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4 Reading Comprehension Strategies of CSR: Preview, Click & Clunk, Get the Gist, and Wrap up. Adaptable for any grade level.
Common Core State StandardsContent AreasEnglish Language Arts Reading (ELAR)HistoryReadingScienceSocial StudiesTEKS

The Four Reading Comprehension Strategies of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

What is CSR?

CSR is a cooperative learning approach that can be used in any grade level and with students of varied reading levels and abilities. It’s meant to primarily boost reading comprehension when it comes to expository and nonfiction texts, like for science and social studies. However, it can be used for narrative texts as well. CSR is an evidence-based approach where students work through the text together in small groups using four reading comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading:

  1. Preview (before reading)
  2. Click and Clunk (during reading)
  3. Get the Gist (during reading)
  4. Wrap It Up (after reading)
Explanations of 4 Reading Strategies of CSR from IRIS Center
Screenshot by the author: The Iris Center, Overview of the CSR Reading Strategies

Getting Started with CSR

It’s important to note that before students begin using the CSR process in a group, they will need to learn and practice the four strategies on their own. Using a Gradual Release of Responsibility approach, you can introduce each reading comprehension strategy in a separate mini-lesson, modeling it for the class. Then, students can practice the strategy with a partner or in a small group. Once they’ve got the strategy with guided support, they can begin to practice it on their own until they are ready to use the strategy cooperatively.

Materials Needed for CSR:

  • Learning Log: A graphic organizer where students make notes throughout the process.
  • Cue Cards: Prompts for the different roles in the groups to use.
  • Clunk Cards: Four “fix-up” strategies for students to use if they reach a roadblock.
  • Timer (optional)

Here are some great free CSR materials, complete with cue cards, clunk cards, and a learning log, available for download from IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University. Also, they provide role cards with explanations for each student’s role in the group.

IRIS Center Leader Cue Card for CSR tasks
Screenshot by the author: Example Leader Cue Cards from IRIS Center’s Free Materials for CSR

Student Roles:

Each group member is given a specific role, so all students in the group are responsible for a task. Potential student roles (depending on group sizes) are:

  • Leader
  • Gist Expert
  • Announcer
  • Timekeeper
  • Clunk Expert
  • Encourager
  • Reporter

Let’s take a more in-depth look at the four reading comprehension strategies that make up this approach!

The Four Reading Comprehension Strategies

1. Preview

Preview section of the CSR Learning Log
Example Preview section of the CSR Learning Log created by the author (provided at the end of the article).

During the text preview, students work together for a short period to look at important text features like headings, subheadings, bolded words, charts, graphs, images, etc. The purpose of the preview is to activate students’ prior knowledge and get them to ask questions, make predictions, and boost their curiosity on the topic. During this time, the teacher can walk around and ask each group about their observations, predictions, and questions regarding the text. Helpful prompts for students (that can be included in a learning log graphic organizer) might be:

  • What knowledge do you already have on this topic?
  • What do you expect or hope to learn?
  • What questions do you have on this topic?

IRIS Center suggests giving students 12 minutes for this reading comprehension strategy. Once they’ve shared with the group and completed the “Preview” section of the learning log, it’s time to share with the class.

2. Click and Clunk

CSR Clunks & Gists Strategy - Learning Log
Example Clunks and Gists section of the CSR Learning Log created by the author (provided at the end of the article).

During this part of CSR, students begin reading a section of the text and monitoring their comprehension. This means students are using metacognition (thinking about thinking) to check their understanding as they move through the text. “Clicks” are parts of the text that the readers understand. “Clunks” are aspects of the text that readers find to be roadblocks to understanding, like unknown words or concepts.

Monitoring comprehension builds confidence and independence when it comes to reading. Working on this in a group can push students who may not usually stop to explore “clunks” to do so, resulting in increased reading comprehension. After reading a pre-determined section (a paragraph, a few paragraphs, or a page, for example), the students go over clicks and clunks. After identifying the “clunks”, the Clunk Expert can guide the group in the following reading comprehension strategies:

  • Reread the sentence with the clunk and look for key ideas to help you figure out the word. Think about what makes sense.
  • Reread the sentences before and after the clunk, looking for clues.
  • Look for a prefix, root word, or suffix that might help.
  • Break the word apart and look for smaller words that you know.
“Toward a Humanistic Instruction: Collaborative Strategic Reading Approach and EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension”

3. Get the Gist

After previewing the text, identifying clicks and clunks, and working through clunks, students begin to identify the main ideas of the predetermined sections of text together to demonstrate reading comprehension. This is a summarizing activity that gets students to restate what they read in their own words (IRIS Center suggests 10 or fewer words) without getting too detailed. CALIReads suggests students follow three steps:

  1. Name the who or the what.
  2. Tell the most important thing about the who or the what.
  3. Say it in about 10 words.

Get the Gist is a great retelling reading comprehension strategy that allows students to recall important information from the text and summarize it, which solidifies their learning.

4. Wrap Up

Wrap Up section of the CSR Learning Log
Example Wrap Up section of the CSR Learning Log created by the author (provided at the end of the article).

In this final step, students work with their group to come up with questions and correlating answers about the reading. They can think about “who, what, where, when, why, and how,” and they can speculate as to what questions a teacher might ask about the text. If needed, question stems can help prompt students to form deeper questions. After noting questions in their learning logs, they share them with their group and answer the questions together, writing down and reviewing what they learned.

CSR Learning Log Editable Template
Created by the author: Access the editable template.

This cooperative learning approach to content-based reading can boost comprehension of everything from textbook chapters to nonfiction articles and more. Can you picture using CSR in your classroom? If you introduce these strategies to your students, let us know how it goes! We’d love to hear about your results.

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Digital LiteracyReading

Going Beyond Digital Literacy: Fostering Readers as Learners

by Kristine Seale
written by Kristine Seale

Open your favorite website (maybe you are already on it!). What do you notice on the page? What percentage is text, pictures, videos, ads, or links? Chances are the sites you typically frequent do not feature endless pages of information. You are far more likely to encounter sites that rely heavily on visuals, audio, and graphics to convey information. Maryanne Wolf, author and brain researcher, says, “young readers have to develop a bi-literate brain – learning the needed skills and dispositions for paper and digital reading in tandem – much in the way children who are raised to speak two languages develop their skills.” So what kind of skills do students need to develop good reading behaviors across print and digital media? Let’s explore how we can foster readers as learners.

Why Is Digital Literacy Important?

In today’s digital society, information has become more widespread and easily accessible, which means our students have more knowledge at their fingertips than any other generation in history. Consequently, educators must shift into the role of “facilitator” to empower students to take ownership of their own development as readers and learners. Literacy in our digital world means students must learn to evaluate ALL the information they encounter to make sense of the world. Fostering readers as learners means ensuring students understand that reading skills are life skills. As educators, we must leverage resources so students develop the ability to learn whatever they want to learn in a variety of digital and print formats and platforms.

How to Promote Literacy Success Across the Board

However, fostering readers will not happen if educators never help students make connections beyond a short block of reading time. Let’s take a look at several ways we can help students develop and hone the thinking skills they need to be successful across all settings, platforms, and genres. 

1. Leverage the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework for the development of cognitive strategies that support all learners.

Colorful graphic explaining the process of building student independence through gradual release of responsibility.

The Gradual Release of Responsibility model works well to support building thinking skills in students no matter the format of the information. It helps move them toward independence, both when teaching strategies and teaching content. Our interactions with students change because the explicit teaching point will be different the first time you teach a skill compared to the third or fourth. As our students take on more of the responsibility of using the skills and strategies, they are also able to take on a higher level of thinking work.

When this model is employed effectively, all students, even those who may be otherwise missing background knowledge, are able to build and draw upon the necessary schema to make learning possible. This, in turn, facilitates the development of deeper cognitive thinking. Students who are comfortable using cognitive strategies are more flexible, strategic, and productive in their learning processes because they are learning how to think critically. They are doing more than learning material; they are learning HOW to learn. 

Pink and yellow graphic outlining three cognitive strategies to promote literacy and deep learning.

2. Leverage blended learning to support small group literacy instruction and conferring.

The less time we spend talking, the more time we have to work with students. Blended learning bridges the gap and helps keep all students focused, even when they aren’t with you. The station rotation model, in particular, works well at the elementary level to allow the teacher to differentiate based on diverse student needs. This includes choosing a form of Personalized Learning that fits, when appropriate. We want to stick closely to our literacy instructional strategies that work and use them to leverage the time we have effectively and efficiently. 

Colorful graphic with ideas for literacy station rotations that are offline, collaborative, online, and lead by the teacher.

3. Explicitly teach reading comprehension strategies to promote the transfer of literacy skills.

The goal is for comprehension strategies to become internalized and automatic, naturally occurring to synthesize information without the conscious thought of the reader. We also have to teach that these literacy skills transfer across subjects, genres, and platforms. The skills that you use to understand how a character is feeling are the same skills you might use to understand the motivations of important people throughout history. This is true if you read about them in texts or learn about them through other forms of multimedia. 

Circular graphic outlining goals, skills, and strategies for planning literacy skills.

In addition to this explicit instruction, it’s also vital to provide students with opportunities to respond to texts and other types of media and to choose response types and tools that work across the curriculum. Canva, Flip, Seesaw, and Book Creator are all examples of tools that can be taught once and then used in a variety of ways throughout the year for students to demonstrate evidence of their learning. They can be used with strategies like these: 

Five strategies to promote literacy and make learning visible.

4. Teach and model with a variety of media and text formats. 

In our world today, we have access to information on such a large scale. Not only do we have more information to evaluate, summarize, and synthesize; but we also have more ways that information is presented. Modeling and teaching with all the different types of media is crucial to student literacy and reading success. This includes honoring and acknowledging that formats like audiobooks, graphic novels, vlogs, and other less traditional media are all valid and respectable avenues for learning! 

In their book “Read the World,” Ziemke and Muhtaris include lessons that explicitly teach ways for students to “read” images, videos, graphics, and artifacts. But more importantly, we can’t just teach students how to do these things. We must model and continue to scaffold these strategies (both in print and digital) so students can transfer them into their everyday reading and thinking habits. 

What will learning look like tomorrow?

As we work to support our students in literacy and learning at high levels, we must continue to think about what learning will look like tomorrow. If students are taught not just how to read, but how to learn in our digital world, they will be empowered to reach whatever goals they choose to set for themselves. And they’ll have the skills needed to do so. When we marry our tried and true instructional practices that work with authentic opportunities and real-world connections that take learning outside of the instructional block, we can have an enormous impact on the capabilities of the students we teach every day. 

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Learning Ally logo and TCEA logo with the blog article title and a photo of books wearing headphones.
AccessibilityReading

Four Easy Steps to Accessing No-Cost Audiobooks Through Learning Ally

by Chris Buecksler
written by Chris Buecksler

According to a recent article in The Dallas Morning News, Texas students’ reading scores have lagged behind the rest of the country. Without this foundational skill, students usually struggle to understand word problems in math, grapple with historical texts, and may fail to comprehend experiments in science. This reinforces what we all know to be true – reading is the foundational skill that drives performance in all subjects. Let’s look at one proven solution that can support struggling readers: audiobooks.

How Audiobooks Benefit Students 

One way many schools in Texas have found to unlock student potential is through the use of audiobooks. This proven tool removes barriers most struggling readers have and provides access to grade-level content with ease. As students progress through school, they move to deep learning and reading. 

Hearing real people read builds oral fluency and cuts down reading time, while students improve vocabulary and comprehension. Students have the satisfaction of reading independently, which increases their self-esteem, and success in school.

What Is the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution?

The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution is a proven multi-modal reading resource for all instructional settings. Composed of human-read audiobooks, student-centric features, and a suite of teacher resources, it’s designed to help students with reading deficits become more engaged learners and achieve their academic potential. Because of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) funding for K-12 public and charter schools, every educator in the state can support their struggling readers with the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution at no out-of-pocket cost to their school or district.

The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution is easy to implement. Texas educators can get started in four easy steps:

  1. Enroll your school
  2. Set up the portal
  3. Launch audiobooks for students
  4. Monitor progress and personalize instruction

Step 1: Enroll Your School

Leveling the playing field for your struggling readers starts by enrolling your school using this form. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. School districts are required to submit one application for each individual school. You will receive an email from Learning Ally with your temporary passwords once the application is processed.

Step 2: Set Up the Portal

Once your school is enrolled, you can access the platform and begin set up. Start by determining which students are eligible. The audiobook solution is designed for students with a reading deficit who struggle with decoding, fluency and/or comprehension. Any educator (or other professional) who has experience observing students with a reading deficit, blindness or visual impairment, or physical disability can make the determination of eligibility.

Then you can determine the best way to create, update, and log in your educators and students to the Audiobook Solution. Learning Ally integrates with many single-sign on providers, including Clever, ClassLink and others to help you quickly and efficiently assign users.

Step 3: Launch Audiobooks for Students

Once students are added to the system, you can begin to add books to their bookshelf and have them start to read through the Learning Ally Audiobook App. Students can access Learning Ally on any device at your school, so you should consider strategies by device depending on your school’s technology and load the reading app on all devices.

Next, add the books students need to read and allow them to add the books they want to read to their bookshelf. Learning Ally has over 80,000 human-read audiobooks including anchor texts aligned to your curriculum and popular books for independent reading. The library also includes textbooks, study aids and primary source documents. 

Many schools in Texas use audiobooks during independent reading time and incorporate audiobooks into lesson plans during whole-class instruction, small-group instruction and to support homework.

Step 4: Monitor Progress

The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution features a reading progress indicator that helps students build strong reading habits as you monitor student reading data. This helps you understand reading targets and set goals for each student. Most students will show substantial improvements after reading 33 days (approximately 20 minutes per day) within a school year. 

Using the educator portal dashboard, you can easily view students reading, pages and minutes read, books completed and more. You can also export this data to share and customize for your school’s needs. You can also review these reports with students and parents/guardians for stronger engagement and motivation.

Getting Started with Learning Ally’s Audiobook Solution

By following these four easy steps, you can help striving readers, from grade school to high school, access grade-level content with ease. By removing the barriers to reading, your students will be able to read and learn along with their peers. Audiobooks provide a quick win for you in terms of improving the reading and literacy skills of your students. Take advantage of the TEA funding and get started with the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution at no out-of-pocket cost to your school or district. Get started today!

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Three students looking at different graphs.
MathReadingScience

Resources for Teaching Graph Making and Analysis Skills

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

How can you better develop graph and chart analytical skills with your students? One way is to have them explore and analyze graphs, then discuss what they have learned and think. Another is to create graphs. Let’s take a look at some ways you can do that.

Check out this Google Slides deck of Graphs, Correlation, and Causation. It can assist in teaching about how graphs and statistics can be used to mislead, an appropriate lesson for secondary students.

How to Teach What Graphs Mean

See the quote below for a common problem in classrooms. As a student, this quote reflects my experience with graph skills. And, from a teacher’s perspective, this is spot-on:

Last year, students frustrated me. They could graph lines and do the math. But, they didn’t understand what the graphs and equations meant.

I saw this when they couldn’t tell if answers were reasonable. They also couldn’t explain the graphs beyond the basics.

I knew I needed to get them thinking deeper about what the graphs show. That way the numbers would mean more. I wanted complex problems for them to spend more time on, doing more with fewer problems. (adapted for readability from source: Rachel at Idea Galaxy)

So, how do you teach graph skills? What graphs mean? What they represent? My answer? Focus on having students create graphs based on data they collect. Let’s take a look at some alternate approaches for analyzing graphs. Then, we will explore some digital tools for making graphs.

Teaching Students Graph Analysis Skills

There are many ways to analyze graphs that follow an approach like the one below:

  • Read the title and make predictions about the graph.
  • Read the axes and the labels and ask, “How are these related?”
  • What is the relationship in the data and how does the data change?
  • What units of measurements did the designer use?
  • Study the data values to understand how big the differences shown are

Often, graph design is poor, and this affects students’ graph analysis skills. You have to work extra hard to ask questions that engage your mind. For some students, nothing pops into their mind when they look at a graph or chart, which makes teaching graph analysis and design important for critical thinking.

Guiding Questions for Graph Analysis Skills

Finally, I always dig into my back pocket for some questions. Here are a few that pop into my mind when I’m looking at a graph for the first time. They might be helpful when teaching students graph skills.

  • What kind of graph is being used to represent data?
  • Is that graph type the right one for the data? Why or why not?
  • What colors did the graph designer use and do they mean anything?
  • Why was this data chosen to present? What makes it special?
  • What are some reasons for the differences in the data?
  • What do I need to learn or understand better to see how and why this graph is important?
  • How do I know this data is valid and reliable?
  • What’s the proof or evidence?
  • What is meant by this data?
  • What does it symbolize?
  • What does it mean for me? For others?

It never hurts to equip students with questions they can ask. Building a habit of graph analysis and design is the next step.

Resources for Analyzing Graphs and Charts

Here are some resources that provide background knowledge for graph and chart analysis:

Tools for Making Graphs

Making graphs is one of my favorite ways to get students thinking and analyzing. I have a round up of five simple graphing tools you can explore, but here are two of my favorite graphing tools to teach graph making skills.

1. Kids’ Zone Create a Graph

NCES Kid's Zone Create a Graph activity page
Screenshot by the author: National Center for Education Statistics Kids’ Zone Create a Graph

This is one of my all time favorite graph creation tools. It’s easy to use via the web and works great on Chromebooks. It’s not too complicated! I’ve used it with third grade and sixth grade students.

2. Imgflip’s Chart Maker

Imgflip's Chart Maker page showing a pie chart being created.
Screenshot by the author: imgflip Chart Maker

This graph and chart-making tool is drop-dead easy. You can make pie, donut, or bar charts via your web browser. And you can change colors.

With those two powerful tools, you will have students designing graphs in no time. But wait, what kinds of graphs could you start with? What data sets could you use for teaching graph skills?

Additional Tools for Older Students:

Make Your Own Data Sets

Want to get students to graph data? Hands-on experiences and labs are one way to do that. You want students to recognize that graphable data surrounds them.

A student building a tower using marshmallows and wooden sticks.
Jason Kasper from Harrisburg, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Homeschooler with Project via Wikimedia Commons

Here are some quick data sets and activities from various sources that can get your started with teaching graph analysis skills:

Graphs for Students to Analyze

Graphs and charts surround us. Let’s take a look at several graphs and charts you can use in the classroom.

1. Turner’s Graph of the Week (GOW)

A graph of the week activity example from Turner's Graph of the Week site.
Screenshot by Emily Horn: Turner’s Graph of the Week, 8/21 Weekend Box Office Sales in U.S.

Kelly Turner’s Graph of the Week website wants to help students become “lifelong critical and analytical thinkers.” They also hope to achieve the following:

  • Improve academic literacy
  • Develop students engaged in civics through oral discourse
  • Link mathematics to real-world situations
  • Develop students’ Habits of Mind
  • Improve written communication
  • Give students current events awareness

You will find a very long list with a variety of graphs to analyze for the current school year and in the 2013-last school year’s archive. Don’t be afraid to make your own! This is a great resource for teaching and reviewing graph analysis skills.

2. Using Graphs for Writing to Learn

This particular collection (view-only link) is available as a Google Doc of instructions (make-a-copy link). Find it via MiddleWeb‘s blog. It offers specific suggestions, such as:

  • Give the title of the graph.
  • Describe the picture/shape of graph.
  • Summarize the information given in the graph.
  • Give statistics and results included in the graph.
  • State the source of the information.
  • Give your opinion of the results.
  • Explain how the information relates to you or the world around you

Students then review a series of graphs and charts. They follow the instructions included to write about it. Then, as an extension activity, they create an infographic of their data. Great way to put graph anaylsis and making skills into practice! You can get some more ideas about infographics from these TechNotes articles.

3. Next Graphs + Charts

Next.cc's home page showing 8 activities and a gallery available.
Screenshot by Emily Horn: Next Graphs + Charts Home Page

This website encourages students to become graph graphic designers. With that goal in mind, you will find seven activities to assist you with teaching students graph design skills. A short list of the activities appears below:

  • Activity 1 – collect charts and graphs
  • Activity 2 – parts of graphs and charts
  • Activity 3 – direct a pie chart
  • Activity 4 – build a bar chart
  • Activity 5 – area graphs
  • Activity 6 – point plots
  • Activity 7 – variables
  • Activity 8 – identify and interpret

At the end, students can take a short quiz about key concepts. This is a valuable resource that provides a lot of great ideas and suggestions. The information is bite-sized, so your students won’t be overwhelmed with information.

What’s more, you will find pages of information on topics including area, coding, diagramming, grids, temperature, and more.

4. Problem-Attic

Program-Attic's home page, explaining the purpose of the site and site features.
Screenshot by Emily Horn: Problem-Attic Home Page

Looking for incredible graphs aligned to curricular concepts? Explore Problem-Attic. You get access to a question bank with 280,000 questions, and it offers many more features. One feature I like is you can search for graphs, then export quizzes to your learning management system of choice (e.g. Schoology, Canvas, Google Forms Quiz, etc.). Or you can create a slideshow with instant feedback via QR code and website.

Learn more…

5. Tuva Labs Content Library

Tuva Labs home page showing a few graphic resources.
Screenshot by author: Tuva Labs Home Page

Tuva Labs offers a rich collection of graphs and content you can use in your science class for teaching analysis skills. Their searchable content library, which includes both free and premium offerings, has rich content resources.

Some graph relevant links include the following:

AI Graph Makers

Once you’ve had a chance to work with graph reading, analysis, and design, check out these AI tools. These AI graph makers can certainly help:

Give these a shot later on when students are comfortable with their skills reading and analyzing graphs.

If you’re wanting to get up to speed on better analysis of graphs before working with your students, here is a great video for you:

Now that you have a wealth of tools, remember, it’s about getting students to analyze the graph, ask tough questions about the data the graph is based on, and why it matters.

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iPads
English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)ESL/ELLGood TeachingReadingScienceSocial Studies

TCEA Responds: Engaging ELLs with Guided Notes

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

I don’t understand guided notes. It’s like fill in the blank notes with the answers given. Are there some digital tools that can help me make guided notes? I teach emergent language learners.

-Mario

What are guided notes?

Thanks so much for your question. As you mention, guided notes appear as “fill in the blank” to students. They offer students certain information on the content and require them to fill in information during learning. And, you can pair research-based instructional strategies like these with them:

The Teacher Toolkit describes them in this way (adapted for readability):

Guided Notes are teacher-prepared handouts. They outline lectures, audiovisual presentations, or readings. The teacher leaves blank space for students to fill in key concepts, facts, etc.

Guided Notes promote active engagement during lecture or independent reading. They provide full and accurate notes for use as a study guide. Guided Notes also help students to identify the most important information covered

Let’s explore guided notes a bit more. From my perspective as an ESL teacher, they are a type of cloze activity. For fun, keep this printable document handy. You can take notes on it as you read this article!

What instructional strategy is behind guided notes?

Wondering which key instructional strategy is behind guided notes? The answer is Outlining and Summarizing, which enjoys an effect size of 0.62. The Visible Learning Meta X database describes this strategy as one that:

Involves identifying the main ideas and rendering them in one’s own words. The core skill is being able to distinguish between the main ideas and the supporting ideas.

ELLs and Guided Notes

Emerging language learners face many challenges when note-taking, among them:

  • Grammar and spelling mistakes
  • Use of abbreviations
  • Disorganization
  • Inability to connect or interpret new information to existing knowledge (source)

Teachers rely on guided notes when language learners need to:

  • Focus on vocabulary and concept comprehension, rather than grammar and structure
  • Process new information
  • Write well in the target language under the pressure of time
  • Identify main ideas and supporting details

Let’s take a closer look at this strategy you can use with your students.

Digging Into the Research

A 2020 review of guided notes instructional strategy research reveals the following salient points about guided notes and student learning.

Point #1: There are a variety of formats.

Formats include:

  • Google Docs with partially-completed outlines
  • fill-in-the-blank outlines on printed PowerPoint slides
  • Paper versions of partially completed outlines
  • Partially completed PowerPoint slides
  • Notes with metacognitive guidance

Point #2: Improve Engagement

Researchers have found that students with guided notes participated more in class and supported student achievement. Student brains are engaged when actively constructing knowledge. Guided notes promote generative learning because they enable students to “focus more of their cognitive energy on higher-order thinking and learning.” Guided notes also address potential issues with students’ imperfect note-taking strategies.

Point #3: Positively Impact Quiz Scores

Several studies show that guided notes incorporating diagrams, pictures, blanks, spaces, and tables had more impact than plain note-taking. Positive effects were shown and resulted in quizzes with 10% higher scores. What’s more, 36% more accurate notes were taken with guided notes.

Students reported that they preferred guided notes to the alternative (no notes or taking notes themselves). Students “outperformed” those without guided notes. Students with “graphic organizers outperformed students with guided notes or no notes.”

An overview of the benefits:

  • Reduces cognitive load on students
  • Increases participation since students are more likely to ask questions and participate in class discussions
  • Provides transparency as to what is important and to be assessed
  • Facilitates note-taking and study skills for students (source)

How to Create Guided Notes

A daunting aspect of creating guided notes? You have to know what you are going to be covering in a presentation. Some suggestions:

  • Create your set of complete notes.
  • Review your notes and underline/highlight key vocabulary and concepts.
  • Leave space for diagrams, concept maps, tables, and charts.
  • Replace the vocabulary and concepts with blanks for students to fill in.

Before you expect students to use guided notes in the classroom, make sure to model their use first. You can find several video tutorials and template sites for creating guided notes with Google tools. Here’s one way to do it with tables in Google Docs.

John Sowash shares his approach to creating guided notes with Google Docs:

Here’s another walkthrough from Jan Parker for Google Slides:

Engaging Learners with Guided Notes

While guided notes represent a time investment up front for you as the teacher, they also ensure you and your students know what’s valued – that is, what important information will be shared, and what will be assessed. Since writing by hand engages students’ brains, then it is a worthwhile activity. Give it a try!

Bonus: Using AI

Another fun approach you can take is to rely on Claude.ai or ChatGPT 3.5 (both free) to create your guided notes. Keep your selections for guided notes short and to the point. Claude.ai allows you to attach a file in text or PDF so you don’t have to paste the content directly into the chat box. Type up your prompt, then attach the file with your outline or content.

Sample Prompt: Create guided notes for the following text:

Double Bonus: Digital Tools

Digital Tool #1: Hot Potatoes

Check out the free, download, Hot Potatoes. It makes it easy to create a variety of activities on MS Windows computers.

Digital Tool #2: Cloze Test Online

Create a cloze passage with this free, web-based tool. You copy and paste your content in, and it allows you to create a cloze passage.

Digital Tool #3: Guided-Notes Maker

With this digital tool, the creation of blank spaces is easy. Highlight one or more words and each selection appears in a red box. Learn more about this online.

Digital Tool #4: Knowt.io

You can use Knowt to create guided notes (as well as a lot of other items). Give it a spin. Read how you can use Knowt in other ways.

Want to learn more?

Sign up now for TCEA Lunch and Learn: Outlining and Summarizing event on September 6. Outlining and Summarizing involves identifying the main ideas and rendering them in one’s own words. Come along and learn a few ways you can use these two powerful instructional strategies with students. Did you miss it? No worries, find a recording in the TCEA Community.

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Artificial IntelligenceContent AreasReading

Quickly Access Leveled Texts and Resources with Diffit

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

I recently discovered Diffit. Have you heard of it? It’s a brand new, AI-based tool for teachers that allows one to easily convert any content to all reading levels. Diffit promises to give you leveled texts and resources for any lesson for 2nd to 11th grade and higher. You also have the option of receiving the leveled text in 50 languages! Right now, Diffit is free for educators, and the company promises to keep a free version and will also offer an affordable premium version for teachers and schools.

What does Diffit do?

Once you’ve created an account through Google, you can to the following:

  1. Adapt any text or article for any reading level.
  2. Provide a summary, key vocabulary words, and questions.
  3. Modify and edit all copy to your liking.
  4. Easily copy resources or open with Google Docs.

What does Diffit generate?

To test Diffit, I typed in the topic: Mae Jemison. The website generated an adapted reading passage with seven paragraphs of leveled text. The passage included a chronological timeline of events in Jemison’s life. Paragraph topics included background, early interests, education, becoming an astronaut, and accomplishments. Besides the reading passage, the following were provided:

  • Three Sentence Summary
  • Key Vocabulary Words 
  • Multiple Choice Questions
  • Short Answer Questions
  • Open-ended Prompts

I also had the ability to edit, copy, and generate more for each section! You can check out my 2nd, 5th, and 9th grade side-by-sde comparisons here.

What about online privacy?

The FAQ’s state that Diffit will never sell your data or anyone else’s. They don’t collect student data, and they don’t market other products or services to you. And, if you have questions about privacy, you can contact them. 

How to Get Started with Diffit

It’s pretty simple. Go to https://web.diffit.me/ and:

  1. Enter a topic, term, or question, provide the link to an article, or provide any text.
  2. Choose an approximate reading level and language output.
  3. Click “Generate Resources.”

How accurate are the reading levels?

This was my first question. Just how true are the reading levels for the adapted reading passage? I used a couple of free readability websites to check the leveled texts, and the results were not consistent. For my “official test,” I used the Hemingway Editor app to test the readability levels first four paragraphs for the 2nd, 5th, and 9th grade passages.

Here are the Hemingway Editor’s results:

  • 2nd grade passage: 4th grade readability
  • 5th grade passage: 6th grade readability
  • 9th grade passage: 8th grade readability

Ideas for using Diffit in the Classroom

  • Kesey Halfen used DiffitApp to create a Taylor Swift economics lesson!
  • Incorporate current event articles to make real-world tie-ins.
  • Generate a leveled reading of the latest science/history news to add more current events
  • Create leveled readings and questions on science/history concepts to help build background knowledge for students.

If I were to “grade” Diffit, I would give this AI tool a solid A. It can save teachers a whole bunch of time by giving you instantly leveled resources for almost any topic. I tried Watergate, photosynthesis, apple pie, and the TV show “Friends”. The information was all correct. So, to channel Chandler Bing, I would say, “Could you be any happier with an AI tool for differentiation?” Follow @DiffitApp as teachers and the company are posting helpful content all the time. 

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Reading

How to Improve Reading Proficiency and Literacy Rates Across the District

by Chris Buecksler
written by Chris Buecksler

Improving literacy skills not only benefits individual students – it strengthens their overall academic performance across subject areas, which greatly impacts their future prospects. This guide aims to provide you with practical steps and strategies you can implement to foster literacy development among students and improve reading proficiency in your school or district.

Step 1: Evaluate Current Literacy Levels.

Begin by conducting an assessment of the literacy levels within your district. You have more data available than ever before. Use state and/or standardized test scores, English Language Arts grades, reading and writing proficiency ratings, and other relevant metrics for a detailed view of current literacy levels. This assessment will help identify areas that require improvement and serve as a baseline for measuring progress against enhancement efforts as you work to improve reading and literacy rates.

Step 2: Set Clear Goals and Objectives.

Establishing clear and measurable goals and objectives is the only way to guide your efforts and track progress effectively. Make sure these goals are quantifiable and align with district-wide priorities and the specific needs of your students. For example, you might aim to increase the overall reading proficiency by a certain percentage or decrease the achievement gap by a certain degree between different student groups.

Step 3: Enhance Professional Development.

Make time for professional development programs to improve instructional practices and pedagogical approaches. Lean into training sessions on evidence-based literacy strategies, differentiated instruction, assessment techniques, and effective use of technology in the classroom. Collaborate and share best practices to create a supportive learning community. Leverage workshops, coaching, and collaborative communities of practice to turn instructional strategies into action for stronger student outcomes and improved reading proficiency. 

Step 4: Develop a Coherent and Effective Curriculum.

Review your district’s current curriculum to ensure it aligns with the latest research and best practices in literacy instruction. The Science of Reading is the leading topic today – it’s vital to your students’ success that you adopt a literacy curriculum that supports all factors of Scarborough’s Reading Rope – including word recognition and language comprehension. Consider adopting a balanced literacy approach that combines explicit skills instruction, guided reading, independent reading, and writing activities. Integrate diverse texts, including fiction, non-fiction, and digital resources, to engage students and promote critical thinking. An effective way to promote guided and independent reading is through the use of human-read audiobooks, which support vocabulary building, background knowledge, literacy structures, and more. 

Step 5: Implement Early Intervention Programs.

Early intervention is critical in improving literacy outcomes and improving reading. One way to put your youngest readers on a path to success is to establish programs that target students who are most at risk or struggling with reading and writing skills. Enhance the experience with personalized support to address individual needs, and collaborate with intervention specialists, reading specialists, and other support staff to provide comprehensive support.

Step 6: Foster a Culture of Reading.

Promote a culture of reading within your schools and across the district. Encourage your teachers to create classroom libraries, organize book clubs, and facilitate read-aloud sessions. For earlier grades, invite parents, guardians, grandparents, and other volunteers to lead read-aloud sessions in class. Engage the community and establish partnerships with local libraries, community organizations, and businesses to provide students with access to a wide range of reading materials. Celebrate reading achievements through events like book fairs, author visits, and literacy-themed contests. 

Step 7: Engage Families and the Community.

Student success hinges on support at home. Involve families and the broader community in literacy initiatives to improve reading. Provide resources and workshops for parents to support their child’s literacy development at home. Organize literacy nights where families can participate in activities that promote reading and writing skills. Collaborate with community organizations to sponsor literacy events and distribute books and reading materials to students. 

Step 8: Leverage Technology.

Embrace technology as a tool to enhance literacy instruction. Get trained on utilizing educational apps, digital resources, and online reading platforms. Integrate multimedia elements into lessons to cater to diverse learning styles. Explore using virtual libraries, e-books, audiobooks, and interactive writing tools to engage students and make learning more accessible. Effective use of technology can accelerate learning, level the playing field for many struggling readers, and help improve reading.

Step 9: Monitor Progress and Adjust Strategies.

Any new project or program must be monitored, and results measured. Regularly monitor and analyze data to track progress toward your goals. Engage the “data warriors” in your schools and cross the district to help you measure results. Use formative and summative assessments to evaluate student performance and identify areas that need additional support. Adjust instructional strategies and interventions based on the insights gathered from the data. Continuously reviewing and refining your approach will help ensure ongoing improvement.

Step 10: Collaborate and Share Success Stories.

Success is more powerful when it is shared. Encourage collaboration and communication among fellow teachers. Establish professional learning communities where all educators can exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and share successful practices. Highlight and celebrate success stories of students and teachers who have made significant strides in literacy and improved reading proficiency. Make sure your district administrators and school board are aware of the success. Most importantly, take steps to replicate the success in other classes and schools across the district.

Infographic outlining 10 steps from the article for how to improve reading proficiency.
Click to download.

Literacy is the foundation for continuous learning throughout a student’s life. It enables them to engage with books, digital media, and other educational resources. Reading proficiency fosters a culture of learning, critical thinking, and intellectual growth. Lifelong learning is essential for personal development, adaptability in a rapidly changing world, and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. A proven audiobook solution developed specifically for students with reading difficulties can be the key to unlocking potential. It’s easy to implement, easy to set up, and proven to accelerate reading growth. And with the funding the Texas Education Agency has provided, there is no cost for K-12 public and charter schools in the state to offer this resource to students. Learn more today.

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Google Reading Practice screenshot
Google Tips and TricksMicrosoftReading

New Reading Tools to the Rescue from Google and Microsoft

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Google and Microsoft continue to announce exciting new tools that enhance reading. Let’s take a moment to review their contributions to improving reading skills.

Google’s Addition to Reading Tools

Read Along

You may recall that Google has been experimenting with various reading apps. In the past, you may have read about Read Along by Google: A fun reading app, which is now available as a beta product online. You cannot use it with a Google Workspace for Education account. Instead, use a personal Google account.

Kid Space

Another reading product from Google going through a transition? Google’s Rivet. This product transitioned to Google’s Kid Space. The 3,500 books available in Rivet found their way into Google’s Kid Space. Google is exploring offerings for children, and making the reading experience better.

Google Play Books

Another way Google is working to make the reading experience better? It’s improving the functionality of its Google Play Books app on Android.

Introducing Google’s Reading Practice

A new product has been announced in early June 2023: Reading Practice. It is a new feature added to Google Play Books. Targeted for early readers, it offers these enhancements (source):

  • Highlighted text. Text appears highlighted as they read out loud.
  • Play a word aloud. If a child doesn’t know how to say a word, they can tap the word to hear it.
  • Hear it by syllable. A child can also choose to hear the word syllable by syllable.
  • Listen to a sentence. And more than listening to a word by syllable or word, they can hear it used in a sentence.
  • Explain the meaning. Readers can tap to see or listen to an explanation of what the word means.
  • Mark their spot. Children can mark where they are in the text, then start forward from that point.
  • Review unfamiliar vocabulary. If a child encountered problems with a tough-to-pronounce or unfamiliar word, they can review it. Word reviews appear at the end of every page.

Having seen several different reading products, it’s clear Google wants to improve. Whether it has achieved that goal in its latest offering, you will need to decide. Although their product appears limited to Android and home use, Google is moving in the right direction. Let’s take a look at a school-friendly alternative.

Microsoft’s Reading Progress and Reading Coach

A veteran of making systematic improvements, Microsoft Teams offers two components of interest. These both work in schools. The aim of these is to provide an “inclusive learning experience.” You can hear Mike Tholfsen describe Microsoft’s offerings in the video below:

Reading Progress, says Tholfsen, assists educators in checking student reading fluency. Since teachers can do this with more frequency, he says it can help. Combining Reading Coach with Reading Progress (launched 2021) enables students to:

  • Review unfamiliar words students struggled with the most. It identifies five of those words, then presents them again.
  • Rely on text-to-speech when needed.
  • Break words into syllables.
  • Define unfamiliar words via a picture dictionary (source).

What’s more, teachers control Reading Coach and how it scaffolds students’ reading. You can see it in action via this video:

Reading Coach also appears in Immersive Reader, a popular enhancement to Microsoft 365 apps. Those apps include (or will soon) Word Online, OneNote, Teams, and Forms. Scheduled soon are more app integrations. Reading Progress and Reading Coach enhancements are not new. Yet, the constant improvement is noteworthy.

New Reading Tools to the Rescue

These updated or enhanced reading tools provide much needed support to early readers. Be sure to explore these on your device and in your ecosystem (e.g. Google Android/Web or Microsoft) of choice.

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Content AreasEnglish Language Arts Reading (ELAR)ReadingRoboticsScienceSocial Studies

How to Integrate Robotics into Elementary Content Areas

by Laura Mackay
written by Laura Mackay

Are you looking for a way to engage your students with content? Tired of the same old routines? Think about integrating touch-based robots into your curriculum. Most teachers, when they hear the word “robotics,” immediately think, “Nope. Not me.” or “I have no clue.” Coding a robot can seem daunting! That was our first thought when we were asked to integrate robotics into the regular curriculum. Luckily, kids have no problem trying something new! Here are some simple ideas for you to try as first steps to integrating robotics into content area instruction. 

Types of Robots

First, there are so many different types of robots! Some are simple, like Bee-Bots, Code and Go Mouse, or VEX 123. With these types of robots, you simply push buttons and go. Many videos are available on YouTube to show how easy it is to program these. They help students focus on creating algorithms and learning executive functioning skills like critical thinking and problem solving. Additionally, you’ll see that the mats used with these robots can be very versatile! You can easily adapt them for whatever skill you want students to practice – from phonics to addition and subtraction.

Getting Started with Robots

Our first lesson is simply setting a structure and having students learn to program the robot and use the mat. We have them write their algorithm on a whiteboard or a planning guide, program the robot, press start, and see what happens. The key is classroom management. Set a structure of making students think and plan before touching the robot. This engages critical thinking. Once students have the planning and programming down, you’re ready to go. And they catch on very quickly!

Two photos of students using the VEX 123 robot for content practice
Notice students have a map to plan their algorithm before programming the robot. We are using the VEX 123 robot in these pictures with a plastic mat. You can also make your own mat with a poster printer or out of paper.

Many teachers will say they do not have time to teach the regular curriculum, much less to play with robots. The key is to incorporate both into lessons! I’m going to share some types of lessons we’ve had success with in my district. Most are done in the classroom, but some are in the library’s Makerspace. We are still in the pilot phase of integrating content and robotics, but hopefully, some of these ideas can work for you.   

Example Activity Using Robots in Math

In math stations, students practice a variety of skills. Why not add robots? One favorite activity is rolling the dice and practicing addition, subtraction, and coding robots with One More, One Less, or Two More, Two Less. This lesson can be differentiated based on students’ personalized learning needs. 

How to Play:

Two photos of students using the VEX 123 robot for math practice
  • First, students place the robot on the number 1 or a designated “Go” or “Start” square on the mat.
  • Students roll the dice. You can differentiate by using different types of dice or rolling more than one to make it more challenging.
  • Write down the number rolled (for example, 6).
  • Do the appropriate math (for example, if you’re playing Two More, you add 2: 6 + 2 = 8).
  • Find the number from the answer (8) on the mat.
  • Write out the algorithm for coding the robot to go from where it is on the mat, to the number in the answer (for example, straight 2, right 2, left 1, straight 3).
  • Program the robot to go from where it is on the mat (1 or “Go”) to the number from the answer (8). Press start!

If the student programs to the wrong number, they can take another turn, or another person can take a turn programming the correct number. Notice that sometimes we make cards to tape to the robot mat and other times we simply write numbers with an Expo marker. You do not have to be too fancy! Students are happy to simply engage with the robot. Can you think of other math concepts students could practice using robots?

Robotics and English Language Arts (ELA)

There are so many content ideas for ELA. In the lower grades, the focus can be on retelling a story or telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Simply change out the content cards on the mat and students become engaged in coding the robot to retell a story. Phonics practice is also important, and it is hard to make it fun. Teachers have created lessons helping students to learn contractions, CVC words, CVCE words, different word families, and diagraphs with robots. Once students learn a concept, it is easy to change the topic to practice a new one using the mat.  

Image of Vex 123 mat used to retell a story
Heidi Danner at Ward Elementary created the ELA activity for Halloween using the VEX 123. In this activity, students practice retelling “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything,” but the idea can be used with any book. Students code the robot to move to the images in the order they appear in the book and retell the story as they go.
Image of students using the Bee-Bot robot for sight word practice
Here, the Bee-Bot mat is used with students practicing sight words.

Science Review with Robots 

Science started easy with students coding the robot to a picture that showed either a living or non-living thing. After teachers saw the engagement level with the students, they created a “Four Seasons” mat to review what type of clothing and weather goes with each season. Third graders practiced reviewing solids, liquids, and gases. Fifth grade students in Texas take the Science STAAR assessment, and teachers wanted a fun way to review material. Amanda Hughes at Ed White E-STEM created a Water Cycle mat with question stems to review important vocabulary and knowledge. The sky really is the limit to what you can practice!

Science challenge cards for robotics activity
Here are example challenge cards for the living a non-living activity.
Example science activity robotics mat for practicing solid, liquid, and gas
Here you see a printed mat with a practice review activity for solid, liquid, and gas.
Science challenge cards for the solids liquids and gases robotics activity
These challenge cards were used for the solid, liquid, and gas activity.

Using Robotics in Social Studies

Developing lessons in social studies has been fun for teachers. For one activity, we had students identify the continents. Images of the continents were placed on a mat, and students were tasked with locating a continent and coding the robot to move to it. In the first iteration of the lesson, we had the image of the continent labeled with its written name on the mat. The students simply had to match the card and code. To make it harder, we then used images of continents without their names. The students drew a continent card, found the continent on the mat, and then coded.

Image of students identifying continents using the VEX GO
Students are identifying the continents using the VEX GO.

The same structure works with a variety of topics. You could code the robot to important mountain ranges in Texas. Or code the robot to important cities or places in the United States. Upper grades had students design their own content-based robotics games about important places in the American Revolution. 

Robotics is an engaging and fun way for students to learn the core content curriculum. Hopefully, a few of these ideas will inspire you to try something on your own! 

Don’t miss Laura Mackay at TCEA’s Elementary Technology Conference in Galveston, Texas! She’ll be presenting two sessions: “Integrating Scratch Coding and Core Curriculum” and “Robotics for Littles – Using VEX 123.” Only a few days left to register!

Sign Up Today!

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Content AreasGood TeachingReading

How to Encourage Summer Reading

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

Encouraging students to read over the summer is a great way to maintain and improve their reading skills. It can also help foster a lifelong love of reading. Summer is the perfect time for students to choose books they enjoy reading without worrying about assignments and grades. Let’s look at some ways to get students to read over the summer.

Communicate with Families

Communicate with families about how they can encourage their children to read over the summer. Give them resources such as summer reading lists, like this one from Common Sense Media, that will help their children be successful. Make sure families are aware of different ways they can access books throughout the summer.

In addition, give them tips on how to include the entire family in reading initiatives. For example, setting aside time for the family to sit down and read together or choosing audiobooks to listen to in the car.

Create a Summer Reading List Together

Work with your students to create a reading list that includes a variety of genres and reading levels. Allow students to choose books that interest them and fit their reading level. You can also create book clubs or reading groups to encourage discussions and share thoughts about the books.

Provide Reading Incentives

Provide incentives for students who read over the summer. This could be a certificate or reward for reading a certain number of books. You could also enter their name into a raffle for a prize. Make it fun and engaging so that students are motivated to read.

Connect Reading to Summer Activities

Encourage students to read books related to summer activities that might do. For example, if a student is going to the beach, suggest books about the ocean or marine life. If a student is interested in sports, suggest books about athletes or sports history.

Provide Online Read Aloud Resources

Everyone loves read alouds. They help build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Check out these free QR Code Read Aloud Cards in both English and Spanish. In addition, have students explore online reading sites like Epic, Storyline Online, and One More Story.

Host a Summer Reading Challenge

Set a reading goal for your students and create a chart to track their progress. You can make it a class-wide challenge or compete in small groups. You could also allow your students to track their reading progress by completing a reading bingo card or filling out a digital form. Make it fun and exciting by adding prizes or rewards for reaching milestones.

Partner with Local Libraries

Encourage students to visit their local public library. Send home information about the library’s summer hours and location. Include directions on how to obtain a library card and, if public transportation is available to the library, include this information as well. In addition, many libraries have summer reading programs that your students can participate in. Send home information about any reading programs or events happening at the library.

By using these strategies, you can help encourage students to read over the summer and maintain their literacy skills while having fun.

Are you looking for ways to encourage summer reading? Explore seven tips for inspiring the summer reader in every student.
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