Category Archives: Questioning

How to Make Interactive Read-alouds TRULY INTERACTIVE

Posted on March 4, 2023 by theliteracycookbook

One consequence of the pandemic in K-12 these days is that we are working with a high percentage of struggling readers.  As I discussed in this post about our national reading problem, there are three main reasons for that: 1) … Continue reading →

Posted in Class discussions, Comprehension, ELA Common Core Standards, Inference, Note-taking, Questioning, Reading, Reading Instruction, Resources | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

CLOSE READING STRATEGIES: Literature Edition

Posted on February 3, 2023 by theliteracycookbook

Following up on my previous post, CLOSE READING STRATEGIES: Nonfiction Edition, this post focuses on strategies to use with literature. A few skills cross over from nonfiction: In addition, here are a few strategies specific to NARRATIVE texts: PS: The … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Analysis, Close Reading, Inference, Questioning, Reading Literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

CLOSE READING STRATEGIES: Nonfiction Edition

Posted on February 2, 2023 by theliteracycookbook

“My students are struggling to comprehend.  What should we do?”  I hear this question almost daily. My first question is this: Can they decode?  If the answer is NO, then launching robust, systematic phonics instruction should be your first step … Continue reading →

Posted in Annotation, Close Reading, Comprehension, Inference, Nonfiction, Questioning, Reading, Reading Informational Text, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

NEW VIDEO TRAINING MODULE: Unpacking the ELA Common Core Standards!

Posted on July 8, 2020 by theliteracycookbook

I am pleased to share another video training module! Unpacking the ELA Common Core Standards MODULE This SELF-PACED 17-min video (ideal for viewing with a colleague so you can discuss questions that arise) addresses the following four questions: What should … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, ELA Common Core Standards, Literacy and the Common Core BOOK, Professional Development, Questioning, Reading Informational Text, Resources, RPM Objectives, Summarizing, TLC Website Resources, Trajectory Analysis, Unpacking the ELA Common Core Standards, Video Training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ONLINE LEARNING: Three Zoom Tips to Increase Engagement

Posted on May 22, 2020 by theliteracycookbook

As we continue to learn about how various online tools work, here are three Zoom tips that can increase student engagement: Show students how to create a virtual background. Some students might be uncomfortable with their real-life setting; showing them how … Continue reading →

Posted in Class discussions, ONLINE LEARNING, Questioning, TLC Website Resources, Zoom | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

ONLINE LEARNING: How to Engage Students Using Zoom

Posted on April 8, 2020 by theliteracycookbook

Let’s say you’ve read my previous post and are now able to run secure Zoom meetings: so, no more crazy people Zoom-bombing your students.  Good. The next challenge is how not to bore the participants.  You don’t want to talktalktalk … Continue reading →

Posted in ONLINE LEARNING, Questioning, Zoom | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Shared Reading Needs to Have a Clear Purpose

Posted on January 15, 2018 by theliteracycookbook

  [This post originally appeared in slightly different form on MiddleWeb on January 8, 2018.] Recently while conducting an observation, I saw a teacher direct students to sit in pairs and read an article together. I kept waiting for further … Continue reading →

Posted in Close Reading, Comprehension, Questioning, Reading, Shared Reading, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

RECOMMENDED READING: The Writing Revolution by Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler

Posted on December 4, 2017 by theliteracycookbook

In 2012, if you read “The Writing Revolution,” Peg Tyre’s article in The Atlantic about Judith Hochman’s effective method for teaching writing, you may have wondered, Where can I learn more about this? You were not alone. In fact, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Curriculum, Differentiation, Lesson-planning, Paragraph writing, Questioning, Recommended Reading, Resources, Summarizing, Topic Sentences, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Teaching Students How to Set a Purpose for Reading

Posted on April 30, 2017 by theliteracycookbook

[This post originally appeared in slightly different form on MiddleWeb on April 23, 2017.] I think we can all agree that annotating texts helps students comprehend them more deeply. But not all forms of annotating are helpful. How you annotate … Continue reading →

Posted in Annotation, Close Reading, Comprehension, ELA Common Core Standards, Genre, MiddleWeb, Questioning, Reading, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, The Literacy Cookbook BOOK, TLC Website Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Most Important Common Core Reading Standard

Posted on October 16, 2015 by theliteracycookbook

[The following post originally appeared in slightly different form on MiddleWeb on Oct. 6, 2015.] I know we’re probably not supposed to have favorites when it comes to the Common Core Standards, but I do. I fell in love with … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, Comprehension, Curriculum, Differentiation, ELA Common Core Standards, Essential Questions, How vs. Why, Questioning, Reading Informational Text, TLC Website Resources, Trajectory Analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments