those students reading.

  

The reading coach at our school turned me on to an amazing website and it rose right up to the top of my list for creative technology. The International Reading Association and the National Council of the Teachers of English have designed the best site I have ever seen for engaging students in the reading and writing process. Read.Write.Think is loaded with lesson plans, web resources, but best of all any area for student engagement. Click on the Student Materials section for scores of interactive games, materials and tools to supplement a variety of lessons. It's so well planned out that materials link to lessons to standards and vice-versa. What a gift for teachers. There are endless storyboards and project starters that help the students focus and produce unique projects. Our reading coach's favorite is Character Trading Cards.

I know you have heard it over and over that we are all reading teachers regardless of our discipline, but it's so true. I just think it's so ironic that we really aren't trained to be reading teachers until be become practitioners. I want to encourage you to use the Read.Write.Think site especially if you aren't sure how to teach reading. The ideas and the support could sustain a year of reading. Modeling reading for our students is the most important. I love when teacher's hang a sign on their wall or door that says, "Mrs. Seddon is reading............" The students really notice when you haven't changed your reading materials and get great insight into who you are by what you read. If you haven't been making it public to your students what you are currently reading, I would like to encourage you to make it a practice for this school year. Please let us know how you encourage reading at your school in the comment section on my blog.

When you go on the Read.Write.Think website, it can be a bit overwhelming because it is so robust. So how do you find the time to learn about all the activities and lessons? Give it to the students! They have time and opportunity. Make it an extra credit project they can do on their own time. Make a deal with them. If they teach you the best examples, you will do it with the whole class and give them the credit. Too often we don't expose our students to things we don't know how to do and unwittingly cause a digital divide. Give them the chance to experiment, design, create and invent with this site and there's no telling how much the joy of reading will begin to develop. In fact, that's exactly what I just did! I'm sending it your way in hopes that you will brag about all the great things you have found for your students.

"If you can read this, thank a teacher."

Anonymous

ipadio   

LiveBinders 

Doceri 

NASA's Image Gallery 

Popplet 

Zoey's Room
Finance in the Classroom
Fotopedia 

The Common Good Forecaster  

Google Earth 

UJAM 

Symbaloo.edu 

Google Science Fair 

Stossel in the Classroom
Word Sift 

Lee Kolbert