Back to School Reading activities for the classroom & Distance Learning
I keep seeing this meme floating around and I think it could possibly be the perfect response to how we are all feeling about going back to school at this time. As I am writing this post, my district is voting, AGAIN, on what the start of school will look like. Generally, many of us use the summertime to rest and reflect on what worked the previous year in the classroom and what did not. It is a time to tweek some reading activities for the upcoming school year. With all the unknowns, it is easy to feel like you are just spinning your wheels with planning. I keep having to remind myself that one of a teacher’s superpowers is that WE ARE incredibly flexible. Although we may not start the school year in the classroom, students can still learn effectively. Inside this post, you will find some great back to school reading activities for the classroom and distance learning.
Back to School Reading Activities for the Classroom & Distance Learning
I always hand students a reading interest survey the first week of school. This activity is a great way for me to get to know my readers better and learn their likes and dislikes about reading. It allows me to start planning out reading groups, decide which books to introduce, and plan ways to build/strengthen reading skills with each child. Also, it has some great data collecting features for the teacher that are beneficial for parent conferences. This product is both digital and printable.
Context Clues Task Cards Printable & Digital
No matter the grade level I teach, I always find that using context clues and understanding vocabulary words to be a huge challenge with students. Generally, using task cards in a small group setting is my favorite way to practice this skill. Since a small group setting may not be the most ideal or even possible this school year, this resource went digital. Use the CONTEXT CLUE TASK CARD SET for 3rd & 4th grade or CONTEXT CLUES TASK CARDS SET for 5th & 6th grade in printable and digital format to get a better understanding of vocabulary skills with your readers.
The digital version of this set is self-grading. The teacher will receive the student grade once the student completes the set. While this will be great for distance learning, using the self grading set is also beneficial in the classroom. It makes getting/recording a grade a breeze too!
Reading Comprehension Passages
Using reading comprehension passages in the classroom is also useful to get an idea of the strengths and challenges your readers face. While I do not generally use reading comprehension passages in the first week of school, I do like to see how my readers perform early on in the school year. Genres like fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama are my favorites to use for collecting data on my readers. As the school year progresses, I like to hone in on reading skills like making inferences, using sarcasm in text, vocabulary skills, etc. These reading comprehension passages are also available in digital (self grading) and printable.
The digital version is easy to send to a student through various platforms. There are 5 reading comprehension passages in each of the products with the exception of the bundle (contains 20). Each reading comprehension passage can be sent separately to a student to use over extended days or lessons. I have found that the printable option is great for tutoring as well. Perhaps the best feature is that students receive a reading grade, automatically, upon completion. This makes it easy to get and record grades!
Other Ways to Practice Reading!
Parents always ask for ways to help their child get extra reading practice. I do not anticipate this school year to be any different. I have found some different alternatives to the classroom/school library that can be found online for a minimal cost.
1.Beanstack.com
2.Benchmarkeducation.com
3.Brainpop.com
4.Highlights.com
Don’t Stress about Back to School
I know, I know, easier said than done! I will certainly be guilty of “stressing out” at the beginning of the school year too. However, this year can run smoothly with some patience and planning. Although this school year will definitely be different, it doesn’t have to feel impossible. Use these Back to School Reading activities for the classroom & Distance Learning to help ease into the school year!