The Big Book of Literacy Tasks: Grades K-8

Acknowledgments Introduction Section One: Everyday Tasks for Reading, Writing, and Thinking 1. A New Spin on Who, What, Why, When, and Where 2. Making Predictions to Help Comprehension 3. Journal Writing After Reading 4. Make a Connection to the World When Reading a Text Independently 5. Quoting an Important Idea in a Nonfi ction Text 6. Name Character Motives and Actions 7. Name Rising Plot 8. Name Plot Resolution 9. Tell the Text 10. Dig Deeper Into the Text 11. Guided Comprehension Talks 12. Elaborate and Clarify Meaning 13. Setting Routines for Independent Reading 14. Fixing Up When Attention Wanders 15. Communicating Your Heads-Up Ball Approach 16. Answering a Text-Dependent Question 17. Tell Why (You Think, Believe, Remember, Know) With Why Messages 18. Make a Bold Statement About a Text 19. Extend Thinking When Discussing a Text 20. One-Liners for Nonfi ction Texts 21. Crystal Ball Predictions 22. Yesterday's News 23. Annotate Text 24. Sentence Strip Statements 25. Write Questions About Reading 26. Super Cool Three Steps to Describe an Experience 27. Getting Kids to Write: Wonderful Concentration 28. Sketch to Write 29. Getting Help From Another Writer: Write Dialogue in Narratives and Quotes in Reports 30. Getting Help From Another Writer: Write a Hook 31. The Right Amount of Details, The Right Amount of Clarity 32. Thinking Small to Write Well 33. Writing a Jot About What Was Read 34. Works Too Long and Never Gets Any Writing Done 35. Dialogue Journals Section Two: Weekly Tasks for Reading, Writing, and Thinking 36. A nalyze for Author's Purpose With a Text That Is a Little Too Hard for Students to Read on Their Own 37. Create a Structured Outline of a Text 38. Collecting Research and Organizing Notes for Writing 39. Plot Summary Snapshots 40. Writing Information in a New Format 41. Stay on Point in Writing 42. Productive Use of the Author's Chair 43. Write a Short Research Report 44. Write an All About Text 45. Your Students Have a Voice: Writing an Opinion Text 46. Arguing the Solution to a Problematic Situation 47. Writing the Recipe for Success: How-to Texts 48. Writing Explanations, Be Like an Encyclopedia 49. Inquiry for Smart Minds 50. Responding to Literature With Some Kick to It Section Three: Sometime Tasks for Reading, Writing, and Thinking 51. Identify Theme in a Complex Text 52. Posing Questions for Easier Inquiry 53. Writing a Fable or Myth 54. Writing a Fairy Tale 55. Justifying an Answer With a Claim and Evidence 56. Use Known Info to Help Others Learn New Info 57. Connecting Ideas Between Texts 58. Identifying Real Facts From Made-Up Facts: Fallacious Reasoning 59. Brainstorming Multiple Valid Answers/Responses 60. Concept Mapping Between Big Ideas 61. Make Me Ponder: Questions That Get the Thinking Juices Flowing 62. Writing Compare and Contrast Response to Literature 63. Peer-to-Peer Analysis and Response 64. Critique a Functional Document or Text 65. Visible and Visual: Use Known Concepts and Vocabulary to Understand a Text 66. Summarize a Text That Is a Little Too Hard for Students to Read on Their Own 67. Student Think-Alouds 68. Separate Central Idea From a Big Idea 69. Writing in Different Genres or Multimedia to Engage and Persuade 70. Creative Debate 71. I Am a Reader 72. I Am a Writer 73. Look Up 74. Goodbye, Perfect Teacher 75. Teacher and Learner References and Further Reading Index