A great way for students to think about and organize what they are reading is to make a bubble map showing the main topics of the chapter and then listing linking information that belongs to each category as they find it in the text. I like to have kids use either Inspiration or my favorite, free, bubble making tool from  http://bubbl.us/ to have students build a relationship grid. Students put the topic in the center with linking bubbles for the sub-topics. As they find facts and information that relate to the sub-topics, they can either create additional linking bubbles or just put the key information under the topic heading. Students can quickly and easily see the relationships and linking information. Here is a sample grid that could be used on the topic of different animals. Students would create a different graph for each animal studied so that they could easily compare and contrast key features and traits. 

Content Relationship Graph

I wanted to share with you some information that you might find helpful for getting some free books for your classroom or school library. Here is the information from their site:

The Literacy Empowerment Foundation (LEF) is inviting school or other literacy projects to apply for free books for Read Across America Day. During the past year, LEF has distributed over 3,000,000 books to schools all across the country for Read Across America Day and other literacy projects. Resources are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware that there is a $.68 per book fee for shipping and handling on all orders. Orders must be received by Feb. 12th, 2010.

Contact:   http://www.lefbooks.org/reading_resource_project/

Please note that I am not affiliated with this group in any way and that I am simply passing this resource along as a courtesy to my readers.

Here is a great way to help children practice segmenting and blending in a fun way. Give students a stretchable item such as silly putty or a slinky. Give them a word to “stretch out” into it’s segmented parts. As they stretch out the word slowly, tell them to stretch the item they are holding. Then, as they blend the word back into it’s more condensed “short form,” tell students to snap the item back together as they say the word fast. Students can also practice by stretching their hands wide apart and then bringing them together in a clap for blending the word back together. These are fun as well as visual reminders of how to stretch words into their appropriate word parts and then “snap” them back together.

In our diverse culture, students bring their own culture to the reading experience. We can help students better understand the characters in the fiction they are reading by asking them to consider the perspectives a character might have rather than looking at the issues or problems from their own background or cultural perspective. Some questions we can ask that can help guide students in their thinking are the following:

1) Would you have felt like that if (event) happened to you?

2) How might you have felt (reacted) in that situation?

3) How is (character) different from you?

4) Since (character) is different in this way, how do you think s/he might have felt in this situation?

5)  What clues in the story tell you how s/he might have been feeling?

This type of discussion helps students focus more on why something happened and also helps them learn to identify a different perspective from their own. This may also help students better accept different perspectives and reactions in their own world.

If you are looking for ways to motivate children to improve their writing and thinking skills, consider having students produce digital stories. A digital story is a multi-media text consisting of pictures and video clips embedded in a document like a Power Point that is enhanced by a narrated soundtrack that tells the story. According to the research of Burn and Reed (1999) digital story telling can be a great motivator for even the most reluctant of reader. Digital story telling can be used for presenting both fiction as well as non-fiction text on a topic of interest in the content classroom. Digital story telling helps students organize their thinking, have a purpose for writing, and develops pride and self-confidence as the completed work is shared with other students. Digital story telling can be done either in groups or by individuals and even the most reluctant reader and writer will be motivated to complete a digital story project.