Reading Comprehension Passages Level J-N Video

Hello friends! I hope you are all surviving the long winter! I don't know about you, but it seems like our family has been trampled one week after another with some virus or another! Yuck! We will certainly be ready for spring to come sooner rather than later! 

Today I am going to share with you my newest video on TpT explaining the WHAT, WHY and HOW behind my best selling Reading Comprehension Passages Bundle Levels J-N! Click on the image below to see the video....

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                                        >>> Video <<<
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It's pretty crazy to me that we are doing videos now... Andrew and I that is... It's TOTALLY out of my comfort zone. I would much prefer to be in front of a group of 7 year old children than publishing videos for the world! But I do have to admit, it's been a great thing for Andrew and I to do together. He's so talented when it comes to all things technnology, and I have a STEEP LEARNING CURVE, so we're a great pair. 

Anyways... here's the gist of it: 

These passages are short and high interest for students, designed to allow students the opporunities to use their decoding and comprehension strategies. The passages are leveled using the Fountas and Pinnell leveling system. In the past I have taught in districts using DRA and F&P. I am personally a fan of Fountas and Pinnell... I LITERALLY love their work and subscribe to their weekly newsletter because I'm a nerd like that --haha! But if your school uses another leveling system, take a look at this chart to help you figure out which passages would meet your students needs. 

I am also attaching a K-5 chart for you to use for future reference, if you'd like to download it and save for a later date! 

Did you know that research shows that using SHORT, HIGHLY FOCUSED passages are most effective for teaching guided reading? These passages have been designed for students to find TEXT BASED EVIDENCE, a major shift in the common core. 

Before moving down to my 1st-2nd grade loop, I taught 5th grade for two years. Now, I am not a fan of all things common core, by any way, shape, or form.... However, I can tell you I would have liked it if my kiddos came into 5th knowing how to prove their thinking!!! I can also tell you that after I embedded into our daily routine in guided reading... my first graders could do it, no problem by the end of the year! And it taught them how to pay attention to detail, too!

Teaching kiddos how to activate higher level thinking at an early stage is a must as well... It sets them up to think deeply and critically. Strategies such as predicting, inferring, synthesizing, drawing conclusions, analyzing, questioning, making connections, and so on, are all crucial to this development. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it becomes more natural overtime... and I have included questions that activate higher level thinking in this bundle to make your lives easier!

Now, I am an advocate of flexible grouping... mixing kids up, keeping it fresh. However, not when it comes to guided reading. It is SO IMPORTANT to assess your students to find their instructional reading levels and then teach them at that exact level. If you are giving your students passages and questions for reinforcement during centers or for homework, you'll want to use their independent reading level so they do not become frustrated. 

If you are not sure how to find your students instructional or independent reading levels, check out this freebie... It has a running record template and the algorithms to find their appropriate levels  >>>  Running Record Template and Reading Level Algorithms Freebie

So there you have it, I hope this is helpful for you with your reading instruction in your classrooms! 

If you are interested in purchasing the Reading Comprehension Passages J-N Bundle, you can find it here >>> Reading Comprehension Passages Bundle J-N

Or if you'd like to check out the Sampler Freebie, you can find it here >>> Reading Comprehension Passages Bundle J-N Sampler Freebie