Creating Communities to Support Readers

A Getting-Acquainted Activity Using My Teacher's Secret Life

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=174

The first days of school are filled with excitement and uncertainty. Here, in this kindergarten lesson, is a creative way for students to become familiar with the teacher and each other. The students will listen to Stephen Krensky's My Teacher's Secret Life, discuss the content, and make predictions about what everyone does when they are away from school. This text serves as a great way to introduce new teachers and long term guest teachers as well.

Creating Class Rules: A Beginning to Creating Community

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=136

On the first days of school, students are led through a process for establishing year-long goals and needs for the classroom. These become the classroom guidelines which are used as a foundation for continuous community-building in the classroom.

Book Buddy Biographies: Intermediate and Primary Students Working Together

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=160

The success of a year-long Book Buddy program hinges on those first few encounters. As intermediate and primary students are first introduced, they have the opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level by creating personalized biographies by interviewing each other, recording responses, putting the information into book format, and illustrating their books.

A Daily DEAR Program: Drop Everything, and Read!

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=55

The teacher shouts, "Drop Everything and Read!" and students settle into their seats to read books they've selected. This independent reading program is much more than a just-sit-there-and-read experience—it's a program that helps students build the habit of lifelong reading for the love of it.

Book Clubs: Reading for Fun

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=67

Students reading on their own and just for fun? Sure! This lesson explores how small groups of students decide to meet every other day to discuss what they've read in a "just for fun" book club they've organized—and that they control.

Creating Classroom Community By Crafting Themed Poetry Collections

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=391

Back to school means new teachers, new classmates and many unanswered questions. In this lesson, students create poetry collections with a back-to-school theme of “getting to know each other.” Students write poetry with the goal of introducing themselves, helping to create a sense of classroom community, while exploring the many and varied types and forms of poetry and constructing and refining their own definitions of poetry.

Daily Book Boosts

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=64

Each day at the end of their "official" reading time, students give "Book Boosts," one-minute raves about books they've read. These "Book Boosts" are easy ways to suggest a multitude of titles to students, and they act as a way for students to have something to think about as they read.

An Exploration of Text Sets: Supporting All Readers

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=305

This lesson supports readers of a range of abilities and experience through the use of text sets. Text sets focus on one concept, and include books, Web sites, maps, pamphlets, poetry, photographs, almanacs or encyclopedias. In this lesson, students create text set collections on topics of keen interest. They will explore the texts using three reading strategies. Research strategies from your own repertoire can extend the lesson.

Developing a Definition of Reading through Analysis

in Middle School

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=11

Students will interact with a variety of different texts to uncover a broader meaning of reading.  Students will brainstorm what they will need as a reader to successfully read and understand the text given to them. The students will share findings and discuss strategies needed to read specific kinds of texts. Students will develop a working definition of reading which they will refine during the year.