The document outlines eight key tips to develop great readers, emphasizing that readers are cultivated through mindful practices rather than innate ability. Key strategies include addressing errors promptly, fostering rich discussions, integrating reading and writing, and using guided instruction tailored to student needs. The importance of independent reading time and meaningful engagement during read-alouds are highlighted to help students develop a love for reading.

1. Tips to Create Great Readers

2. Do you believe in this?
“GREAT READERS ARE MADE;
THEY ARE NOT BORN.”

3. 8 TIPS TO CREATE GREAT READERS
by: Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

4. 1. Build habits at the moment of error,
not at the moment of success.
The most critical moment in reading
instruction is when a student gets
something wrong. If the student
continues practicing the skill
incorrectly, he or she will build weaker
habits.

5. 2. Change how students talk about reading, and
you’ll change how they think about it.
Great discussion, like great reading, comes from
building the right habits. If we intentionally train our ­
students in the habits of great discussion they can
conduct extraordinarily rich conversations among
themselves. And when they drive the discussion, they
learn far more rapidly and are more prepared to make
their own way to the right conclusions about a text.

6. 3. Put great reading and great writing where they belong:
hand in hand.
Just like adults, students use writing as a valuable tool for
gathering their thoughts about a text and communicating their
ideas to others. By leveraging this to your students’ advantage,
you’ll develop their writing skills in tandem with their reading
skills. For example, starting around third grade, students can
prepare for a discussion about what they’re reading by
answering a focus question in writing beforehand: “What is the
author trying to teach us in this story? What specific lines or
phrases from the text help to reveal that information?” Then,
you can review written responses to get a better understanding
of what guidance the students will need during the discussion.

7. 4. Use guided reading instruction to match the right skill
and text with the right student at the right time.
Our students still need us to meet them where they are.
Guided reading lets you do both. It gives students the
chance to master skills and allows you the opportunity to
address miscues in the moment. By providing this
scaffolding and support, you’ll help students access
complex texts—all while making sure they learn the skills
they need at the pace they need.

8. 5. Make prompting normal.
How many open-ended questions do you ask of your
students on any given day? Students thrive when they
expect to be ­
prompted and when that prompting is
targeted to help them problem-solve and articulate their
thinking.

9. 6. Don’t let the drive for evidence replace the need for the
right evidence.
Citing text evidence is a crucial skill. Students won’t
develop it, though, unless you require that they cite the
right evidence to support their point. How can you make
that happen? Go back to No. 1: Build habits at the
moment of error. When you ask a
student for evidence, evaluate the quality of his or her
response, and keep prompting until you get the right
evidence. Hold to a high standard in that moment to give
your students what they need, when they need it.

10. 7. To get the most out of read-alouds, leave the rocking-
chair mentality behind.
When you picture a read-aloud, what comes to mind? The
passive approach to read-aloud suggests: Sit back and
read to your students, and meaningful enrichment will
follow. That method can certainly get students excited
about reading and model how fluent reading sounds.
Choose texts that require students to use the skills they
need to learn. Ask questions that allow them to put those
skills to practice. In doing so, you can transform a read-
aloud into an invaluable opportunity to build reading
habits, all while students savor the joy of being read to.

11. 8.To make sure students fall in love with reading, make
sure they are reading.
Independent reading time is an essential component of
any reading program: It’s a chance for students to put
together everything they’ve learned in reading lessons
and fly using their own wings. But it only works if they
really do spend that time reading. Setting the expectation
that students will read for the entire period, and holding
them intellectually accountable for what they read will
lock in their success as lifelong independent readers. An
easy-to-implement tip: Get them to write about what they
read, posing a targeted question to help unlock their
comprehension.

12. “Teach good habits
and
watch reading skills
soar.”

13. THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING…