Language Arts: The Top 3 Reading Prompts for beginning readers

Are you teaching emergent readers the very basics of reading, and overwhelmed by the number of reading prompts to choose from?

The following top three prompts form the basis of what good readers naturally do.  The founder and creator of the Reading Recovery program, Marie Clay, studied the strategies proficient readers used.  To put it simply, her research showed that children have the most success reading when they use meaning as their primary source of information (ensuring the story made sense),  language structure (how the words sound together, ordered properly in the manner we would use them in speaking the language) and the 'visual information' (the 'looking' at the words, letters, punctuation, etc. part of reading). Clay makes the following points about prompts in the 2005 edition of Literacy Lessons: Part One:

A prompt is a call for action to do something within his [the child's] control. Prompts are not just talk. How you prompt depends upon where this child is at this point of this text, and what else needs to be integrated into his reading processing. The prompt should send the child in search of a response in his network of responses. Too much prompting interferes with the development of independent solving. (p.39)

Here is a brief summary of the three top reading prompts:

Why three prompts?

These three prompts are the foundation of what good readers do. Good readers make sure that what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.  Other strategies fall under these, and do have their place. It can get complicated for kids to have to memorize a long list of strategies. My students have had most success when they know the top three prompts initially, then additional strategies (i.e. Chunky Monkey) for something that they truly need prompting for. Every child does not need to learn every prompt out there!

The three top prompts bookmarks - free!

I have just redesigned line art printable bookmarks with visual and contextual examples for each prompt, and a fourth bookmark summarizing all of the prompts together. 

   

What has been your experience with using reading prompts to teach emergent readers? 

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Related Products:   

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St. Patrick's Day Emergent Reader and Activities

Teach your students all about the history of St. Patrick's Day with this emergent reader and printable activities!

St. Patrick's Day

Click Here To Download This Fun and Engaging St. Patrick's Day Activity Pack!

Educating Everyone 4 Life

Six ways to save time and money during a TpT sale!

If you're a TpT addict like me, you may schedule your resource shopping around Site Wide sales. I'm a clip-art junkie these days, and have learned a few things (at least six) about saving time and money during a sale.

Here are six ways to make the most of a site-wite TpT sale:

1. Use the categories on the left side of the page to find what you are looking for quickly!
2. Wish list everything ahead of time and get it all out of your system, then revisit and prioritize.
3. If a number of the items from your wishlist come from the same store, see if they are sold in a bundle. Bundles offer amazing savings even before sales, and unbelievable savings within them!
4. Purchase half of what you think you really must have (see tip #6 before doing so), have a look through your new resources, and leave feedback on those items [and any other items under 'My Purchases' that show up when you select the drop down tab 'Needs feedback'].  Important: Previously purchased items may have been updated since you last downloaded them, so please be mindful of this when leaving feedback. Sellers are very diligent about updating resources. Leaving fair feedback will give you TpT credits that you can use towards more purchases.
5. Go to 'My TpT' and see how many TpT credits you have. Do you have enough to treat yourself to something else from your wishlist? (It's like magic, isn't it?)
6. Use the savings code at checkout, wherever you are on the site, for maximum savings. That is TpT's discount above that of individual stores during a site-wide sale.

Happy shopping! 

I'm off to re-organize my wishlist...

Ida Mae aka That Fun Reading Teacher

Save with Bundles!

 
      

LANGUAGE ARTS - Fun Early Literacy Review: Canada Themed No-Prep Printables (and kids' thoughts on Canada Day)!

 

 Hello my friends! Here in Ontario, we have one week left of classes. At the end of the school year, I like to take some time to discuss Canada Day with my students. For the age group I teach, their perceptions of Canada Days past can be quite entertaining:

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Canada Day is clearly a memorable experience for even our youngest students, whether it be of fireworks, time with family or friends during the day. Whether we are retelling a story that we have read together, creating our own adventure, or discussing a personal experience, there is a logical sequence of events and words that match: first, then, finally (or whichever vocabulary you have decided to use!) (For a post about using the 3 part graphic organizer with young students, and a freebie, click here!) Here is a fun Canada Day story that started orally with a reading buddy who helped sort out the three basic story parts before the pictures were drawn (and was duly thanked!)

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These no-prep printables come from Canada Read and Write and More, the first set of what I have started to develop as a series. Here is the Canada themed and Canada Day writing paper:

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My students enjoy 'fun worksheets' every so often. The literacy skills practice pages that are included so far are pictured below:

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Bonus Terry Fox and hockey colouring fact sheets for those early finishers!

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I will leave you with this freebie and links to money-saving bundles that include Canada Read and Write and More! Best wishes to all of you as you finish the school year, and Happy Canada Day!

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P.S. Here's a little 'Aha' moment from a pre-Canada Day conversation in my classroom about 19 years ago...no figurative language in kindergarten!

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