Creating Independent Readers in your Middle School Classroom

Creating Independent Readers in Your Middle School Classroom

A comprehensive 95-page teaching resource designed to instill a love for reading and literature in middle school-aged students, particularly those from grades 7 to 9 focusing on Language Arts. Grounded firmly in the principles of comprehension, pre-reading strategies, literature, and writing techniques.

Resource Structure

The resource is structured into five main sections addressing different aspects of the reading journey:

1. The first part delves into understanding personal reading habits and engaging with active strategies through exercises associated with a poem by Thomas Lux.
2. The second section where it lays out adaptable guidelines to set effective reading requirements for pupils.
3. The third segment discusses how pupils can hold themselves accountable by utilizing handouts that sketch goals for each academic term along with reflections on outcomes achieved.
4. In part four, learning about summary writing is simplified ingeniously as students engage with chart completion exercises and group activities revolving around short stories.
5. The fifth segment forms the backbone of this entire journey nurturing metacognitive skills within learners – they learn how to interpret their thoughts while engaged actively in absorbing written content.

Crafting Each Unit

Each unit incorporates meticulous lesson plans adhering to Common Core Standards making them easy-to-deliver lesson packages. With clearly defined objectives included for every lesson activity and abundant student examples provided throughout its entirety enables hands-on learning opportunities adequately grounded!

A Promise To Aid Educators

This finely crafted curriculum is an outstanding choice as it promises to aid educators in infusing enthusiasm for reading and cherishing literature within their students, ultimately aiding them in making informed learning decisions and tracking their progress effectively!

1 Word document with 95 ready-to-print pages

Part 1 Resources: Detailed lesson plans for each component; Reading Survey; Personal Reading History Chart; Link to the Text of the Poem: “The Voice You Hear When You Read Silently,” by Thomas Lux; Link to Thomas Lux reading his poem; Sample Student Quickwrites on What They Do When They are Reading; Seven Active Reading Strategies Poster/Handout

Part 2 Resources: Reading Requirements Overview; Student Handout on Independent Reading Requirements

Part 3 Resources: Book Browse Lesson Plan: Book Browse Handout; Lesson Plan on how to Teach students how to Log; Trimester 1 Reflection on Reading and Goal Setting; Trimester 2 Reflection on Trimester 1 Goals and Goal setting for Trimester 2; Trimester 3 Reflection on Trimester 2 Goals and Goals Setting for Trimester 3; Final Reflection on the whole year’s Goals and Accomplishments; Sample Reflections

Part 4 Resources: Lesson Plan: Noticing and Wonderings (Evidence and Interpretation) Chart); Criteria for Writing a Summary; Different Ways to Begin a Summary; 5 W and H Chart for Writing a Summary; Sample Charts for “Thank You Ma’am” and “Charles” and Summaries for Each; Narrative Summary Writing Rubric; Chris Van Allsburg Summary Writing Group Activity; Collaboration Chart (Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like); Summary Writing Tips for Independent Readers

Part 5 Resources: Lesson Plan: Teach Students Reading Strategies and to Talk to the Text; Student Example: Metacognitive Chart for “Raymond’s Run”; More Student Examples; Student Example of a Complete Metacognitive Log (Summary, Response, Reflection on Reading Strategies); Sample Student Reflections on Active Reading Strategies; Tips for the Teacher; Seven Active Reading Strategies; Ideas for Writing Responses; Bookmark for Ideas for Writing Responses; Practice Metacognitive Logs:; Reading and Response Practice Metacognitive Log #1; Practice Metacognitive Log #2; Practice Metacognitive Log #3; Reading Response Rubric

Part 6 Resources: Tips to create an amazing classroom library, how to organize it without taxing yourself too much, and how to make it accessible to the students; Tips to make your library accessible for all; Checking out and Returning Books; Book Displays