[Reading and Handwriting Fluency] FREE passage

After attending a professional development day with Anita Archer and reading a book by E.D. Hirsch, I realized that I was neglecting 2 very important things in my everyday teaching! Daily handwriting fluency practice and scaffolding/building background knowledge with my children!

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, I'm offering a FREE non-fiction reading fluency passage and handwriting fluency practice worksheet.  Using these daily in my classroom has been one of the smartest things I've ever done!

This FREEBIE contains 1 passage geared for first graders in the spring. This passage may be very easy for some students and very challenging for others. Many of the words are decodable or sight words. Other words are easily taught within the short framework of the passage.

Students read the passage daily together with the teacher to build reading fluency (speed, accuracy, expression). The first day of reading, the class works together to identify new vocabulary (and the meanings of those words!) along with 3 new facts they learned through the reading. Days 2-5 are spent reading the passage and then copying as much of it as they can onto a handwriting fluency page.

This stuff really works!  I have seen handwriting improvement in 100% of my students! Their goal is to write "just like Mrs. Reynolds." They LOVE the challenge, and yes, that improvement does transfer to other academic areas as well!

If you're interested in other passages, please check my Teacher's Notebook Shop where everything is 25% off this week!  :)