Reciprocal Teaching, Turkeys, and a Break!!

Our week has been a crazy one, but I wouldn't change it for the world! I have loved watching these kiddos take hold of their learning in pretty amazing ways....I mean they are 6 and 7 year olds for crying out loud and what they are doing amazes me. Since going back to school to obtain my Masters in Reading and Specialist degree I have learned so much about my style of teaching and ways to improve it.  We have been learning a lot about reciprocal teaching and the benefits it has for strengthening their comprehension. I decided to introduce the "FAB 5" to my kiddos in whole group in hopes that soon they will be ready to do this in small groups and independently.    
The FAB 5 for reading comprehension are:
-Schema (which we hit hard every year)
-Questioning
-Predicting  
-Clarify
- Summarize 

We decided to use these with our turkey research for the week.  We have been focusing on non-fiction writing and this was perfect for gathering info on turkeys.  This is the anchor we created using a RAZ Kids reader Wild Turkeys.  My kids were able to use schema, predict their learning, ask questions they still had, clarify the word social, and even come up with a main idea all in a 15-20 minute mini lesson.  I was amazed at what they were capable of!

We first read the story and completed the anchor. I than had my kids read the story over wild turkeys in small groups of three.  They were asked to come up with a can, have, are fact on an index card.  This was great for making sure each member of the group had a part in the research.  We added their facts to the chart below.  

They created these cute turkeys to go with their reports.  They made an extra cute display in the hall and the level of learning was pretty impressive! 

Their last fact isn't a have fact, but I love that they referred to the wattle as the "red thing". 

I can't wait to share some fun things I have in the works for next week.  I will be sharing about graffiti walls and how to use them in your small groups.  Check back soon! 

Don't forget to download my cute Turkey Trouble Nonsense Words center for free here. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!