Many people have asked me how I use my Reading Comprehension Bundles for each month! Truly, these have taken off far more than I anticipated and boy am I excited about that! Why? Well...the fact that other teachers out there are enjoying the materials I am using too makes me really happy! It makes me feel like we are linked...almost like co-workers...across the globe! Yes, I love it!
My monthly bundles have so much flexibility, I almost hate to give a play-by-play...but, I will! Just know that the way I use them isn't how YOU have to use them. You can do anything that fits your kids, that's the beauty of teaching...it's all about the kids!
I'll use my February bundle as an example since January is on it's way out the door! lol. These bundles are lined out by weeks (four total.)
Monday: I start with the guided passage, this is an example of Week 3 which is an informational text week. The guided passage is great, it has "think about it" tags/questions on the side column for the students to be thinking about while they are reading. I use this as a model lesson with the students. We work through it together, jotting down notes, underlining important information and DISCUSSING! The discussing is so important! Then we follow up with the Open-Ended Question page, I let the students do this alone but we go over it together afterward so we can discuss our answers on a deeper level.
After the students finish the guided passage and questions, they work on the writing topic for the day. These writing topics are not surface level, they require some thinking and some detailed writing! The kids love them!
Finally, to wrap up Monday, we end with an Exit Ticket that asks them to reflect on the day's lesson! When Monday is done, I want to know that my students have been highly engaged and THINKING!
Tuesday: We begin with word work...while the students have the passage from the day before in front of them! The words for the word work are from the previous day's story, so they use this story to help with the definitions and I also encourage the students to look up the words. Word work is not quiet...the students are talking and discussing at their tables about the words. Some students are even debating! lol. Those multi-meaning words can really be a good source of debate with the kids!
After word work, the students work on the Reading Comprehension Task Card. These task cards are meant to be more open-ended then the reading passages and I encourage the students to work in partners or groups on these task cards! The students usually love the topics and enjoy the discussions! The graphic organizers allow me to see what they learned and of course, their thinking!
Then we are back at another writing topic! Why so many writing topics? Well, writing encourages thinking...and if you haven't noticed a theme here...I want them thinking...all. the. time. :)
Then we wrap up again with a different Exit Ticket. It's quick, but...they are thinking! :)
Wednesday is very similar to Monday, but the students are reading the passage completely independent and answering the questions independently. I do this because I need to see what they are thinking on their own, not just when I am prompting them. I don't do a hard and fast grade on this, but it is a great tool for assessing them!
The passage and the questions take a while, so we end again with a writing topic, great for when some students are done earlier than others. Then an Exit Ticket right before we move on!
Thursday is exactly like Tuesday, just different words, different task cards, different prompts. I worried the students might become bored with this routine...but nope. They love knowing what they are going to do...and they actually look forward to the different activities each day!
After the students are finished, they work on their Book Bingo! They love this! Students choose an activity to do on ANY book...complete the activity, color in the square, then after they get the squares filled in (I do 3 in a row) they get a prize...mine love a NO HOMEWORK Ticket! lol. The Book Bingo is very similar to my Choice Board Activities! The kids get so creative with these! I love seeing what they complete!
Keep in mind, I always, ALWAYS allow time for read alouds, and independent reading! Never neglect that!
When all else fails, I do have a lesson plan in the bundle as well!
Just a reminder though...we are all teachers, who love our kids...this bundle is meant to help you as the teacher and to help your kids! You can use it so many different ways! So just print, enjoy, and watch the kids learn! :)
Find the Bundle Here: February Reading Comprehension Bundle
I will be doing a bundle for each month! Don't miss out on my yearly membership which saves you over 50%!
And as always...
Because...we are awesome! :)
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