Tips for Teaching Reading Lessons Online
Show Notes
Way back in Episodes 16, 18, and 20, we went through the fundamentals of teaching effective reading lessons. But what if you’re teaching online? In this episode, I’m sharing my top tips for teaching a reading lesson in a virtual classroom.
In this Episode…
Tip #1: Consider how Ss will see / access the text
format on PPT or Google slide
Google doc
Google forms
Jamboard
Tip #2: Put the task and text on the same slide / document
requires formatting PPT or slide so they both fit, if possible
backup plan: show a slide with the questions first and ask students to take a screen shot
You can put both the text and the task in the same Google form or doc
Tip #3: Give Ss time to read silently
can be awkward online, but embrace the silence! Mute yourself if you must!
asking students to read aloud is still not ok, even online
students need time to process and read at their own speed
Tip #4: Let students check answers in pairs after reading tasks
use breakout rooms for this
this gives you insight into students’ performance / comfort level with the task, especially since you can't easily monitor them reading silently the way you can in a physical classroom
monitor the breakout rooms to get a sense of how students did with the reading
peer teaching is happening! Students often share screens and point things out in the text
Tip #5: Make feedback visual
elicit answers from the students and then record these visually (share slide or form, etc.)
ideal to also share text so you can underline / point out where answers are found
highlight key words
(Bonus!) Tip #6: Manage your timing by keeping other stages short
having a fun lead-in and doing a vocabulary pre-teach are great ideas… but not at the expense of reading time
students need to read same text multiple times – you need time for this!
you may need to go into depth on feedback for the detailed task - if students have questions, you don’t want to have to rush this!
Want to review the fundamentals of teaching a reading lesson in general?
Episode 16: Should Your Students Read Aloud?
Episode 18: How to Teach Reading: Developing Sub-skills and Designing Tasks