Updated CRAFT Board with Strategies

I have to say first and foremost, I am sorry it has taken so long to post the CRAFT Strategies! I wanted to take the summertime to go through my school's Reader's Workshop model, as well as some other professional resources before I shared the list I would use for my class this year. 

And, while I do have a list of strategies to start the year, I know I'll be adding to it as time goes and I get to know my new class (since my ELL newcomer classes are so different each year!). Of course you know I will come right here to share any updated strategies I might use! :)

So...I have the following files to share...

• Some new CRAFT Headers to go with my classroom color scheme (as shown in the photo above).

• A definition of CRAFT. I wanted a visual to go along with the CRAFT Headers...and this is what my students and I talked about last spring, in regards to the acronym.  (This sign is also available in white with black font, in case you'd like to save some ink).

• The strategies for CRAFT for this school year...one example is below.

• Lined paper to match each header and handwrite the strategies (if you'd like an editable version to type on, please let me know and I will share that next!)

And here's a breakdown of what I have for strategies:

• The strategies I use for Comprehension, Accuracy, and Fluency are the ones I learned from The CAFE Book, so they are not included in this file...I am sharing the strategies I am using with my class for the other parts of CRAFT--The R and T!

• The strategies under Text Elements focus on various features of text, with a heavy emphasis on nonfiction literature--since that is a major unit within the Reader's and Writer's Workshop model my district uses.

•  The strategies under Response to Text are two-fold:

1. Some strategies are meant for response questions I give to my students.

My class uses Reading Binders and a variety of Reader's Response questions. We do a ton of whole-class work on these various response questions throughout the year...

Eventually, students choose from a list of questions for a response topic--to fit a particular book they are reading. This not only allows my students to select a question based on their knowledge of the story they are reading, but also allows them to choose a question they can handle based on their level of English proficiency.

2. Other strategies under Response to Text are meant for my students' reading journals.

This is going to be a little new for me. A couple of times each week (when students are not responding to a Reader's Response question) the class will respond in a composition book, with a letter to the teacher style of response. I did this a loooong time ago when I was a new teacher, but would like to get back to it now that I am accustomed to our Reader's Workshop model (don't you love heading into the second year of something that was new?!).

The strategies for both of these parts of the CRAFT Board are at the end of the packet...there are four pages of various strategies...

And that's it for now! I have a lot to start the year with, so I am pretty excited to use CRAFT from the very beginning! As I said before, I will be sure to update this packet with any additional strategies I use with my students. To download the packet (it is free) please click on the preview below (it will take you to my shop--I've heard some concerning things about Google Docs changing lately?!?!). I hope this can be of use! :)

This file is intended for personal use only. Please do not distribute. Thank you!