Basic Reading Assessments {Free and Editable}

Over the summer, I redesigned my reading inventories that I use for pinpointing reading difficulties and tracking progress throughout the year. I am happy to share them with you. They will be fully editable by you. That way you can tailor them to your specific intervention program or requirements. WARNING: Don't worry if the file looks all "wonky" in Dropbox. It will look correct when you open the file in PowerPoint.

If you missed my math post, you can read it {HERE}.

These assessments will cover the main areas where kids encounter reading difficulties: phonological awareness, phonics, sight word knowledge, and fluency. I keep track of all of this data on a cover sheet that you can grab and edit {HERE}.

First, I give a phonological awareness inventory. This one is a blend of several that I have used over the years. It has been an invaluable tool to me. I have never had a child score low on this inventory who didn't have significant issues with phonological awareness. Each word/question equals one point out of 50. You can download your own copy {HERE}.

Next, we do a quick sight word inventory. The student receives a flip book of sight words so that they are not overwhelmed by too many words at one time. I used the Dolch list, but you can edit this to use Fry's list. List 1 = preprimer, List 2 = primer, etc. I don't use a score sheet. I just keep count of errors with my fingers. When I reach five, we stop at the end of that page. If they make no errors, I record the date of mastery on their cover sheet. You can get your editable copy of the flip book {HERE}. After you download/edit, just print, cut, and bind them.

Then, I give a phonics inventory. It starts off with letter identification and goes all the way to multisyllabic words. Each section has its own page in the flip book so you can stop whenever the student has reached a point of frustration or excessive errors. During our first session, I try to do letter id through real long vowel words. The flip book pages look like the one below. It always amazes me how you can separate the sight readers from the kids who can truly decode by comparing their ability to read real v. nonsense words with the same sound patterns. You can download the student book {HERE}.

As the child reads each page, I either mark out correct responses or circle incorrect responses. They are less anxious when they hear you making a mark for everything they read. I use this inventory to pinpoint specific phonics deficits. Then, I use it to pre/post assess each skill as I teach it. You can download/edit the 3 page score sheet {HERE}. 

Lastly, we do a one minute fluency read using a passage from DIBELS. You can get the student text and the assessor's sheet for free {HERE}. 

Many thanks to Kimberly Geswein and A Perfect Blend for their amazing fonts! 

I hope that these will be helpful to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or comment below. :)

Officer Buckle and Gloria: Freebie and More

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann is one of my favorite stories. I identify with boring, rule loving Officer Buckle. I also have a soft spot in my heart for German Shepherds. When my husband was just a toddler, his life was saved by a German Shepherd named Champ. His family was visiting family at a lake house. He wandered out of the house while they were busy preparing lunch. They began searching for him everywhere. Then, they heard his little voice saying, "Move, Champ, move!" Champ was blocking him from getting into the lake and pushing him back towards the house. That precious dog refused to get out of his way!

I have a new book study for this classic story in my TPT store. You can check it out {HERE}.

If you have never heard the story of boring Officer Buckle and his charismatic dog, Gloria, you may enjoy this video narrated by the John Lithgow. 

Last, but not least, here is freebie from my book study. I hope this character analysis map will be useful to you. Grab yours {HERE}.

Sounds of C & G Freebies

My RTI sweeties are working our way through learning phonics rules and sounds. Research shows that memorizing sound patterns is one of the best ways to help struggling readers or students with dyslexia. We are about to tackle the hard and soft sounds of the letters c and g.

If these sounds are tricky for your young readers, you might want these 3 freebies. The first one is a song that I have always used for teaching the hard/soft sounds of c and g. I can't for the life of me remember where I first heard it. I have used it since my first year in the classroom. It has always been helpful! I am planning to have my students use a highlighter to look for c/g followed by e, i, or y on the word sort pages before cutting and sorting. I hope these will be useful to you, too. You can download them by clicking {HERE}.

If you need more activities for the sounds of c and g, you might like my latest TPT product. It includes a decodable reader called "Carnival Games", an assessment, a reading/spelling center, and 2 of my students' favorite style card games. One is called "Cinderella's Castle" and practices the hard and soft sounds of c. The other is called "Goldilocks in the Cottage" and practices the hard and soft sounds of g. My kiddos beg to play these games! You can check them out {HERE}.

November's Pinterest Pick 3 Linky

November gives us so many opportunities for thankfulness. On Election Day, we are reminded of our freedoms. On Veterans Day, we are thankful for those who serve or are serving in the military. On Thanksgiving, our hearts nearly burst with counted blessings. 

I am thankful for my sweet friend, Ashley from Just Reed who invited me to link up in November's Pinterest Pick 3 Linky. Here are 3 of my favorite finds for Thanksgiving! 

How stinkin' cute are these scrapbook paper turkeys?!? You could work on patterning, creativity, fine motor skills and NOT have to get out any paint. No paint (or glitter) required makes anything a winner in my book. :)

Click on image to view the original Pinterest link. 

 

These little turkey snacks were just too cute not to share! They would be cheap and easy for some parent volunteers to pull off, too! These would be fun to enjoy while you watch my #3 pick. 

Click on image to view the original Pinterest link. 

Lastly, November would not be complete without reading 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving. I absolutely adore this story. This read aloud version has background music that reminds me of a Charlie Brown cartoon. I am looking forward to seeing the new Peanuts movie this month, too. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Little Boo and Waiting

I LOVE discovering great new children's literature! These two new titles are absolutely fabulous! Let's look first at Little Boo by Stephen Wunderli. It is a the perfect tale for a unit on fall, Halloween, plants, pumpkins, or character education. Little Boo starts off as a seed who is discouraged because he isn't scary. The wind lovingly guides him on his journey into becoming a pumpkin. Little Boo learns that sometimes we have to wait for the things we want the most. 

Here is a video that will give you a quick picture walk through the book. It will give you a good preview of the text's level and the sweet illustrations. It is available in paperback from Scholastic's book clubs this fall. 

Who doesn't love EVERYTHING that Kevin Henkes writes?!?  His newest book, Waiting, is different from his other works, but it will become a classic, too. There is limited text on each page, but much of the story must be interpreted from the illustrations. It is the tale of 5 little toys who sit on a windowsill. Each one is waiting for something different to happen. None of them anticipate meeting someone new who will change the way they view waiting. I found a wonderful interview with Kevin Henkes on his latest book and how it was inspired. You can read it {HERE}.

Waiting can be so challenging for all of us! Children can find it especially challenging. I would highly recommend reading Little Boo and Waiting to the young children in your classroom or in your life. If you do, you may like this little freebie. {HERE} is a Venn diagram for comparing and contrasting these two beautiful stories.

I just added a book study for Little Boo to my Teachers pay Teachers store. It is full of activities, a nonfiction reader, and assessments related to the text. You can check it out by clicking the picture below. 

I hope that you have found a new title or two to check out soon! Happy reading! 

Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella FREEBIE

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Do you ever feel like Cinderella? I may not be covered in ashes and soot, but I do go home from school covered in ink smudges and feeling exhausted. In honor of all of the hard work you do each day, I just uploaded a new freebie to my store.

I love all of the different versions of Cinderella stories. I have activities for most of them in my fairy tale unit that's available {HERE}.   When I wrote that unit, I had never read Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella. It is absolutely delightful! You can grab a free comprehension activity for the book {HERE}.

Jan Brett's work is masterful --as always! She used many breeds of chickens in her illustrations. She even traveled to Russia to study their architecture and traditional clothing. Jan used both of those to create a marvelous authentic setting for her chickens. 

This video from Jan Brett's YouTube channel is fantastic! She will show you the live chickens that she used as models for her characters. She explains lots of interesting facts about the chickens and her trip to Russia. If you are interested, you can also have your students follow Jan through a directed drawing of Cinders. I hope you enjoy it! 

Character Education with Books by Helen Lester

Sometimes teaching character education or addressing sensitive issues can be tricky! That's why I love to incorporate literature as often as possible. Reading about a rat who is being bullied because of his speech disorder is a lot less stressful that getting lectured about being kind to others. Helen Lester is my favorite author for character education. I think of her as the Aesop for our generation. She uses animals in bad situations to teach a moral lesson that can be easily understood and applied. See? Modern day fables at their best! 

I have already written about my love for Listen Buddy and A Porcupine Named Fluffy. You can see their videos and grab some freebies by clicking on the titles above.

I also ADORE Wodney Wat. There is so much that you can do with this book! It is wonderful for those critical first days of school. Wodney cannot pronounce his r's correctly, and his classmates tease him day in and day out. Then, Camilla Capybara arrives and they are all bullied. Wodney becomes a hero when he saves everyone through a hilarious game of Simon Says. Here is a fun video read aloud of the story if you'd like to know more. 

Let's face it! In every class, there will be at LEAST one kiddo who has to be first. He or she will cut in line, take the sharpest pencil, or the grab the best seat at the lunch table whenever possible. Doing so will be a BIG source of classroom conflict. When that situation arises, reading Me First would be a great idea! Pinkerton the pig ALWAYS has to be first! So, when he hears a voice calling, "Who would care for a sandwich?" His answer is, of course, ME FIRST! However, he ends up meeting the SandWITCH who demands that he care for her until he learns his lesson. It is a funny but meaningful tale! Check it out below! 

Hurty Feelings is an awesome choice in a very TOUGH situation --- over sensitivity! We all have had sweet ones who wear their feelings on their sleeves or cry at the drop of a hat over something that others don't view as a big deal. A hippo named Fragility had the same problem! Even when the other animals are complimenting her, she misconstrues their meaning and gets offended. They start avoiding her because they are afraid that she will throw another fit. Then, Rudy the elephant shows up and gives Fragility a hard time. She learns to stand strong. Hopefully, the lesson will transfer well. The video below has blurry images, but it was created by a class who narrate the story and that makes it so sweet!


I have added three new Helen Lester comprehension scoots to my store. They are available for $1.50 each, and since TPT lifted their minimum check out requirement, you can grab them whenever you need one. They are also available in this newly added discounted bundle. You can check it out {HERE} or by click the pic below.

I hope these titles will help you navigate through some difficult situations! 

Authors in the Spotlight 3

I had such fun researching the authors in my latest update to "Authors in the Spotlight"!

Did you know that:

• Dr. Seuss was the editor who approved the publishing of Stan and Jan Berenstain's first children's book.
• Norman Bridwell originally wanted to name his dog character Tiny, but his wife disagreed and asked him to name the dog after her childhood imaginary friend, Clifford, instead.
• Beverly Cleary is still alive and living in California. She will be 100 years old next April!
• H.A. and Margret Rey were German Jews living in Paris, France when they heard that the Nazis were about to invade. They fled on makeshift bicycles. They carried only warm coats, a bit of food, and the illustrated manuscript for a book that would be published in 1941. That book was none other than Curious George. They escaped Paris only a few hours before it was overtaken! 

These fun facts and many more are in the newest version of my TPT product "Authors in the Spotlight". This set includes information on Hans Christian Andersen, Stan and Jan Berenstain, Judy Blume, Norman Bridwell, Marc Brown, Beverly Cleary, Steven Kellogg, Arnold Lobel, Robert Munsch, and H.A. & Margret Rey. 

If you have already purchased this set, go to your My Purchases Page on TPT and download the update for FREE! Click the picture above to see the full project description. 

Inferring

Inferring is a crucial skill for young readers to practice. It may also be the most challenging skills to acquire. So often when asked how a character will respond, students tell how THEY would respond. If asked about what may happen next, they tell what they WISH would happen next. If they are reading a mystery, they read right over clues as if they were reading for a timed fluency assessment. 

My RTI kids need some intensive practice with inferring. So, I wrote up with little product that gives students an opportunity to practice making the 10 main types of inferences. They will infer:

1. location
2. job/hobby
3. time
4. actions
5. objects
6. cause/effect
7. problem/solution
8. emotions/feelings
9. character traits
10. meanings of unknown words

You can check it out {HERE} or by clicking the image above.

I loved the culminating activity so much that I decided to make it a freebie in my store. Students will read iPhone texting conversations to review the 10 types of inferences. Click {HERE} or on the pic below to check out the freebie.

I went searching for a great video to share with my kiddos and you all about inferring. I went to my "go to" source for instructional videos: Almost a Third Grader. OH MY WORD! She had made a video using phone conversations to teach inferences. I was stunned! I swear this a case of two minds thinking alike! I think it would be great introduction to inferring!

Hope this is helpful to you and your students! :)

RTI Reading

"Congratulations! You will be teaching EIP next year," my school's literacy coach announced to me one random day in April three years ago. I had requested the position when I found out that our EIP teacher was moving to the elementary school. I was both overjoyed and terrified! In Georgia, EIP stands for Early Intervention Program. EIP is our main intervention for RTI. If you are interested in how our school does RTI/EIP, I recently did a grade level presentation on RTI/EIP. You are welcome to download the presentation I used. You can take a peek at it {HERE}. You can also view more of my RTI resources {HERE}.

So, once I had the job, my teacher empowering administration pretty much gave me free reign for how I wanted to run my classroom. It was both awesome and scary! I won't lie to you. It has been a series of trials and errors, but that is partially how RTI works. We try interventions, document success or failure, and change them accordingly. 

I was asked to make phonics my main focus, but I did not have many resources to choose from. The ones I had access to, I had issues with. BIG ISSUES! Take a look at these! 

I felt a little bit like Goldilocks trying to find the right decodable book.

 This one goes in the "too short" category!

This image is from a title called...."The Efficient Persian". Yes, you read that right! Doesn't that sound like the perfect book for RTI kids? I had three big issues with this text.

1. Look at the readability here. Most of the words in these two sentences are very basic sight words and then BAM you get hit with technician and Persian! 

2. The context clues are poor or just wrong. Take a look at the word controversial. The next sentence says, "Not everyone likes it." You, as a young reader, would assume that controversial = not everyone likes it. However, not everyone likes pineapples, but pineapples are not controversial, are they? 

3. Take a quick moment and peruse the purple highlighted text. Now, tell me, what phonics skill is being practiced on this page? I am a reading teacher, and it isn't obvious to me. Why would they expect it to be obvious to 7 year olds? 

I tried some scripted curriculums. I wish I had that year of my life back! I still use them for my tier 3 kids because I am required to use a research-based program with them. I needed something different, engaging, and challenging for my tier 2 kids. I finally decided to write my own decodable readers. I now have more empathy for the authors above. It is NOT easy to write an engaging text while pulling from a list of words that share a phonetic sound. 

This last week, my students began reading "Polar Bears Past Bedtime" in their classrooms. Next, they will do a non-fiction unit on polar bears. I wanted to prepare them for vocabulary that they might see. Give them some background information so that they could contribute more in class, and I needed to work on r-controlled vowels. So, I whipped up this text called "The Arctic Circle". 

I love it because..

1. While the text has some challenging words, most of it is at a similar readability level.

2. The context clues are spot on! 

3. The phonics skill is obvious. If a student reads just these two pages, he/she has decoded 38             r-controlled vowel words!

It takes us a while to get through the text. We usually read about half of the book on Tuesday. The other half on Wednesday. On Thursday, we practice fluency and expression as we reread. Then, on Friday, they take a test on what we read. I let them have the text while they take the test so that they can use their text proof strategies. They often struggle with grammar and written expression. So, I require them to answer 10 questions in a complete sentence. 

If you would like a copy of the book and this text, click {HERE} to download your freebie. (When you make copies, just copy pages 1/2, 3/4, and 5/6 front to back. Then, stack them in order, fold, and staple.)

We also play some games. This one is called Working the Farm. Students had to decode the word to keep the card. If they missed it, the next student gets a chance at it. There are also some fun cards to make it interesting. They BEG for these games every day! We usually play it on Monday after introducing the week's skill and on Friday when they finish their comprehension test. 

On Wednesdays, we do a segmenting/blending/spelling activity practicing the week's skill. We name the picture. We segment out each sound. As we segment, they spell the sound on their answer sheet. Then, we blend it when we have it spelled correctly. 

I have posted most of these units to my store, and I am writing more all of the time. Feel free to stop by and check them out. How do you teach with decodable readers? 

All About Snow Giveaway

Snow, snow, snow! Do you get lots of it where you live? Here in Georgia, people completely panic and go all to pieces if there is even a chance of snow. Our kids sleep with their pajamas inside out in the hopes that doing so might magically bring the snow during the night! :) Whether you get a lot of snow or never see a single flake, your students might enjoy reading about snow. My latest product is a nonfiction text with several graphic organizers and an assessment. You can check it out {HERE} or on the picture below. You could also enter to win your own copy for FREE! This is my first giveaway here on my blog. I am crossing my fingers that I did it right. Maybe I should sleep with my pajamas inside out! :) Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Animals' Santa by Jan Brett

Did you know that Jan Brett has a new book out for Christmas? It is called The Animals' Santa. It is the sweetest book! It is all about a hare named Little Snow. He wants to know if the animals have their own Santa. His brother and friends all talk about gifts they have received. They all have their own theories about who their Santa could be. Little Snow thinks they are all fooling him. The animals don't have a Santa, but around midnight they all find out who their Santa really is!

I love anything Jan Brett writes, and this one is sure to be a classic just like her other works! I created a book study to go along with this new book. You can check it out {HERE} or on the pic below. It is packed with meaningful activities that are directly related to the text.

Here is a quick, little Animals' Santa freebie for you, too! Click {HERE} or on the pic to download your copy. :)

I found this awesome video on Jan Brett's YouTube channel. She gives you a little tour inside of her studio. You get to meet the rabbit she used as the inspiration for her illustrations. Then, she does a step by step guide on how to draw Little Snow. I am sure you will enjoy it! 

Now, go grab your own copy of the book! You will LOVE it!

Main Idea and Supporting Details

Do your students struggle with identifying main ideas and supporting details? Do they have a hard time summarizing? Do they ever just give name the topic (like Sharks) when asked for the main idea? Do they pick a random fact that they found interesting instead of the true main idea?

Main idea has been the bane of my teaching career! This is one of the hardest things for kids to master because it is so complex. So, I created a set of activities that deals specifically with this set of skills. I just listed them in my store. This will be ON SALE for Thanksgiving Day 2014. You can find out more {HERE} or on the pic below. The freebie below is also in the pack.

Here is a quick sample freebie for you, too! 

Have you seen all of the awesome videos on the Almost a Third Grader channel on YouTube? This teacher is AWESOME! You can view her channel {HERE}. This video clip is an awesome introduction to main idea and supporting details.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Thanks for reading my random ramblings! :)

Bear Says Thanks! Free Mini-Unit

I should probably have titled this post, "Bear and Jenn Say Thanks!". This time of year focuses on gratitude and thankfulness, and I am so very thankful for all of you! Your business, feedback, comments, pins, and reads mean so much to me. I wanted to find a way to give something back to you to show my appreciation. As I was going through my Thanksgiving books, I saw Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. This sweet poem is full of great concepts for the season: friendship, gratitude, sharing, and thankfulness. I whipped up a little mini-unit to share with you all. I hope you will enjoy it! The unit includes a close read on brown bears, a thankful list activity, a personal response activity, a sequencing/retelling activity, and a rhyming center using words from the text. Click {HERE} or on the picture below to download your copy.

Short A (Freebie, too)

Am I the only one with RtI kids who know their consonants, blends, and digraphs, but are completely bumfuzzled by vowel sounds? Please tell me I'm not alone. :)  Whew! These babies need some serious intensive work on their vowel sounds. So, we are working our way through the vowels in my room. I normally would have just bought something on TPT, but most everything I found was just for CVC words. Now, I do have some babies who need that, too, but many of my tier 2 sweeties can handle more than that. So, I am introducing my vowel series today starting with short a!

This set includes several centers and games and a decodable reader with comprehension questions. Again, many of the words are beyond CVC --like branch, trash, and graph. You can check it out in my store by clicking {HERE} or on the pic above. 

I am so excited about this activity that I just had to share it with you. It's called Roll a Rime. The kids roll one die to find out which rime to add to the onset. Then, they decide if they have made a real word or a nonsense word. They color their answer by a code. Easy breezy mac and cheesy for you and fun for them! You can snag your freebie {HERE} or on the pic below.

Thanks for your time and interest! Y'all mean so much to me!

Click, Clack, Boo! FREEBIE

If you are looking for a cute book to read on Halloween, I have a few suggestions and a freebie for you! I got the Scholastic Book Club flyer in my mailbox at school last week. They are now offering Click, Clack, Boo! by Doreen Cronin in paperback. I LOVE Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. So, I ordered a copy. It is a great way to revisit Farmer Brown's farm and see the Halloween party that the farm animals put together. I made this comprehension scoot activity for my kiddos to do on Halloween. I am thinking that I may post the cards around the room, turn out the lights, and have a flashlight hunt for the questions. THANK GOODNESS HALLOWEEN IS ON FRIDAY THIS YEAR!  Can I get an amen?!?  Click HERE or on the picture below to snag your freebie. Feedback is always appreciated!

Here is a cute read aloud of the book if you haven't heard the story before.



I have two other favorites to read the week leading up to Halloween. The first one is  The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. I love the repetitive, rhythmic text. The kids always enjoy it, too.

My other favorite is one that is older, but I had never heard of it until last year. How I missed this book by two of my favorite author/illustrators I do not know! It is an amazing way to introduce point of view. The narrator tells of the scary sounds and sights on Halloween night, but the illustrations look totally harmless. It isn't until you reach the end of the book that you realize that the narrator has been a mother cat hiding with her kittens under the front porch. They were scared by the trick or treaters coming to their house to get candy. 

I have book studies available for both of these titles available for purchase in TPT shop. You can view them by clicking on the pictures. 

Have you read all of these? What are your favorite books to read at the end of October?

Head on over to Mrs. Jump's blog for more book chat recommendations!