Instructional Routines & Practices Instructional Routines & Practices

Reading

Reading: Engaging with Texts

Even for books with only one copy, be creative to involve students in reading. Students can take turns with the book, the teacher can circulate with the book, and so on. Ask students to participate in the reading at any level they can, such as by reading headings, captions, images, etc. Teacher read aloud alone can be very passive and doesn’t teach kids to read. It teaches them to watch.

BUDDY READ

Have students read a text to prepare for reading to a younger child. You might pair same-age students to practice and model with each other, with one student role-playing the younger child.

CALL AND RESPONSE READ

Read some parts alone and have students read connected parts chorally. For example, in a Q and A text, read the questions and have students read the answer.

CHORAL READING

In the choral reading routine, the teacher and class read a passage aloud together, minimizing struggling readers’ public exposure. Students who feel self-conscious about reading aloud also have built-in support. Choral reading builds fluency and self-confidence. To use this routine, read a text aloud as students track it silently, then reread chorally with students (everyone together). Alternatively, have students join chorally for certain parts, such as a refrain.

CONNECT

KIPP Wheatley lessons contain several features designed to increase student engagement with texts, love for reading, and appreciation of literary techniques. These features form a framework throughout the lesson: ENGAGE has a CONNECT statement or prompt that invites students into the lesson content or theme/central ideas and connects to students’ lives when possible. READ FOR GIST is an entire section where literary enjoyment and appreciation is a main goal. (The other is literal comprehension.) This section includes a GENRE question that helps students orient to the literary form of a text. CLOSE THE LESSON has a CONNECT question. This question bookends the ENGAGE question and asks students to reflect on the content, theme, or main ideas of the text, and how these might relate to their lives, ideas, responses, etc. Students are encouraged to move beyond the text to the broader world in which they live.

CRAFT

Authors use many different techniques and make countless choices as they create a text. These choices and techniques form what is called author’s craft. Common Core Reading standards 4–6 ask students to examine author’s craft to understand the choices and techniques behind a given work. This examination calls student attention to the language, format, organization, and points of view in a text. Use CRAFT questions to support that examination.

DECONSTRUCT THESE WORDS

Understanding word roots and affixes allows students to expand their vocabulary more fully and more quickly than purely learning new words one at a time. This becomes a transferable skill that enables students to define new words independently.

How to Use This Routine

  • Students underline parts of the word that are familiar, both affixes and word roots.
  • Students identify other words that have similar word parts or roots.
  • Students define the meaning of each word part or root.
  • Students define the word, or its gist.
Examples
  • astronaut
    • Deconstruct astronaut into astro and naut.
    • Brainstorm words with similar parts, e.g. astrology, nautical.
    • Define the word parts: astro = star; naut = sailor.
    • Define astronaut as a star-sailor.
  • nonspecific
    • Deconstruct the word nonspecific into non and specific.
    • Brainstorm similar words such as nonfat, nonfiction, nonessential.
    • Define word parts as meaning “not specific.”
  • Connect the terms transparent, transgender, transfer, and transition to better understand the meaning of “trans” as a prefix.

ECHO READING

Read a portion of text aloud, then pause at logical points for the students to echo. They should mimic your phrasing, intonation, and emphasis to build both fluency and understanding of the text.

FIRST LESSON

These routines are particularly useful in the READ FOR GIST section for the first lesson of a text as they allow students to engage in texts joyfully and in less academic ways. They work especially well for Grades K-2 and with the indicated standards. However, they can be used or adapted for other grades and standards to increase engagement.

First Lesson Table

 
KIND OF TEXTROUTINEEXPLANATIONSTANDARDSPROGRESS MONITOR BY
Any

Informational texts about processes particularly useful for “show.”
Read and React After teacher reads the text/section, students:

Reference the text as they share reactions with a partner. (Most interesting, most surprising, what I want to know more about, etc.)
RL.1, RI.1Write one reaction
Read and RetellAfter teacher reads the text/section, students:

Reference the text as they take turns retelling to a partner. (gist, favorite part, specified part, etc.)
RL.2, RI.2Draw & label retelling
Read and ShowAfter teacher reads the text/section, students:

Dramatize/demonstrate the text with a partner or with their hands while seated.
RL.2, RI.2Teacher observation
AnyNotice and wonder

Partners preview the text before an oral read to notice details that interest them or they wonder about. They record on sticky notes.


After a read aloud, students read the text and find a new detail to notice or wonder about beyond what has been read, using sticky notes

RL.1, RI.1

Before: Write one notice and/or wonder



After: Write one interesting detail

Fiction Informational Texts with narrative structure or particularly helpful visuals (e.g., diagrams) Picture walkStudents preview the text independently before an oral read and narrate from the pictures (to self or a partner). They can “read” for clues such as about character, setting, plot, or main idea/topic.RL.1
RL.7, RI.7
Retell with drawings and labels
Picture read (formerly titled picture walk)

During oral reading, students can “read” read the visuals. Teacher pauses to direct the process as needed, such as to guide students toward accessible parts of a difficult but visual text. 


During oral reading, students can match picture details to the words they hear, look for details that add to the words, or touch pictures as they listen.

FLUENCY READING

GENRE

Genre refers to texts that share common features such as content, writing technique, and often format. The main genres are poetry, drama, or prose. Prose can be fiction (imagined) or nonfiction (real events, people, information). Each genre can be expressed in different formats, sometimes also called genres or subgenres, such as

  • Poetry: haiku or free verse
  • Drama: comedy or tragedy
  • Prose fiction: story, tall tale, graphic novel, or mystery
  • Prose nonfiction: textbooks, biographies, or how-to books.

The chart below shows additional examples.

 

Recognizing and examining genre are important reading skills that help students know what to expect from particular texts. These expectations become guided reading signposts for developing readers. For this reason, the first lesson for each Wheatley anchor texts includes a literal question about GENRE (in READ FOR GIST). At least one subsequent lesson for that text includes an analytical question about GENRE (in READ FOR DEEPER MEANING). Use GENRE questions to support students’ reading.

Genre Table

 
POETRYDRAMAPROSE
Poetry shares experiences, ideas, or feelings in a vivid and imaginative way. Poems may be written in separate lines clustered in groups called stanzas or verses.. They often use language in unusual ways and repeated rhythm and sound elements, such as rhyme and meter. Poems may also tell stories. Many poetic forms have specific rules.Drama tells a story and is performed on a stage (commonly known as a ‘play’) or in a film or broadcast. A drama has a cast of characters. The words they say are called dialogue. Stage directions tell what the actors should do or how they should behave. Playwright often divide plays into parts called acts and scenes.

Fiction


Prose fiction usually tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end. It features characters, settings, and events. These elements are imagined, sometimes containing events that cannot occur in real life.

Nonfiction


Prose or narrative nonfiction shares information and facts about real people, real places, or real events now or from history.

Epic
Free verse
Haiku
Limerick
Narrative poem
Ode
Sestina
Sonnet
Comedy
Tragedy
Adventure fiction
Fantasy
Fictional diaries/journals
Folk tales, tall tales, fairy tales, fables
Graphic novels
Historical fiction
Mystery/suspense
Myths
Legends
Novels
Realistic fiction
Science fiction
Biographies/Memoirs
Diaries/Journals
Historical texts explain historical events
How-tos: Cookbooks; directions; owner’s manuals; experiment/lab reports;
Essays
Newspapers and magazines
Photography books
Scientific texts explain scientific ideas or concepts
Technical texts explain technical procedures:
Textbooks (Historical, Legal, Scientific, etc.)
Speeches/Sermons
Travel books

INDEPENDENT READ

Use this routine sparingly, especially with struggling readers, for it gives away your opportunity to teach students something about reading and fluency. When directing students to read independently, give them a purpose for doing so, such as to find examples of X.

MAGAZINE READ

Have students flip through text features, headings, or pictures, out of order as one might read a magazine. If you wish, direct them to scan for particular features that will support their later deep reading. For example, if teaching a standard about labels and captions, have students scan for information in these features. Students can work individually or in pairs. This routine is also helpful when reading aloud a text that is above grade level. Students can focus only on certain elements yet engage with the text instead of just listening.

NOTICE AND WONDER

This routine is particularly useful for the first lesson of a text, especially at Grades K-2 and especially with the indicated standards. However, you can use it at other grades and with other standards to increase engagement. You can also use the routine after an oral reading as part of Check the Gist.

Notice and Wonder Table

 
KIND OF TEXTEXPLANATIONTEXTPROGRESS MONITOR BY
Any text

Partners preview the text before an oral read to notice details that interest them or that they wonder about. They record on sticky notes.


After a read aloud, students read the text and find a new detail to notice or wonder about beyond what has been read, using sticky notes

R.L.1, RI.1 (could work with RL.1 as well) Before: Write one notice and/or wonder

After: Write one interesting detail

PARTNER DEBATE

Have partners ask each other analytical questions or debate a provided question. Partners should each evaluate and choose the “best” evidence to support their answer, and then defend that choice to each other.

PARTNER READING

Have students take turns reading aloud to each other, with some kind of targeted purpose, such as to find the gist or to read fluently. Students can be paired in mixed-fluency pairs with stronger reading providing the model OR same fluency pairs as shared practice after the teacher models. Pair students to support each other’s deeper meaning analysis. Provide pairs with a target for something specific to identify in the text. Example As students read, have them take turns with a partner to identify details that support the inferences they draw.

PICTURE READ

During oral reading, students can “read” the visuals. Teacher pauses to direct the process as needed, such as to guide students toward accessible parts of a difficult but visual text. During oral reading, students can match picture details to the words they hear, looking for details that add to the words, or touching pictures as they listen.

PICTURE WALK

Have students preview the text independently before an oral read and narrate from the pictures (to self or a partner). They can “read” for clues such as about character, setting, plot, or main idea/topic.

POETRY

Poetry can be very challenging for students. Use this routine to support students in building a foundational understanding prior to deeper analysis of language, structure or meaning.
  1. Read the poem aloud.
  2. Identify the topic of overall poem and then reread stanza by stanza.
  3. Skim over parts of the poem you don’t understand and then go back to them later.
  4. Paraphrase the general meaning of each stanza.

POINT AND READ

Have students use a finger to point and trace sections of text as they read. This will help younger readers to track print and older readers to interpret and explain diagrams, charts, tables, and other content where keeping one’s place is especially important. In Kindergarten and early first grade, students should point under each word. By mid-first grade, students should sweep their fingers fluidly under phrases and sentences. Be sure to read fluently, with appropriate pacing and prosody, with students matching your pace.

RATE THESE WORDS

Students learn vocabulary by using it in a variety of settings. Additionally, metacognition around vocabulary is a key lever in learning new words.

How to Use This Routine

  • Before reading, distribute lists of vocabulary terms that are key to understanding the text and/or are important for future use. Use the Tier 2 and 3 Word Lists from the lessons. (Find these easily on Handout: Module # Tier 2 and Tier 3 Vocabulary.)
  • Have students rate their current understanding of each word using a 0–5 scale, where 0 indicates they have never heard of a word, 5 that they know it well, and can use and define it.
  • During reading, direct students to be aware of the words and use context or word part clues to determine their gist.
  • After reading, students rate their understanding again, using the same 0–5 scale.

READ ALOUD

Read the text aloud to students. Use this routine when text is above grade level, there is only one classroom copy, or when students will particularly benefit from hearing text aloud, such as for poetry or dialogue that reflects character emotions. Invite students to participate as you read, by listening, considering, noticing, or in some way responding.

READ AND REACT/READ AND RETELL/READ AND SHOW

These routines are particularly useful for the first lesson of a text, especially at Grades K-2 and especially with the indicated standards. However, they can be used at other grades and with other standards to increase engagement. When these routines emphasize student work after an oral reading, you can use them as part of Check the Gist.

Read and React/Read and Retell/Read and Show Table

 
KIND OF TEXTROUTINEEXPLANATIONSTANDARDSPROGRESS MONITOR BY
Any

Informational texts about processes particularly useful for “show.”
Read and React

After teacher reads the text/section, students:


Reference the text as they share reactions with a partner. (Most interesting, most surprising, what I want to know more about, etc.)

RL.1, RI.1Write one reaction
Read and Retell

After teacher reads the text/section, students:


Reference the text as they take turns retelling to a partner. (gist, favorite part, specified part, etc.)

RL.2, RI.2Draw & label retelling
Read and Show

After teacher reads the text/section, students:


Dramatize/demonstrate the text with a partner or with their hands while seated.

RL.2, RI.2Teacher observation

READ AN IMAGE

Provide students with practice in closely reading images, which are often an essential part of a text. This routine is particularly useful for supporting image-based skills, such as those in the RI.7 and RL.7 standards. In pairs, groups, or individually, use prompts to guide students in closely reading images. Have them annotate or respond orally.

 

Example: As students read, pause periodically to ask these questions about important images (charts, graphs, photographs, diagrams, tables, etc.): What do you see? What do you think it means? How can you tell?

 

Variation:

Guided Imagery

Tell students to close their eyes. Have students imagine the scene or situation as you read the text aloud. Invite students to analyze the text (make predictions, answer questions, draw inferences, etc.) using evidence from guided imagery.

READ WITH A QUESTION IN MIND

After previewing a text or topic, have students generate questions individually, in pairs, groups, or as a class. Then have students read or reread the text to answer the questions they identified.

READER’S THEATER

SKIM AND SCAN

Skimming and scanning are two related strategies that are useful for quickly locating information, determining the general gist of a text, or familiarizing oneself with a text’s structure or contents. These strategies can be used separately or together.

Skimming

Skimming refers to reading sections of a text quickly, without reading every single word, and with minimal efforts at comprehension. Skimming is useful for getting a big picture of a text’s structure, determining the main topics presented, or locating different kinds of information. Use text structures to support skimming, for example, students could read only headings and subheadings or topic sentences in paragraphs, or they could read down the center of the page.

Scanning

Scanning refers to quickly reading through a text with minimal effort at comprehension, looking for a specific word or phrase. Scanning is a useful strategy for locating a specific piece of information or text reference. When scanning, readers may use bold or italic text features to find information or merely move their eyes quickly across the page, looking only for the target word or phrase.

TABLETOP TWITTER

Distribute a small portion of photocopied text to center of student groups. Have students demonstrate the lesson’s objective, or any reading skill, by showing their thinking as a tweet in 140 characters or less. Then, allow students to read each other’s tweets. Tweets can be written on slip of paper or electronic devices.

TAPE-ASSISTED READING

Have students read along as they listen to a tape-recorded fluent reader. This activity requires a text at independent reading level and a tape that that isn’t overly dramatized with sound effects or music. First, the student just listens and follows; then he or she tries to read aloud with the tape. You can repeat these steps until the student can read alone.

WHISPER READ

Students read quietly to themselves. Use this routine when students need to “hear” a text, such as for rhyme or rhythm or to practice fluency.

Reading: Environments

Students engage in reading differently. To support their varied needs, choose from these differentiation options to promote engagement and support comprehension. Use these strategies for some or all students as you wish.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Allow students to complete their first read of a text outside the classroom, whether at home, in a park or playground if available, on the stoop, or even in the cafeteria or general purpose room. This first read reinforces reading as a life activity and not just a classroom activity and engages some students with “new” surroundings.

BREAK THE SILENCE

Some students read more easily if they can override surrounding noise. Others find rhythmic actions help them focus. Allow students to make manageable noise while reading, such as by whisper-reading; humming, tapping a foot or pencil.

MY CHOICE

Many students struggle with entry to reading. Allow students to choose where/how to complete their read of a text, such as at their desk; in the classroom reading area, e.g. rug, beanbag, etc; standing up; on the computer; or wherever they are physically and mentally most comfortable and least distracted.

Reading: Fluency

These routines or definitions define basic fluency issues and then address them in specific ways for Wheatley texts, such as reading poetry. They are general but you can adapt them to any grade. Use fluency routines to support students whenever fluency presents obstacles to understanding.

FLUENCY READ

Incorporate any of the fluency routines below over a series of lessons. This fluency is especially useful at younger grades when the first lesson for a text has included an entire reading of the text and complete gist. In each successive lesson, students can practice their fluency as they learn more about the text. They may even discover information to add to their gist.

Remember that when students struggle to decode words or stumble with expression, they are less able to focus on meaning. They also lose interest if reading is too difficult. Reading fluency is therefore essential to build meaning and maintain student engagement. At all grade levels, fluency has three main components.

INDEPENDENT CHOICE READING

KIPP Wheatley lessons include 30 minutes of homework reading each night. When a specific text is not assigned, students choose their own text. To introduce independent choice reading, explain that students may read whatever they like, including a comic book, newspaper, cereal box, picture book, or novel. When reading for homework, their target is to read for thirty minutes every night. That reading may be framed in a variety of ways left entirely to teachers.

OPTIONS FOR FRAMING HOMEWORK READING

  • Write about their reading with a freewrite, annotation, letter, etc.
  • Directed homework reading, such as to find examples of description (the skill they just practiced)
  • Read for joy, i.e., describe one part of your reading that you liked

READING ACCURACY/AUTMATICITY

Accuracy and automaticity describe students’ capacity to accurately read the words on the page. At lower grades it may overlap with phonetic decoding but can also relate to commonly confused words (accept, except; good, well). In poetry accuracy/automaticity can require reading according to punctuation to correctly chunk text according to meaning rather than reading according to line breaks. Model and share these ideas to support students’ accurate reading:

  • Provide repeated practice with independent texts. Give students a fun way to track their progress with reading accuracy.
  • Observe when students stumble. Support their decoding or word recognition to remove this obstacle to accuracy.
  • Offer regular practice with books that have repeated text, such as the refrain in a song. Students will benefit from repeating the same phrasing multiple times in a text.

READING RATE

Reading rate is the speed at which a person reads. Reading rate naturally rises by grade level and reading comfort. It also appropriately varies according to text complexity and purpose for reading. Model and share these ideas to support students’ reading rate fluency:

  • Read more quickly when skimming for evidence than when reading to learn or enjoy literary features.
  • Read more slowly in texts containing many challenging, topic-specific words or complex ideas than in texts at an independent reading level or containing more general vocabulary.
  • Read more slowly in texts with step-by-step directions or process information.
  • Read at different rates within a text when many kinds of text are combined.
  • Provide repeated practice with targeted passage and a fun way to track reading rate progress.
  • Teach students how to use text clues, such as repeated words, to determine when to speed up or slow down.

READ WITH EXPRESSION OR INTONATION OR PROSODY

Expression, intonation, and prosody all capture a reader’s capacity to recognize and reflect the correct expression in a text, to pause appropriately, and to emphasize appropriately. In poetry this action might involve reading according to punctuation to show expression, such as excitement. In dialogue it might involve changing intonation for questions or raising one’s voice to show yelling. Model and share these ideas to support students’ reading with expression:

  • Use Reader’s Theater and other dramatization activities to provide opportunities for authentic reading with expression.
  • Provide repeated practice with targeted passages containing opportunities for reading with expression, e.g. dialogue, poetry, persuasive speeches.
  • Challenge students to read a passage with different assigned emotions, such as happiness, excitement, frustration, etc.
  • Use read-aloud routines, such as choral or echo reading, during classroom reading to provide regular opportunities for students to hear and mirror fluent expression.
  • Reinforce punctuation clues to expression, such as exclamation marks or all capital letters.