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Dear Educator, Welcome back to a new
school year-I hope it's your best ever. Those of you in the San Francisco Bay
Area may be familiar with our traditional back-to-school Sidewalk Sale. This year, we're doing something different: moving
our sale online for the weekend of September
15th and 16th. I wish I could meet you all in person
and offer you doughnuts and coffee, but I'm excited about the opportunity to
give all our continental U.S. customers these special once-a-year savings
throughout the store. Watch your e-mailbox for the start of the sale, and tell
your friends!Best wishes,
Rosalind Iiams, Editor
editor@primaryconcepts.com
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Using Graphic Organizers to Teach Reading Comprehension
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According to the National Institute for Literacy, "Research over 30 years
has shown that instruction in comprehension can help students understand what
they read, remember what they read, and communicate with others about what they
read." Graphic organizers are an invaluable addition to your young students' comprehension
toolbox. As the Corporation for Intellectual Technology's "Writing Site" puts
it, "Used in conjunction with reading and writing, graphic organizers enhance
the ability to remember concepts, comprehend interrelationships among ideas,
and understand abstract thinking. The visual nature of these tools provides a
framework for students to organize and arrange information. As a student
provides a written or drawn response to a story, these insights will deepen and
widen their understanding and give students a structure with which to organize
their own texts."
Informational and Narrative Texts. When they are reading informational texts, students
can use graphic organizers to become more aware of the structure of the texts,
remember concepts, and summarize what they have read. When children read
narrative texts (stories), graphic organizers can help them comprehend and
discuss the different elements of the stories: characters, plot, setting, etc.
Organizers help early readers recall details, visualize, retell the story, make
inferences, and understand the story's language. Check out the links below for a huge selection of
downloadable organizers, as well as more
tips on using graphic organizers with your young students. |
| Graphic Organizers Activity |
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These graphic organizers and lessons focus on characters in narrative and informational
texts. Using these organizers, children
will gain practice in important reading comprehension skills such as recalling
details, comparing and contrasting, summarizing, and organizing information.
(Source: Primary
Concepts "Graphic Organizers: Building Comprehension Skills")
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| Product Spotlight: Graphic Organizers |
Introduce young readers to 30 versatile graphic organizers
for reading comprehension. Includes reproducible story maps, character webs,
timelines, and much more. Lessons focus on story structure, characters, plot,
setting, language, and informational text. The 3-ring binder makes duplication
and organization easy.
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Web Specials
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September specials, online only! |
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Graphic Organizers: Building Comprehension Skills (3820)
Regularly $35.00; Special $29.95 |
Graphic Organizer Resource Special (3822)
 Regularly $39.95; Special $34.00 |
| Share Your Favorite Activities |
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Do you have a favorite graphic organizer activity? Send it
to us, and we'll share it with our readers next month.
First
grade teacher Julie Schwerzler sent in this engaging, inexpensive writing
activity in response to July's newsletter:
One
of my students' favorite writing activities is "Sticker Stories." The students put some stickers (usually 2-6)
on their paper and draw a background.
They write their story underneath the picture or on a separate piece of
paper. I change the stickers
according
to the season or theme we are learning about. We read some of the stories aloud
and I photocopy them before sending them home. Then I make a class book with
the photocopied picture and the words typed in underneath. I put the book in our classroom library, and
it is always a favorite of theirs to read--even many of the struggling readers
and writers.
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Next Month's Topic: Response to Intervention
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In our October newsletter: What does RtI mean for you, and
how do you implement it? We'll offer background, links, and helpful resources.
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Quote of the Month
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You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but
if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the
learning process as long as he lives.
--Clay P. Bedford
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Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your colleagues and
friends.
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