We are THANKFUL for... {Activities like...}

Today I am sharing a WOW lesson and one of my very favorite things to use in the classroom and Title Reading room. It is..Reciprocal Teaching!!! Honestly, I had never heard of this or used it until I interviewed for a Reading Specialist position The head of our reading department told me if I got the job I would use Reciprocal Teaching with my small groups and use a lot of it:) So, as soon as I got the job I read everything  I could find on this. After researching and trying it out I found that it worked and soon incorporated it into my weekly lessons! I am going to give you the SHORT VERSION:) of it and if you already know about this you may just wanna check out my bundle I created over at my TPT store. I have made two primary bundles with a super hero theme and an animal theme! I also created an upper level bundle that includes summarizing instead of retelling.

Step 1: Introduce the four reciprocal teaching tasks. They are retelling, clarifying, questioning and predicting. You will want to spend a lot of time modeling each skill so your kiddos can eventually perform these tasks on their own.

Step 2: Put students into groups of four. Assign each student one of the four reciprocal teaching tasks and provide each student with a task card.

Step 3. Assign a small portion of text for students to read aloud or silently. When the assigned text is completed have students will  complete a graphic organizer for accountability. This is something I added....and I highly recommend using one of these. I saw a great improvement in the group discussions if students had a moment to preplan what they wanted to share with the group. I could also do a quick assessment by collecting these when the groups were done. Then students will perform their tasks. Example: The Reteller will retell the portion of text, the Predictor will predict what happens next etc.

Step 5: Assess...This is something I added because I was always looking for easy ways to collect data. I created several rubrics so I could assess the kiddos while they were in their small groups. It was quick, easy and effective!

I hope you love this and try it out! I think once you do, you will see the amazing difference it makes in your kiddos comprehension and learning!! I am a believer:)! If you want to learn more check these out at my store!