Teaching Strategies

Guiding Independence: Developing a Research Tool to Support Student Decision Making in Selecting Online Information Sources

By: Rindi Baildon and Mark Baildon (2008)

This study of fourth grade students indicates that the use of a "research resource guide" increases student independence during the research process. The article describes approaches to support students in making determinations about the readability, trustworthiness, and usefulness of sources of information.

For Students Who Are Not Yet Fluent, Silent Reading Is Not the Best Use of Classroom Time

By: Jan Hasbrouck (2008)

Teachers do their best to improve students’ fluency, but sometimes the information they have to work with is incomplete and, therefore, leads them down the wrong path. For example, silent reading or 'Round Robin' reading seem like good ways to improve fluency. But, in fact, increasing fluency requires more practice, more support, and more guided oral reading than either of these strategies can deliver.

Organizing for Effective Reading Instruction

By: Jill Slack (2008)

To address the wide range of individual student variances and needs, reading instruction within one classroom must be data-informed and call on small group instruction and flexible grouping practices. This article delineates routines and procedures to help teachers organize their classroom environment and reading instruction to positively affect student achievement and meet the needs of diverse learners.

Creating Podcasts with Your Students

By: Tony Vincent (2008)

Creating podcasts in the classroom has many educational benefits, including strengthening skills in research, writing, and collaboration — and podcasting is easy to do. This article walks you through the steps of preproduction, recording, postproduction, and publishing.

Using Peer Tutoring to Facilitate Access

By: The Access Center (2008)

Peer tutoring links high achieving students with lower achieving students or those with comparable achievement for structured learning. It's an effective educational strategy for classrooms of diverse learners, including students with disabilities, because it promotes academic gains as well as social enhancement. This brief discusses three research-supported peer tutoring strategies: Cross-Age Tutoring; Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS); and Reciprocal Peer Tutoring (RPT).

Instruction of Metacognitive Strategies Enhances Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Achievement of Third-Grade Students

By: Regina Boulware-Gooden, Suzanne Carreker, Ann Thornhill, and R. Malatesha Joshi (2007)

The use of metacognitive strategies helps students to "think about their thinking" before, during, and after they read.

Teaching Tips: Authoring with Video

By: Barbara K. Strassman and Trisha O'Connell (2007)

Help students engage in reading and writing by asking them to write captioning for audio-less video clips. This article contains step-by-step instructions for using the technique as well as links to digital media and suggested teaching ideas.

A Teacher's Guide to Using Newspapers to Enhance Language Arts Skills

By: Newspaper Association of America Foundation (2007)

Newspapers expand the curriculum with an unlimited amount of information to use as background for learning activities. Discover new ways to use the newspaper in your language arts studies, with these activities from the Newspaper Association of America.

Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds in Preschool and Kindergarten

By: Cheryl K. Iannucci (2007)

Research has demonstrated that the most effective read-alouds are those where children are actively involved asking and answering questions and making predictions, rather than passively listening. This article describes in detail a technique for a three-step interactive read-aloud using sophisticated storybooks.

An Introduction to Letter Writing

By: My Child magazine (2007)

Letter writing can be fun, help children learn to compose written text, and provide handwriting practice — and letters are valuable keepsakes. This guide was written for England's "Write a Letter Week" and contains activities to help children ages 5–9 put pen to paper and make someone’s day with a handwritten letter.

Extending English Language Learners' Classroom Interactions Using the Response Protocol

By: Kathleen A.J. Mohr and Eric S. Mohr (2007)

Despite the need to use and develop their English-language proficiency, English-language learners (ELLs) are often quiet during classroom discussions. The Response Protocol was developed to help teachers elicit and support the oral interactions of ELL students.

Literacy-Rich Environments

By: The Access Center (2007)

The literacy-rich environment emphasizes the importance of speaking, reading, and writing in the learning of all students. This involves the selection of materials that will facilitate language and literacy opportunities; reflection and thought regarding classroom design; and intentional instruction and facilitation by teachers and staff.

How to Help Your Students Write Well: An Interview with Steve Graham

By: Dale S. Brown (2007)

Three research based practices help students with learning disabilities improve their writing. Read this interview with Steve Graham, author of Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School who explains how you can help your students succeed in communicating through the written word.

Screening, Diagnosing, and Progress Monitoring for Fluency: The Details

By: Jan Hasbrouck (2006)

Screening, diagnosing, and progress monitoring are essential to making sure that all students become fluent readers — and the words-correct per-minute (WCPM) procedure can work for all three. Here's how teachers can use it to make well-informed and timely decisions about the instructional needs of their students.

Knowledge in the Classroom

By: Daniel T. Willingham (2006)

Learning happens when we connect new information to what we already know. When children have limited knowledge about the world, they have a smaller capacity to learn more about it. Here are four ways teachers can build content knowledge that will expand the opportunity for students to forge new connections — and make them better independent readers and learners.

Story Skeletons: Teaching Plot Structure with Picture Books

By: Shutta Crum (2006)

Use picture books to teach young writers how to organize plot logically. This article includes examples of basic plot structures, along with picture books that use those structures.

Teaching Vocabulary

By: Linda Diamond and Linda Gutlohn (2006)

Consider some excellent lesson models for teaching vocabulary, explaining idioms, fostering word consciousness, instruction for English Language Learners, and mnemonic strategies.

Using Assistive Technology to Support Writing

By: Center for Implementing Technology in Education (2006)

In this article, CITEd examines how technology can support students' writing skills, including such tools as text-to-speech engines, word prediction software, speech recognition software, and larger keyboards.

How Spelling Supports Reading

By: Louisa Moats (2006)

Many young readers are puzzled by the rules and exceptions of spelling. Research has shown, however, that learning to spell and learning to read rely on much of the same underlying knowledge. Read this article to learn more about the relationships between letters and sounds and how a proper understanding of spelling mechanics can lead to improved reading.

Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: Seven Steps for Teachers

By: Joanne Meier and Karen Freck (2005)

Children come to our classrooms from so many different ability levels and backgrounds. As a teacher, it's important to recognize and know what to do to help a struggling reader.