The Literacy Dive Podcast: Reading and Writing Strategies for Upper Elementary Teachers and Parents Megan Polk, Literacy Specialist, Elementary Teacher

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been diving into intervention strategies for students who have difficulty with reading comprehension. The reality is that some upper elementary students aren’t proficient or on grade level when it comes to reading or reading comprehension. So, as literacy teachers, we’ve got to come up with ways to support these students in our class. Last week, I shared strategies for students who struggle with the fundamental factors of reading comprehension. But in today’s episode, I’m sharing interventions and strategies for cognitive factors that affect reading comprehension for your students.
When we discuss cognitive factors, we’re addressing deficiencies in attention issues, processing speeds, working memory, language processing, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. But one thing that’s unique about cognitive challenges is that the intervention and strategies need to be specialized and focused on the unique needs of each student. Therefore, when highlighting strategies and interventions for cognitive factors that affect reading comprehension, they’re tailored and adjusted to benefit the student and help them succeed in reading and academics in general.
As you address cognitive factors that affect reading comprehension, know that support from special education teachers and interventionists may need to get involved. Therefore, by implementing these strategies with your students, you’re one step ahead in getting them the help they need for the future in academics. Our goal as literacy teachers is to get our students proficient in reading, so having these interventions ready for your students is one way for you to address their cognitive factors in order to improve their reading comprehension skills.
Show Notes: https://theliteracydive.com/episode169
Resources Mentioned:
Vocabulary Writing Prompts SampleFREE Context Clues Activity SetReading Comprehension Activity BundleReading Graphic OrganizersReading Comprehension Question RingsReading Skills and Strategies Anchor ChartsSentence Stem Response CardsSentence Stem Anchor ChartsEpisode 168, Interventions for Fundamental Factors That Affect Reading ComprehensionEpisode 167, Fundamental, Cognitive, and Environmental...

Getting students in upper elementary on grade level with their reading and comprehension skills can be challenging because there are so many factors and reasons why they’re lacking in that area. However, one of the biggest reasons is a lack of fundamental and foundational skills. I talked in last week’s episode about the different areas this can be found, but I want to go deeper into providing you with action steps you can take. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing seven fundamental reading comprehension strategies you can implement in your classroom.
As I reference factors tied to foundational skills, I’m referring to vocabulary, decoding, background knowledge, fluency, text structure, engagement, and comprehension strategies. These fundamental challenges contribute to a student’s lack of reading skills. So in each of these areas, I discuss the fundamental reading comprehension strategies I would take action in to support students. I also provide examples of engaging and creative ways to implement in the areas of your literacy block. 
It’s our job as teachers to find ways to support our students in becoming successful readers. And even if they’re in upper elementary, that reason could be a lack of fundamental and foundational skills. But by identifying and incorporating fundamental reading comprehension strategies, you will be able to build an effective action plan and learning experiences that are fun and engaging for all of your students.
Show Notes: https://theliteracydive.com/episode168
Resources Mentioned:
Vocabulary Writing Prompts SampleFREE Context Clues Activity SetReading Comprehension Activity BundleReading Graphic OrganizersReading Comprehension Question RingsReading Skills and Strategies Anchor ChartsSentence Stem Response CardsSentence Stem Anchor ChartsFluency Task CardsReading Comprehension Sight Word Stories and QuestionsEpisode 167, Fundamental, Cognitive, and Environmental Factors That Affect Reading...

One, if not the biggest, thing we focus on as literacy teachers is getting our students to be successful readers. But as upper elementary teachers, you know that you will have several students in your class who struggle with reading comprehension. This then becomes a major focus in our classrooms, but we know a student’s lack of reading comprehension can vary based on the student’s needs. So, how do we identify the root of the problem? In today’s episode, I’m sharing the different skills, processes, and factors that contribute to a student’s lack of reading comprehension.
As teachers, it’s in our nature to try and fix problems before they happen or quickly implement strategies that improve a skill any student is lacking. However, when it comes to a student’s lack of reading comprehension, it’s important to work backward and get to the root before planning proper intervention techniques. In my experience, if a student is struggling with reading comprehension, it’s because they struggle with either fundamental skills, cognitive processes, or environmental factors. I’m going to highlight each of these areas and identify 14 potential causes as to why reading comprehension is difficult for a student in your class.
Being a successful reader is more than just reading words on a page; it’s also the ability to analyze, comprehend, and explain what’s happening in the text. So, when students lack reading comprehension skills, they don’t have the necessary tools to be successful readers. In order to help them with this, we first need to identify what they’re struggling with in the area of reading comprehension before we plan intervention strategies for the student. Stay tuned to next week’s episode, where I unpack the reading comprehension causes shared today and dive further into strategies and interventions to help your students!
Show Notes: https://theliteracydive.com/episode167
Resources Mentioned:
Vocabulary Writing Prompts SampleFREE Context Clues Activity SetReading Comprehension Activity BundleReading Graphic OrganizersReading Comprehension Question RingsReading Skills and Strategies Anchor ChartsSentence Stem Response CardsSentence Stem Anchor Charts
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Join The Daily Writing Disguise Membership hereShop my TpT store a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Literacy-Dive"...

I’ve always made it a priority of mine to find simple yet effective strategies that support literacy teachers in the classroom. One of our main jobs as literacy teachers is to provide our students with the skills to become successful readers and writers. And one way to do that is by giving your students scaffolds to support their literacy growth and development. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing three effective scaffolds that I believe every literacy teacher should be using with their students.
Reading scaffolds are necessary tools in the upper elementary classroom. They’re designed to support all learners as they develop their literacy skills, which eventually leads to comprehension of a variety of texts. There are three different effective scaffolds that should be staples in your classroom. With each scaffold, I share how it will enhance a student’s reading comprehension, a variety of ways to use them, and provide specific examples that you can easily incorporate during your literacy lessons.
By using scaffolds in your classroom, you are providing temporary support that helps students accomplish tasks they can’t yet manage on their own. And while you might have heard of these effective scaffolds, it’s important to know how to successfully use them in order to better support the needs of your students. So, the next time you’re asking students to formulate their own ideas, make sure to take advantage of these scaffolds available to you.
Show Notes: https://theliteracydive.com/episode166
Resources Mentioned:
Vocabulary Writing Prompts SampleFREE Context Clues Activity SetReading Comprehension Activity BundleReading Graphic OrganizersReading Comprehension Question RingsReading Skills and Strategies Anchor ChartsSentence Stem Response CardsSentence Stem Anchor Charts
Connect with Me:
Join The Daily Writing Disguise Membership hereShop my TpT store hereReceive emails from me hereFollow me on Instagram hereRead my blog posts a href="https://theliteracydive.com/"...

Over the last few episodes, I’ve been covering several test-taking strategies in order to help prepare your students for the end-of-year standardized test. Unfortunately, most standardized tests are timed, so having efficient time management is so important for the success of their performance. Knowing how to pace themselves during a timed test is difficult for many students, which is why I’m sharing practical time management strategies that will help them feel confident and successful when taking a timed writing test.
If we think about it, students struggle to manage their own time while working independently or with a peer on a group project, so why would we think their time management skills would be present during a standardized test? However, we can help improve this skill by implementing time management strategies consistently and early in order for them to take effect during any timed test. I share four easy strategies that you can easily incorporate during any content area or activity. Then, I take it one step further and give examples and different ways for your students to practice these strategies so they’re confident in using them during a big test.
Using your time efficiently, whether it’s in the classroom or during your time spent at home, can be challenging for most students. But when you have the added pressure of performing at a high level on a standardized test, it can become even more challenging. However, by equipping your students with time management strategies, they will learn to efficiently manage their time during timed tests and feel confident while doing it.
Show Notes: https://theliteracydive.com/episode165
Resources Mentioned:
Join The Daily Writing Disguise Monthly Writing PromptsVocabulary Writing PromptsEpisode 164, Helping Students Manage and Overcome Test AnxietyEpisode 163, Response Ready: Tips for Helping Your Students Understand Writing PromptsEpisode 162, Mastering the Basics: Reinforcing Core Writing Skills
Connect with Me:
Join The Daily Writing Disguise Membership hereShop my TpT store hereReceive emails from me hereFollow me on Instagram hereRead my blog posts here

When it comes to preparing for a state standardized test, we tend to focus our energy and time on the content our students need to master in order to get a high-achieving score. We implement daily practice and review for weeks leading up to the test. However, one aspect that we don’t focus on but plays a big role in our students’ performances is test anxiety. In today’s episode, I’m providing you with a variety of information that will help students manage and overcome test anxiety.
Test anxiety is the emotional component around testing, which can often be difficult to identify in students. Therefore, I’m sharing the signs of test anxiety, some of the major causes or factors that contribute to it, and strategies to help reduce this overwhelming feeling they have. Knowing these signs and factors can help you identify students early on, which will then provide them with the necessary strategies and tools to help them process and manage it to the best of their ability.
Making sure your students are prepared academically to take the state standardized test is so important, but don’t forget to prepare them for the emotional role it can have on them as well. By addressing test anxiety directly, you will be supporting them by giving them the tools and strategies they need to feel confident and perform as their greatest selves.
Show Notes: https://theliteracydive.com/episode164
Resources Mentioned:
Join The Daily Writing Disguise Monthly Writing PromptsVocabulary Writing PromptsEpisode 163, Response Ready: Tips for Helping Your Students Understand Writing PromptsEpisode 162, Mastering the Basics: Reinforcing Core Writing Skills
Connect with Me:
Join The Daily Writing Disguise Membership hereShop my TpT store hereReceive emails from me hereFollow me on Instagram hereRead my blog posts here