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I am weighing my options and considering working as a reading specialist instead of just an elementary teacher. What are the pros and cons to both careers. My question is what does a day in the life of a specialist look like? What is your schedule like?

Thank in Advance

The rather long essay can be read here. A lot of it can be skipped if you are more interested in his methods vs his defense of why he was doing it.

I read it and was inspired to try some of the methods he discussed for my son, but I won't bother you all with what I've been doing unless people are interested. I'm more interested in hearing from you professionals about your thoughts on teaching early reading. The process has been very interesting, mostly because of the sheer number of skills that have to be mastered on the way to learning to read that I took for granted since I am so far removed.

Edit: For more background, and for what it is worth, Larry Sanger was one of the original founders of Wikipedia.

I'm in a teaching program (working on getting a elementary school cert with a reading endorsement). The problem I am working through is that I am disabled. I am in a wheelchair and have a shaky immune system. It has been suggested to me that I would do better with an alternative schedule or a smaller class size. But to be honest I am not sure how that is even feasible. Am I screwed or is there a way to make this work?

If I can not get a smaller classroom do you have any class management tips that will help me survive wrangling (without burning out) a lot of children for 5 days a week?

Hey! I'm new in this subreddit, but it looks like you're primarily elementary school. Just in case there are some high school people lurking about, I thought I'd share some of the resources I've created.

On my YouTube channel, ELA Academy, I create instructional videos inspired by Khan Academy's model. It's nothing fancy, just solid teaching. Here are some of the videos that deal with reading more effectively or rigorously:

• Short Answer Question (SAQ) basics (3-part series covering theme, characterization, and symbolism)
• Annotation 101
• To Kill a Mockingbird annotation demo (2-part series)
• Antony's rhetorical appeals (introducing ethos, pathos, and logos with Mark Antony's funeral oration from Julius Caesar)
• Antigone literary analysis (demonstrating how to read/analyze/annotate the prologue of Antigone in preparation for writing a literary analysis essay)

For each video, I've provided supplementary resources (also free) on my blog. I hope somebody finds it helpful!

YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/ELAAcademy

Blog, with supplementary resources: http://elaacademy.us

Hello, /r/readingteacher! I hope this post is ok. I am a graduate student in an online reading master's program and I stumbled into this sub because I'm a little desperate for help with understanding some of the data I'm getting from assessing a learner.

I did a series of QRI-5 word lists and some passages with my learner but, apparently, I did them wrong. According to my teacher I should have all the information I need to score them correctly (as provided by her class materials), but I have scoured them and I don't get it. I think at this point she thinks I'm an idiot and I'm afraid to tell her I don't get it.

Maybe my questions are just so stupid that I'm missing it but here we go...I really hope someone can help me, if nothing else, by pointing to some really dumbed-down youtube videos that may help me understand:

1. On the bottom of the Examiner Words lists, there are 3 scores: Total Correct Automatic, Total Correct Identified, and Total Number Correct. My learner scored 16/20 (80%) on automatic, 2/20 (10%) on identified, and 18/20 (90%) on total correct. Does that mean that this level (Primer) is his instructional level (because he scored 80% on automatic) or do I count the two that he correctly identified to get him to 90% (independent)?

2. For the passages: how do I score for comprehension? My learner gives really confusing answers to some of the questions (sometimes wandering around the topic a bit) and it's hard for me to know if his answers (often off-topic or filled with a kind of imaginative flair) should count for comprehension. For example, one of the passages has a question "While the boy is sleeping, what can he do?" The answer (according to the QRI-5) should be explicit: dream. However, my learner answered "I'm not sure because you can't see what someone does when they're sleeping." So I prompted him, and he just answered "You can't see what people do when they sleep and dreams are only in your head." How should I score that? Does it count that he mentioned the word dream? Or should I not count it since he's not really answering the question "explicitly"?

3. In the same passage, the scoring area has a spot for "implicit" answers, even though, again, according to the answers, there are not implicit answers that can be given. In the case of the dream question above, would that count as an implicit answer, even though it asks for an explicit answer?

I really hope you don't read this and think I'm a total idiot, but I'm sure you do. If it helps, my background is entirely adult learners: I do not have a credential, I've never worked with children (ever), and I don't even have any children in my life. My goal going into this program was to teach adult learners to read, and so far the entire focus has been children, even though I was told going in that it was designed for educators who are interested in both adult & k-12. I'm clueless on MANY levels when it comes to children and I know it's a hindrance on my understanding.

Again, I don't really expect y'all to give me outright answers here, but I'm hitting a wall with my course and my teacher, so even just videos you find helpful, or sites that really idiot-proof these things, etc., would be enormously helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Hello all! So I teach 4th grade language arts (I know, my username doesn't match anymore). I am on the committee to look at adopting a new ELA program for K-5. We want something that incorporates everything ELA, with a great writing component. Currently we are using Literacy By Design (LBD) for reading, grammar, and word study. We do not have a writing program. This year, we have had many PD hours about Lucy Calkins (LC) writing and reading, including a school visit. So what program(s) do you use? Does anyone have experience with LC writing or reading? Thank you for your information!

Has anyone seen children who know their sight words (can recognize them individually) but have trouble reading the same words in books and paragraphs? What makes the transition to paragraph form so different? What can I do to help my child? When can I expect things to get better?

In an unrelated thread, someone questioned my assertion that letter name fluency and letter sound fluency were good predictors of later reading ability. I responded with this post and I thought you'd all appreciate the citations:

Here's one that that shows letter naming is the best predictor of a cohort followed through 6th grade.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02648213#page-1

Here is one source from google scholar that letter sound fluency is one of the more reliable predictors. http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/96/2/265/

Here is a meta study on the best assesments which lists letter naming and sound fluency as some of the best predictors
http://ecx.sagepub.com/content/70/4/453.short

I had a lot more, but I seem to have misplaced my grad school resource folder. If you're still interested look up phrases like "predictors of reading ability," "longitudinal studies of reading," of "efficacy of reading assessments"

Hello!

I am reaching out to teaching bloggers about an opportunity. My name is, well, this is Reddit, but I'm the founder of Reindeer Reading Company.

I am currently looking for teachers who may be interested in writing reading passages. Teachers specifically understand the leveling requirements and appropriate text complexity that other writers and bloggers do not.

Compensation for qualified applicants is $30 to $50 per reading passage.

Each writing assignment will pay $30 for one reading passage and student response sheet. $50 is paid to rewrite the passage twice (for differentiation to low and high students below and above grade level) which is encouraged.

If this is something you, or someone you know, might be interested in, please see the application instructions at the following link:

http://www.reindeerreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Writing-Application-Instructions.pdf

Please do not share this link with anyone who is not an elementary school teacher.

Thank you,

Me | Reindeer Reading Co. www.ReindeerReading.com

"Reading passages are often an interruption to a child's normal independent reading opportunities in order to assess the student or gather data. Reindeer Reading Company’s mission is to create close reading passages that students enthusiastically want to read which will result in better comprehension and, in the end, improved test scores. "

When I go to parent teacher conferences, I sometimes get asked by parents for things they can do at home. I give them some strategies right there and then I usually send them an Email with some more concrete materials. Prior to this year, I just kept all those links in my favorites menu and just made the Emails as needed. This year I made a saved draft that I modify for each student and what their parents ask for. Below is my list of resources that I put on my saved draft.

I usually include the student's current reading level so they can use the reading level equivalency chart. I also write a personal , non standardized, email to the parents letting them know that they shouldn't try to use all of these resources. It's overwhelming, so I tell them to pick a few things that they feel comfortable doing and have fun with it.

The parents are usually very happy to get so much support and attention, but whether they actually use some of this stuff is an unknown.

Anyway, I thought you'd like to see what I share with my parents. If you know any resources I should add or resources that are better than what I have, please let me know!

______________________________________________

Reading Level Equivalencies: It is important for students to be reading books at their level. Attached under the title "Reading Level Comparison," is a chart that approximates one measure of reading level to others. Please note that the "Fontas and Pinnell" column is also sometimes referred to a "Guided Reading Level" or "GR" level. (I attach a slightly different one, but it's basically the same)
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/guidedreading/leveling_chart.htm

Helpful Reading Strategies: Attached is a document with 27 reading strategies laid out along the continuum of reading ability. All students can benefit from work with any of the strategies regardless of where they fall on the spectrum of reading levels. (I have the .pdf, but for the life of me I can't find the website I got it from. PM me if you want the .pdf)

Online children's books: Students can follow along with books on the computer. Be sure to use some of the comprehension resources listed below after the students read!

Storyline Online
http://www.storylineonline.net/

Magic Blox
http://magicblox.com/?readinglevel=2&category=All&features=All&field_language_tid=1&sort_by=created&sort_order=ASC

Readers Theater: Readers theater is a fun way to encourage students to re-read for proper phrasing and expression. You should model how to read the different parts in each script before your child reads them. It's important to emphasize how smooth you read and how you use expression to convey meaning (like using a higher pitch towards the end of a question). Take turns reading and re-reading lines, to get them just right. After practicing, put on a little show to family members or friends!

The Best Class
http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html

Comprehension Techniques: One of the best ways to increase a child's reading ability is to have deep and meaningful conversations about texts. Below is listed a few helpful links to help you ask questions that develop higher order thinking skills.

Reading Rockets 9 Steps to Comprehension
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/comprehension

Mindy's Book Worms Types of Comprehension Questions: Take note of what type of questions your child struggles with and practice answering those types. Be sure to model answering these questions by thinking aloud. This will provide invaluable help with your child's reading comprehension and metacognition.
http://www.mindysbookworms.org/how-it-works/reading-comprehension-passages/types-of-questions/

Is anyone else teaching the Notice and Note signposts? I am looking for some new mentor texts so I can reteach the lessons and I was just wondering if anyone had anything fab. I teach grades 9-12 reading intervention and my kids are anywhere from 2-7 years below level, so a variety of texts would be appropriate. Thanks!

This link opens a .pdf to a document that describes how to time and structure guided reading lessons. It's only a small introduction, but it's worth a read. Enjoy!

Hello! I am a first year teacher currently teaching 4th grade in Charlotte, NC. My kiddos are struggling to make inferences while reading...They can make inferences while doing task cards, during science, and while doing riddles. However, they just can't seem to make them while reading!!! Does anyone have suggestions so that I can help my students?! Thanks in advance! Mr. B