See How It Works
View classroom videos, instructor and administrator interviews, and sample materials to see the recommended practice in action.
Partner Sharing: Good Readers Ask Questions
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Watch a second-grade classroom demonstration of a teacher engaging students in text discussion using multiple techniques focused on questioning. Throughout the lesson, the teacher builds on...
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School Example
Pumpkin Pie for Halloween: Text Discussion With English Learners
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Watch how a kindergarten teacher uses a variety of strategies to help English learners move from listening to discussing stories. She describes how text discussion develops across the early grade...
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School Example
Preparing Kindergarteners for Text Talk
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Hear how a kindergarten teacher helps students develop partner-sharing skills. The teacher talks about the benefits of beginning text discussion at an early age and describes how she establishes...
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School Example
Read-Alouds Across the Curriculum
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Christine Carriere, who served on the IES Panel that developed the Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade Practice Guide, describes how she uses read-alouds for her...
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School Example
Literature Circles in Second Grade
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Listen to a second-grade teacher describe how she uses literature circles in her classroom. By providing clear roles and procedures she develops an effective setting for group discussions. For more...
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School Example
Buddy Talk
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Watch how a third-grade teacher uses partner sharing to help her students discuss questions about what they are reading. She supports her students’ talk by laying the groundwork for effective...
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School Example
Principal Walk-Throughs
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Hear a principal describe how he motivates staff and keeps students focused on reading using a variety of strategies, including three different types of walk-throughs. He discusses the...
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School Example
Engaging Nonfiction Readers
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
View this video about a reading program that engages students in science inquiry projects. Students are motivated to read in order to develop their questions, seek answers, and learn new information.
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School Example
Using Peer Collaboration and Self-Reflection to Engage With Text
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
A third/fourth-grade teacher describes how she uses discussion cards to engage students during guided reading groups. Students reflect on their reading, make notes, and work in small groups and...
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School Example
Science and Math Read-Aloud Lesson Plans
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
This sample material includes lesson plans for two interactive read-alouds in first/second grade: one about trees for a science lesson and the other about sorting for a math lesson. Listen to the...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Second Grade Literature Circles Lesson
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
This sample material outlines the sequence of a literature circles lesson, describes the student roles, and includes worksheets for each role. Also included here are several evaluation forms...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Third Grade Buddy Talk Lesson
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
This “buddy talk” lesson plan includes objectives, materials, and teacher question prompts. Also included here are student worksheets for making text connections and teacher observation checklists...
Resource Type
Sample Material
