It’s officially Spring time! It feels strange to talk about activities for the end of the year…but we are officially there! For some of you, April is your last full month of the school year. So, the time is now…to bring up camping close reading activities!
When it comes to the end of the year, how many of you like to work fun themes into your teaching? I love a classroom campout, a camping day, or anything themed around the great outdoors! That’s what summer is all about, after all. 🙂
To keep the academic instruction high, but make it more engaging for your students, I suggest a themed day filled with activities you would already plan! A close reading pack of passages is perfect for a day like this!
What is Close Reading?
Close reading is the instructional routine of reading one text, more than one time, to look for different standards along the way. Each time a student re-reads a text, you have the opportunity to have them search for a new skill. This process of reading again and noticing evidence of new things deepens comprehension!
Close Reading Themes
I have shared in past blog posts that I think seasonal reading is a great way to re-engage students in your teaching! Especially as we get close to the end of the year, it can be hard to keep students focused and working. But, choosing a theme to center all of your work around is a great way to make things feel fun, even in the midst of hard work!
What better theme is there for the weeks leading up to summer break than camping? There’s so much you can do with camping in the classroom: reading around a virtual campfire, turning out the lights and reading by flashlight, etc. Take some camping-themed reading and make a whole day of it!
In my TPT store, I have a camping-themed close reading pack, as well as a bundle of other themed close reading passages! If camping isn’t your preferred theme. You can have students read about ocean animals, community helpers, or space! Whatever engages them most!
Why does Close Reading Work?
I have shared about the benefits of close reading in the primary grades in THIS POST. This type of reading gives students multiple opportunities to think about the same text, but in different ways. This promotes growth in many areas: fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and content knowledge. When you pair the benefits of this teaching routine with the engagement of high-interest texts, you can only win!
Themes add Engagement
One more thing…if you want to add in some more fun to your lessons, try to bring in some props. These up engagement and get kids even more excited about a theme.
For the camping theme, I love this pop up camper tent by Melissa & Doug. I also love these mini lantern lights that I got from Target a few years ago.
I hope you can find some fun themed props to use with your kiddos too!
