C.A.F.E. and The Sisters

Charlotte, N.C. 2013

Here I am cheesing with Gail and Joan!  The Sisters of Daily Five and C.A.F.E. fame!  This conference was without a doubt, one of the best that I have ever attended.  There were educators from Nova Scotia to Texas!  It always amazes me how far we will travel to learn and grow.  Teachers are the BEST!

I loved everything about C.A.F.E.  Just like Daily Five organizes classroom managment in a balanced literacy classroom, C.A.F.E. organizes reading strategies.  You can really "get you head around" how to form instruction using assessment.  The Big Idea of C.A.F.E. is instruction!  Teachers guiding readers!

If you like C.A.F.E., you should consider the Online Pensive.  It is a reasonably priced tool that will make your life easier.

You can trust these ladies to guide you using research-based strategies that will help our kids become great readers!  

Punctuation Rap Video and Printable Words

Download Words to Song

Deep Comprehension and Freebie

Teaching For Deep Comprehension, by Linda Dorn and Carla Soffos would be a great addition to your professional library. 

Linda Dorn and Carla Soffos describe the process of comprehension as a reflection of the mind—a window into the reader's thoughts. In Teaching for Deep Comprehension, they discuss comprehension from a socio-cognitive perspective — specifically, how teachers can use the social context of reading workshop to promote deep comprehension. The book is framed around three guiding questions:

• Can comprehension be taught?
• How does a model become a barrier to comprehension?
• When does a tool become the reason for reading?

Linda and Carla mesh complex theories of comprehension with everyday practical examples in such a way as to help teachers develop a better understanding of what it means to comprehend while reading.

Using the ideas in the book, I created 7 Comprehension Task Cards to use in reading workshop.  These activites help students to use deeper comprehension skills.

Download HERE!

Teacher Appreciation Freebie

I appreciate teachers and want to show it this week by offering my Simile Fun Unit as a freebie.  You can see more great  items to use with this unit on my Presentations Page.  The unit should work well for grades 2-5.  It is very adaptable. 

If you download the unit, would you consider following my blog?   I would also love to hear from you!

Download here!