Teaching Reading

Want to build reading comprehension skills?  One fun tool is the mini-mystery.  These go by assorted names, and they come in books and on websites, but the general idea is that they present a little mystery story in just a few paragraphs, complete with clues for the solving.  A careful reader can pick up on [...]

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s easy to tap into the excitement to get some fresh motivation for reading.  Here are a few ideas to get them going….

Song Lyrics: Sometimes song lyrics are easy to read because they are familiar and often are already divided into syllables.  Drag out the little carolling books for some [...]

Here’s an easy and fun way to motivate a young reader: Make a reading caterpillar!  All you need are a few sheets of colored paper and some wall space to hang the critter up.  You might want markers or glue for decorations, too.  Start by cutting out a large head.  Make it a friendly smiling [...]

If you need to motivate reluctant readers, sometimes you can be a tease.  Find an exciting book that’s at the reading level of your students, and read a chapter or two aloud.  Get them past the scene-setting and character building parts, and into the main part of the action.  Use all your talents to draw [...]