Literacy Website #5: ReadWriteThink

Alyssa Torres

January 7, 2019

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #5

             ReadWriteThink (www.readwritethink.org) is an effective source that provides educators, parents and afterschool professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best materials. Every lesson plan ReadWriteTHink has been aligned not only to the International Reading Association (IRA) / National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) but to the individua states standards and Common Core State Standards, when applicable.

ReadWriteThink relies on experienced literacy educators to write and review the content that appears on the site. The founders of the website are always looking for educators who have lesson plans, activities, or other ideas they would like to contribute to the site. If you want would rather be one of the reviewers instead, they encourage members to sign up and contribute their time. ReadWriteThink seeks classroom-tested, evidence-based lesson plans, printouts, and strategy guides as classroom resources and professional development sections.

As you browse through the website, you will find a drop-down menu titled “classroom resources.” In this section, you will find a wide range of lesson plans that are categorized by grade levels, lesson plan types, themes, and learning objectives. If you were to click on “comprehension,” one will find many different classroom resources and activities that will help build comprehension.  For example, “Drop Everything, and Read.”  In this particular lesson, teacher shouts those very same words and students drop everything and choose a book.  After a good 15-20 minutes, the students talk about their specific books which help students build comprehension and a lifelong reading habit. If you want to teach a lesson on vocabulary, the site offers you step by step procedures and book materials needed to carry out the specific skill.

One will find different programs, student made quizzes, activities that are fun and engaging for the students. In order to build on these literacy skills, it is very important to provide a wide range of materials and strategies for the students to use. As educators, we must always look for innovative ways to keep the students on their toes. ReadWriteThink definitely offers this and would be very beneficial in the classroom.