The Education Connection with Robin Wilson | Public Private and Homeschool Teachers20 Heinä

How to Teach Characters: Writing About Reading Series

How do you teach first graders to write about reading without overwhelming them?

In this first episode of my Writing About Reading Series, I'm sharing one of my classroom routines for teaching students to identify the main characters in a story. This simple strategy naturally blends reading and writing together, helping students strengthen comprehension while building confidence as young writers.

You'll hear how I introduce the routine, why I don't ask students to write too much too soon, and how one simple sentence starter helps reduce writing fatigue so students can focus on thinking about what they read.

I'll also share:

Why identifying characters is a foundational comprehension skill
How I model the activity before expecting independence
How I use individual book baggies with books that match each student's reading needs
Why we complete this activity every Monday
How writing about reading naturally becomes part of our reading block
Tips for supporting struggling writers without taking away their independence

Whether you're a classroom teacher, interventionist, homeschool parent, or tutor, you'll walk away with a practical routine you can begin using with your young readers.

🎁 Coming Soon: I am working on it as we speak!! Free Download: Grab the Writing About Reading Classroom Roadmap, a one-page guide that walks you through exactly how to introduce reading responses in first grade without overwhelming your students. This printable follows the same step-by-step process I share in this episode.

You can download today's free resource using the link in the show notes.

Thanks for listening to The Education Connection! Next week we'll continue our Writing About Reading Series by learning how to teach setting in a simple, developmentally appropriate way for young learners.

Connect with me on any of these Social Media Platforms.

Teachers Pay Teachers:

Find Reading Comprehension Strategies Bundle

Find Genesis Bible Stories Bundle

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(104)

How to teach Text-to-Text Comprehension Strategy | Writing About Reading Series

How do you teach text-to-text connections in first grade without making the strategy too complicated for young readers?In this episode of The Education Connection, Robin Wilson shares the simple, step...

21 Syys 12min

How to Teach Background Knowledge for Reading Comprehension in First Grade | Writing About Reading Series

How to Teach Background Knowledge for Reading Comprehension in First Grade | Writing About Reading SeriesHow do you teach first graders to use background knowledge while reading? In this episode of Th...

13 Syys 11min

Retelling a Story for Reading Comprehension | Writing About Reading Series

How do you teach retelling in first grade without students telling every tiny detail—or barely telling you anything at all?In this episode of The Education Connection, we're wrapping up Part One of th...

7 Syys 26min

Teaching Main Idea, Central Message, and Moral of the Story through Writing

What’s the difference between main idea, central message, and moral of the story—and how do we teach those differences to first graders without making it complicated?In this episode of The Education C...

31 Elo 17min

How to Teach Problem and Solution | Writing About Reading Series

How to Teach Problem and Solution in First GradeIn this episode of The Education Connection, we're continuing our Writing About Reading series by looking at how to introduce problem and solution to ou...

22 Elo 18min

How to Teach Beginning, Middle, and End | Writing About Reading

How to Teach Beginning, Middle, and End | Writing About ReadingTeaching beginning, middle, and end may sound a lot like teaching sequencing, but there is an important difference. When students sequenc...

17 Elo 7min

How to Teach Events and Sequencing | Writing About Reading Series

What does it really mean when we ask first graders to write about the events in a story? Before students can write about what happened, they need to understand plot, identify important events, and put...

10 Elo 24min

Classroom Procedures for Elementary Teachers | How to Teach Procedures That Actually Stick

Do you ever feel like you're spending more time correcting behavior than actually teaching? I've been there.In this episode of The Education Connection, I'm taking a short break from my Writing About ...

2 Elo 29min