Questioning Sentence Stem Visuals

Hello readers,

Have you ever noticed that when you ask "any questions?" some kindergarten and 1st-grade students respond with a story about their life or a something they saw in a movie? I often have to remind students what a question is!

When checking for student comprehension, I ask a lot of questions, both explicit and implicit. When students are unable to answer my explicit questions I wonder if they did not understand the text but also wonder if they understood the question. Many students need extra practice with these explicit questions, especially with younger ELL students who have not had as many exposures to the "wh" questions - what, when, why, where.. etc. I have created a one page visual as a reminder of the meanings of these important words. Grab your own copy here.

Book Review Tuesday - The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Book Review Tuesday - The Colors of Us

Why Multi-Cultural Literature?

In response to an excellent article "What 'White folks who teach in the hood' get wrong about education" by Kenya Downs.

I choose books for my Book Review Tuesday for two reasons, 1. the book teaches a necessary social skill. 2. that the story includes lifestyles, cultures and races that are different from the mainstream white culture.


This description of "Reality Pedagogy" really speaks to me:

"Reality pedagogy is an approach to teaching and learning that focuses on the realities of youth experiences as the anchor of instruction. It’s the idea that every young person who comes into the classroom has realities that vary from the realities of the teacher, especially if that teacher is from a different ethnic, racial, cultural and socioeconomic background. It holds that uniqueness about the youth experience as a fundamental and essential piece of teaching and learning. Before you teach content, you first teach to understand the youth experience. If you understand the youth experience, that allows you to deliver content more effectively and that better allows you to deal with classroom management."

I've been looking for a way to explain why I choose to post multicultural literature, and this article helps me articulate my ideas. Every young person has realities that are different from the teacher! Also, unique to one another. Reading multi-cultural literature opens students' eyes to a reality different from their own. It also helps me to remember to check my own lens and viewpoint and make sure I am being inclusive of all cultures and providing content that is relevant to each of my students.


... many more great ideas and reflection needed on this article.. stay posted.

Book Review Tuesday - I Got the Rhythm

Book Review Tuesday - Sam and the Lucky Money

I am currently teaching the strategy of using context clues to figure out unknown words with my 4th and 5th graders. I have chosen this book to practice our strategies. There are several words that children may not know but can be figured out with the use of context clues. I have created a graphic organizer for students to use. See my lesson plan here.

Book Review Tuesday - Handa's Surprise