Category Archives: Reading

How to Combine PHONICS with COMPREHENSION: A.I. Decodables Plus Diffit!

Posted on February 7, 2024 by theliteracycookbook

While some folks argue over whether we should spend more time on phonics or more on comprehension, I have found a way to use AI tools to do BOTH. Because both are needed. This approach assumes you have phonics instructional … Continue reading →

Posted in AI tools, Bard, ChatGPT, Comprehension, decodables, Diffit, Phonics, Reading, Reading Instruction, TLC Website Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ONE WAY TO SOLVE READING PROBLEMS with ChatGPT

Posted on March 9, 2023 by theliteracycookbook

One challenge educators face when trying to provide effective reading instruction is that their bookshelves are overflowing with “lower-level” texts that look like this: “The bear likes to draw [see picture of bear drawing].  The bear likes to paint [see … Continue reading →

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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: 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

Our National Reading Problem

Posted on January 28, 2023 by theliteracycookbook

Recently one of my former students, now married with three children, reached out for help with his 5th grade daughter. “She’s bright,” he said, “but she’s really struggling to read. She doesn’t like it, and her grades are going downhill. … Continue reading →

Posted in Phonics, Podcasts, Reading, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

NEW RESOURCES: Video Training Modules!!!

Posted on June 26, 2020 by theliteracycookbook

I am super-excited to report that I’ve been designing video training modules to support literacy instruction!!!  These brief but informative modules cover key topics that I’ve been presenting on and writing about for the past decade, and they are now … Continue reading →

Posted in Comprehension, Inference, Main Idea, Paraphrasing, Presentations, Professional Development, Quadrant Analysis, Reading, Resources, Summarizing, The Literacy Cookbook BOOK, TLC Website Resources, Video Training, Vocabulary, Vocabulary in Context | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ONLINE LEARNING: FREE Independent Reading Access for ALL!

Posted on June 23, 2020 by theliteracycookbook

Although most schools are now closed for the summer, it is not too late to reach out to your students and tell them about Libby.  If you’ve never heard of it, Libby is a FREE app that enables people to … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio Books, Independent Reading, Libby app, ONLINE LEARNING, Reading, Recommended Reading, Resources, Summer Reading, TLC Website Resources | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a 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

Independent Reading and Summer Reading RESOURCES

Posted on May 10, 2017 by theliteracycookbook

As summer draws near, you might be thinking about assigning summer reading or planning for a more rigorous independent reading program at your school next year, or you might be looking forward to YOUR OWN summer reading. Here are some … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Analysis, Independent Reading, Literacy and the Common Core BOOK, Reading, Recommended Reading, Resources, Summer Reading, TLC Website Resources | 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