Interactive Resources for Reading Comprehension

This popular site features members of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation reading picture books aloud. In my opinion, there's nothing better than a live reading with a real book, but this is the next best thing! Really talented folks like James Earl Jones, Elijah Wood, CCH Pounder, Robert Guillame, Amanda Bynes, and Melissa Gilbert share some of the greatest picture books of recent years, such as Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, The Night I Followed the Dog, My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, A Bad Case of the Stripes, and Enemy Pie. Check out StoryLine Online for yourself!

Another great read-aloud resource is Mrs. P's Magic Library. Be sure to check it out for yourself; it requires the latest version of Adobe Flash and a good deal of memory to run.

The MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) is a standardized test given to several grades in that state. MCAS Practice provides a series of short, multiple choice reading practices for grades 4, 8, and 10 (although students in the grades above and below those could benefit as well). I like this site a lot since it provides instant feedback, even for correct answers! That way, if a student guesses, she'll be able to learn why the answer was correct. The page illustrated here is from the Grade 4 English/Language Arts assessment (but Science and Math are available for all grades as well).

Between the Lions is PBS's terrific interactive website for the show of that same name. As you can see on the landing page, the site features games, video clips (that are actually educational), and stories. The games, such as Synonym Sam's Lab are very self-explanatory and well-animated, as are the stories. This is a high-class site all the way! (Note that students may need some help at first when learning to navigate the different areas).

FCAT Explorer was once a very open, easy to use reference site offering mini-lessons for teachers, tutors, and parents. The lessons include explanations, examples, and practice segments.

It has since been reformatted, so you'll need to visit the skills separately.

Test Moz is a simple-to-create, simple-to-use, online assessment application. You can create interactive, self-checking quizzes in several formats (multiple choice, true/false, check boxes, and type in boxes). Detailed reports tell you who the took the test, how long it took them, which questions they answered correctly, and their overall percentage score.

In my own class, I typically use this tool to assess student understanding of a chapter assigned the night before. With every student on a computer, it's quick and easy. I also have a permanent, printable record of the test.

However, you can also use this assessment tool in conjunction with any online reading selection. Have students open the target reading selection in one window, and the Test Moz quiz in another. With the windows side by side, students can answer questions about the reading selection as they read. Need some reading or viewing materials? I like the author interviews at Reading Rocket, as well as many of the online news articles at Scholastic News. You can also learn about and access images from the NY Times photo prompt site. Or, simply search for a daily, student-friendly article (such as this one on the Attack on Pearl Harbor) and create a quick five question quiz for a warm-up.

I will warn you, however, RECORD your test number an your passwords carefully! There's now way to retrieve either from the site once you've created a test!

Google Docs

If you need another assessment tool that provides students with a more open-space writing environment, I'd recommend using a Google Form to collect student responses. Google Forms allows you to solicit answers of all lengths and types, and then organizes all student responses nicely into a spreadsheet. Writing prompts from the NY Times Learning Network would work nicely for this approach (the linked article about pet peeves will really get your middle schoolers writing!).

Google Forms can also be used with video prompts, such as those offered at TeachHub. Check out the some lesson plans and ideas for this approach at my How to Teach a Novel blog.

Grammar Blast is a set of grade categorized interactive grammar quizzes provided by Houghton Mifflin English.

Short and simple challenges with instant feedback allow students to focus on discrete skills with such success that many will want to try the next grade up on their own! Perfect for grades 1-5.

You can also access Grammar Blast for grades 6 through 8.

As a break from all the reading practice, how about some grammar? Yuck! Sounds boring, right? But Grammar Ninja presents this subject manner in a fun way that is reminiscent of comic books and video games (not a bad combo for turning kids onto learning). Self-checking and lots of fun!

Test Tutor is a great skill-building resource. The landing page will show that the site features assessments for Grades 1-6. Grade One has just four skill levels, while the rest typically have twelve or more.

Each skill level focuses upon a specific reading skill (author's purpose, cause and effect, summarizing, sequencing, etc.). The level begins with a description of that skill and why it's important. Students then read a passage and answer multiple choice questions. I like using this site because both incorrect and correct answers provide students feedback.

Once students understand the site's structure they can navigate the sections quite easily on their own.

A great way to get some "real" practice with taking standardized reading and writing test is to take advantage of those that have been used, and now released, by states. Nothing illegal about it, I promise! The Texas Grade 4 Writing Test is a great one to start with, or the Texas Grade 4 Reading Test. For older grades, here's a Texas Grade Six Online Reading Assessment.

Want more like this? Try Standardized Test Items which are searchable by state. Even those from other states may be just what you need!

Over at my Teach with Picture Books blog I've received a couple emails regarding reading skills: Which are most important? How do you teach skills that students will actually recall and use independently? Where can I access a list or description of reading skills?

Although I use several sources one of the best online resources for teachers and students alike is Into the Book. (This links to not the main page, but a page which shows all reading skills at a glance).

From the site:

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and
teachers. We focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge,
Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating
and Synthesizing. Watch our engaging 15-minute videos and try the online
interactive activities.

I love the site because all eight skills are not only defined in word, but also by video example. A teacher area gives teachers and parents all the information they need to begin using this framework, and the student area provides fun, interactive practice with each of the skills, using both video and online self-checking lessons. (The student area allows students to create a "key" for use upon return to this site; this way, no registration or release of personal information is ever required).

Teachers can benefit from additional resources including a discussion forum, a section on classroom design for literacy development (featuring a panoramic classroom tour as well as individual design tips), and dozens of downloadable songs, posters, and teaching guides, all relating to the eight specific reading skills.
If you're a teacher into picture books, these are the skills you need to make them extraordinary teaching tools, and this is the site to find them.

Synonym Toast is just one of the great grammar games you'll find over at Scholastic's site (just click on the Games link when you're at Synonym Toast).

As an avalanche of bread comes down the screen, you must choose the synonyms and throw them in the toaster, or it's you that's toast.

Nearly every subject and specific topic for the classroom has an interactive component. Simply search for your topic, and add the word "Interactive" to the search words. Your students, in the course of completing the work at the website, will naturally use many reading comprehension as well as critical thinking skills.

Let me share a specific example. In preparation for reading Jane Yolen's Devil's Arithmetic, I wanted my students to learn more about the Jewish experience in the late 1930's. Searching the Internet using the simple terms "Holocaust" and "Interactive," I came across a site called recommend Children in the Ghetto, an interactive site which describes itself as

"...A website about children, written for children. It portrays life during the Holocaust from the viewpoint of children who lived in the ghetto, while attempting to make the complex experience of life in the ghetto as accessible as possible to today's children.

Along with the description of the hardships of ghetto life, it also presents the courage, steadfastness and creativity involved in the children's lives. One of the most important messages to be learned is that despite the hardships, there were those who struggled to maintain humanitarian and philanthropic values, care for one another, and continue a cultural and spiritual life."

By examining artifacts, writings, and first hand interviews, students gain an understanding of the "anything-to-survive" mentality which the ghetto created and demanded of its inhabitants. Students can either explore freely, taking advantage of the interactive elements, or additionally respond in writing using the printable handouts (I downloaded the handouts, available in Word format, and tweaked them according to my students' strengths and needs). Once they've completed this exercise, students will have a mental bank of sites, sounds, stories, and symbols from which to draw upon, greatly increasing their understanding and appreciation of the novel.

Similar sites are likely available to meet your lesson objectives. Just add the word "online" or "interactive" to find resources which students can complete at the keyboard. (See a few more examples at my Teaching that Sticks blog).

Okay, so maybe the FCAT Practices aren't the best resource here, but they're pretty darn good.

Begin by checking out the Nine Teaching Strategies which are covered at this site. That link is for you, the teacher. Lots of good stuff there. The first link (above) is where your child should begin.

Be sure to check out the printable materials offered at this site, including the skills sheets.

Finally, teachers will be interested in the 55 page Additional Strategies for Teachers pdf.

How can a teacher best approach the teaching of a novel? How to Teach a Novel here at Squidoo breaks it down step by step, from the abstract notion of "What's worth teaching in this novel?" to the concrete concerns of "How will students be held accountable for their understanding of this book? In what ways will I assess progress? How will students demonstrate their understandings of story theme, character development, plot, vocabulary, and other story elements?" This lens will provide sample materials, Internet resources, and ideas which have proven successful in many classrooms.

But what's up with title? Isn't "How to Teach a Novel" an incredibly presumptive claim? Absolutely! Is the method described here the only way to properly teach a novel? Absolutely not! But what I found is that "How to Teach a Novel" is what people were searching when they wanted to find the types of resources I was offering. So excuse the smug, elitist tone of my title!

If you're truly seeking some diverse ideas and applications for teaching with novels, you may also want to check out my Teaching that Sticks blog, my Teach with Picture Books blog. Both offer ideas and insights which are applicable to the teaching of novels. And of course, if you're a middle grades teacher (3-8) interested in teaching novels, be sure to visit my How to Teach a Novel blog for insights, resources, and hot new links.

Keith Schoch is a 6th grade Reading/Language Arts teacher in Bedminster, New Jersey. During his 20+ years in teaching he earned a Masters in Instruction and Curriculum, served on the New Jersey Department of Education ESPA Mathematics Item Review Committee, piloted tests for Educational Testing Service, assessed candidates for The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and was named a Governor's Teacher of the Year.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Keith provides professional development for organizations such as the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the New Jersey Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (NJASCD), the New York State Reading Association (NYSRA), The New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS), and the American Camping Association (ACA). He also shares his expertise with colleagues through three highly acclaimed blogs: Teaching that Sticks, Teach with Picture Books, and How to Teach a Novel.

During the summer, Keith serves on the leadership staff of LakeView Day Camp in East Brunswick, NJ.