Teaching Literacy In Third Grade

The third-grade classroom is a beehive of activity, in which young readers transition between emergent and more advanced levels of literacy. This expertly written guide brings to life the rewards and challenges of teaching third graders and helps teachers differentiate instruction for diverse learners. Vividly portraying a week in a highly motivating classroom, the authors present easy-to-use ideas and activities for building fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and more. Illustrations, reproducibles, grade-specific resources, and planning tips will make this handy book a boon to third-grade teachers every day of the year.

While most children learn to read fairly well, there remain many young Americans whose futures are imperiled because they do not read well enough to meet the demands of our competitive, technology-driven society. This book explores the problem within the context of social, historical, cultural, and biological factors. Recommendations address the identification of groups of children at risk, effective instruction for the preschool and early grades, effective approaches to dialects and bilingualism, the importance of these findings for the professional development of teachers, and gaps that remain in our understanding of how children learn to read. Implications for parents, teachers, schools, communities, the media, and government at all levels are discussed. The book examines the epidemiology of reading problems and introduces the concepts used by experts in the field. In a clear and readable narrative, word identification, comprehension, and other processes in normal reading development are discussed. Against the background of normal progress, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children examines factors that put children at risk of poor reading. It explores in detail how literacy can be fostered from birth through kindergarten and the primary grades, including evaluation of philosophies, systems, and materials commonly used to teach reading.

On the first day back to school from summer vacation, John is the new kid. When the librarian asks him if the school is any different from his last one, he begins a wildly imaginative story about what it was like. What follows are hilarious scenarios—his old school bus was a safari jeep pulled by wild creatures, the school was a castle, and the lunch menu included worms! His imagination wins him the attention and awe of his librarian and peers, setting the tone for a compelling story about conquering the fears of being a new kid, as well as the first-day jitters that many children experience. Albert Lorenz’s over-the-top illustrations, reminiscent of the work of MAD magazine’s early artists, bring the story to life. Speech bubbles and side panels make reference to and define objects in the art (in the most humorous and irreverent way).

From fairy tales to five-paragraph essays, Kumon Writing Workbooks offer a complete program to improve the development and organization of ideas and expand vocabulary. Our fun and innovative exercises inspire creativity and the desire to write.

"High-quality literacy instruction is necessary for all learners, and building a solid literacy foundation is of paramount importance during the elementary grades. Part of the Every Teacher Is a Literacy Teacher series edited by Mark Onuscheck and Jeanne Spiller, Reading and Writing Instruction for Second- and Third-Grade Classrooms in a PLC at Work outlines how collaborative teams in professional learning communities (PLCs) support and encourage the literacy development of all students. Authors Sarah Gord and Kathryn E. Sheridan provide second- and third-grade teachers tools and strategies for designing standards-aligned instruction, assessments, extensions, and interventions. By reading this book, teachers will address specific literacy challenges and situations found within their grade band and explore methods to collaboratively provide a guaranteed and viable curriculum for every student"--

Fully prepare students to begin the pivotal transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Written for individual teachers and collaborative teams, this resource outlines how to craft instruction to ensure every learner masters literacy expectations in second and third grade. Readers will gain a wealth of strategies and practices for designing standards-aligned instruction, developing quality assessment, providing timely interventions, and more. Use this resource to address specific literacy challenges found within the second- and third-grade band: Understand the role professional learning communities (PLCs) play in literacy development. Learn how teams of teachers can maximize their collective strengths to make profound impacts on student literacy and reading comprehension. Obtain instructional strategies and tools, such as the pre-unit protocol (PREP), for unpacking and clarifying literacy standards. Observe how to collaboratively score quality assessments as a team and conduct effective data inquiry and analysis. Study the powerful impact literacy has on student engagement and inclusivity in grades two and three. Contents: Introduction: Every Teacher Is a Literacy Teacher Chapter 1: Establish Clarity About Student Learning Expectations Chapter 2: Examine Assessment Options for Literacy Chapter 3: Create a Learning Progression to Guide Instruction and Assessment Chapter 4: Develop Collective Understanding of Learning Expectations Chapter 5: Respond to Data to Ensure All Students Learn Chapter 6: Differentiate Instruction With Gradual Release of Responsibility Chapter 7: Plan High-Quality Literacy Instruction Chapter 8: Select Appropriate Instructional Strategies Chapter 9: Consider Equity in Literacy Epilogue Appendix A: List of Figures and Tables Appendix B: Templates and Tools Appendix C: Process for Prioritizing Standards Appendix D: Essential Understandings and Guiding Questions References and Resources Index