We know that one of the best predictive measures of success in reading is the background knowledge students enter the classroom with (Campbell, 2009). Students who enter with a robust vocabulary and have been read to are more likely to succeed and have positive attitudes towards reading. These students already have positive beliefs and values associated with reading. The question then is what do we do with that knowledge in regards to students who are struggling or enter school with lower skill sets. On the surface, it would seem that increasing instruction, doubling down on interventions, and spending more time breaking the reading process into bite-size pieces would be laudable activities to engage in. While in some cases they are absolutely necessary, these strategies only focus on the skill of reading, not the will. Continue reading

This is the vocabulary graphic organizer you need to be using in your classroom - simple and highly effective for any subject and grade level. Read more at Vocabulary Graphic Organizer via www.k5chalkbox.com Continue reading