My classes need short, daily readings with activities embedded into the texts so that we can turn to them as a learning break when they stop focusing on the class conversation.
These texts are short. They take 10 to 15 minutes to read and have margin notes with all vocabulary so that every text can be read by anyone… even by the student who has been checked out all semester!
Every text has accountability. Most texts are written as cloze passages with a word bank. For this sequel to the first book, I have added new map activities, graph reading activities, Venn diagrams to process relationships in the texts and new question types.
My students report that they enjoy the puzzle-like challenge of fitting the right word in the right place, and I like that this format encourages them to pay close attention to the meaning of the paragraph.
In class I balance the tiny texts from this book with:
(1) a free choice reading program at the beginning of the class period,
(2) many slow, easy to understand conversations using Sweet 16 verbs, and
(3) we always end class creating a Write & Discuss text on the board that summarizes what we talked about during the class period.
Free Choice Reading invites curiosity; Write & Discuss turns that curiosity into shared expression; and the tiny readings from this book build the language skills that make both sustainable. These tiny daily readings are my newest bridge between joy and rigor — small puzzles that make attention itself feel rewarding. Use these every day and you’ll see a big impact on students’ ability to read fluidly.
Now available on Amazon: please search “Mike Peto books” and it will show up on the first page.
