5 Reasons To Use Paired Text
Are You Looking To Add Inspiration To Your Guided Reading Table?
Teaching young children to read has many challenges. Teachers are always looking for ways to inspire budding readers with leveled books that make the learning process more pleasurable.
What does it mean to use paired texts in your reading instruction? Paired texts are a powerful instructional tool that allows students to approach a subject from both an informational and narrative point of view. Using paired texts in your kindergarten classroom can help you in these five essential areas:
Meet Curriculum Goals
A common curricular goal in the younger grades is a preliminary understanding of the distinct goals of fiction and nonfiction texts and the unique distinguishing features of both types of literature. Reading aloud to students, while explaining your thinking and pointing out text features is a great way to get started. Having texts at a reading level that is accessible to your students is a great way to give them a chance to put their learning into practice and take ownership of their new knowledge and skills. It also allows them to see what different types of text structures look like at their level.
Make Meaningful Comparisons
Because paired texts address similar subject matter from different perspectives, students can begin to make meaningful inferences about the different natures of informational vs fictional texts. By using topics and text that is developmentally appropriate, students can come to their own understandings of what differentiates different genres, and, with teacher guidance, be better equipped to make distinctions between genres themselves.
Increase Oral Language
One of the most important aspects of the early childhood classroom is the development of oral language. Young students should consistently build upon their ability to communicate effectively as they are guided to more complex language skills through conversations, oral reading, songs, etc. Paired texts can help young students increase their oral language by explicitly modeling how language changes depending on context. For example, telling a story about going to the dentist uses very different language than describing the dentist's office. This is especially important for students who come to school with oral language deficiencies, as paired texts provide a powerful tool you can use to explicitly explain and use different types of language structures.
Improve Vocabulary
As students develop their oral language skills through paired texts, they can also build their vocabulary. By presenting context-specific language in multiple scenarios, students can deepen their understanding of vocabulary words that are included across texts.
Strengthen Comprehension
Additionally, using paired texts will help students strengthen their comprehension. By engaging with material in both fiction and nonfiction, students are able to learn about scenarios from multiple perspectives. This gives them multiple points of entry for understanding specific topics.
Hameray Publishing has a great new series called Kid Lit (levels A-D) that is loosely organized into themes around culture, community, seasons, and self. Each whimsically illustrated fiction story gives a peek into a slice of a child’s life and is paired with a related nonfiction text to expand familiarity with the world. And best yet, the series is growing to include even more titles. Check out the series here. I am proud to have contributed to this series, as well as some Stem titles, here. My favorite part about being a part of this Hameray project is the opportunity to create text that will be a help to other teachers, as they build young readers!
Want more connected texts?
Take a look at our thematic guided readers that will help make pairing your text easier, and offer a great paper book that can go home with your students!
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Fall theme emergent readers make learning to read fun and engaging. Using real books is an easy way to apply science of reading and standards!
Offering students a paper book that can be colored and taken home offers students authentic purpose for the guided reading instruction and opportunity to practice techniques at home. Kids LOVE these paper fall themed books!
This set includes:
1. Falling Leaves
2. The Autumn Leaves
3. Autumn
4. Colors of Fall
5. One Potato
6. Potato Song
*Please check out our Halloween Emergent Readers for more fall fun!
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
127 Guided Readers For Emergent Readers.
Check out one being read here: https://www.kindergartenkiosk.com/guided-reading/2/19/ell-kindergarten-reader
You will love these engaging guided readers that bridge the gap from non-reader to reader. These books can be copied, and then offered for guided reading practice. Students can participate in tracking, phonics practice, decoding, picture clues, and other important reading strategies right on their own copy!
Offering students a paper book that can be read, colored, and taken home offers students authentic purpose for the guided reading instruction and opportunity to practice techniques at home. This in turn offers parents important opportunities to be part of classroom reading instruction. Students love these delightful stories that are ready to read, on an emergent level. The clip art is delightful!
These sets may be purchased separately for $4.00 a set. Or, you may purchase this entire bundle for $50.00, a great savings of $34.00. That is $.25 a book!
Apple & Pumpkin Themed Emergent Guided Readers
Apples
The Pumpkin Cycle
Pumpkin Colors
Pumpkin Patch
Apple Picking Time
Back To School Themed Emergent Guided Readers
The School
School Rules (A Read Together Book)
All About Me
My Classroom
Friends
Names
Bear Themed Emergent Guided Readers
My Teddy Bear
The Brown Bear
Little Bear and Friends
Bear Facts
Color Bears
The Three Bears
Christmas Themed Emergent Guided Readers
Merry Christmas
Presents From Santa
The North Pole
Run Gingerbread Man Run!
The Christmas Train
Color Themed Emergent Guided Readers
Blue (Color)
Blue (Black & White)
Green (Color)
Green (Black & White)
Orange (Color)
Orange (Black & White)
Purple (Color)
Purple (Black & White)
Red (Color)
Red (Black & White)
Yellow (Color)
Yellow (Black & White)
Dinosaur Themed Emergent Guided Readers
Dinosaurs -- Level A
All About Dinosaurs -- Level C
Dig A Dinosaur -- Level C
The Little Dinosaur -- Level B
The Paleontologist -- Level B
Fable Themed Emergent Guided Readers
The Little Pigs
The Little Goats
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Little Red Hen
Fall Themed Emergent Guided Readers
1. Falling Leaves
2. The Autumn Leaves
3. Autumn
Colors of Fall
Farm Themed Emergent Guided Readers
The Farmer in the Dell -- Level A
The Sky is Falling -- Level CC
The Watermelon -- Level C
The Farmer -- Level C
Where are the Animals -- Level B
February Themed Emergent Guided Readers
Little Hearts -- Level B
I Love -- Level C
My Valentine -- Level C
Brushing Teeth -- Level C
Groundhog Day -- Level B
The Days of School -- Level C
President's Day -- Level B
Halloween Themed Emergent Guided Readers
Halloween Night
Little Witch
The Chocolate Chip Ghost
Trick or Treat
My Halloween Costume
Pat the Bat
May Themed Emergent Guided Readers
What I Can Do Now
My School
My Friends
Summer Vacation
Ocean Themed Emergent Guided Readers
At The Beach - Level B
The Ocean - Level B
The Ocean - Level A
The Sea - Level C
Diving in the Sea - Level C
Willy The Whale - Level C
Picture Book Themed Guided Readers
The Big Red Dog
Little Caterpillar
Goodnight At The Zoo
This Little Piggy
The Brown Bear
Five Little Monkeys
Pirate Themed Emergent Guided Readers
I Like Pirates-- Level C
X Marks The Spot-- Level E
The Pirates -- Level C
The Treasure -- Level D
Sight Word Themed Emergent Guided Readers: Volume 1
I Have
Jobs
Going to School
Not!
It Is For
I Know
Sight Word Themed Emergent Guided Readers: Volume 2
The Pet Show
Dad
On
Look!
I Said
We Can
Space Themed Emergent Guided Readers
The Stars -- Level D
My Rocketship -- Level C
Space Explorer -- Level B
Rockets -- Level C
The Aliens -- Level B
Spring Themed Emergent Guided Readers
The Lamb and the Lion
Welcome Spring
The Cat’s Hat
St. Patrick’s Day
The Little Seed
The Bunnies
Winter Themed Emergent Guided Readers: Set #1
Happy New Year
How To Build a Snowman
My Snowmobile
Cocoa
Ice Skating
Winter Themed Emergent Guided Readers: Set #2
Winter
Winter
Snow
The Mitten
The Mitten
⭐ Alphabet Zoo Games: For Early Readers
⭐ Apple & Pumpkin Themed Sight Word Readers
⭐ Apple Experiment Guided Reader
⭐ Back To School Sight Word Readers
⭐ Bear Themed Sight Word Readers
⭐ Christmas Guided Readers
⭐ Color Themed Emergent Guided Readers
⭐ Dinosaur Themed Sight Word Readers
⭐ Fall Themed Emergent Sight Word Readers
⭐ Farm Themed Sight Word Readers
⭐ February Themed Guided Readers
⭐ Halloween Emergent Guided Readers
⭐ Henry Penny: Reader's Theater or Partner Play
⭐ Jack and The Beanstalk: Reader's Theater or Partner Play
⭐ Little Red Hen: Reader's Theater or Partner Play
⭐ Little Red Riding Hood: Reader's Theater or Partner Play
⭐ May Themed Guided Readers
⭐ Ocean Themed Sight Word Readers
⭐ Picture Book Themed Guided Readers
⭐ Pirate Themed Sight Word Readers
⭐ Reader's Theater or Partner Play: Folk Tale Bundle
⭐ Reading Strategies Charts: Building Effective Readers
⭐ Sight Word Readers Volume 1
⭐ Sight Word Readers Volume 2
⭐ Space Themed Sight Word Readers
⭐ Spring Themed Guided Readers
⭐ The Shoemaker and the Elves Readers' Theater For Early Readers
⭐ The Wizard of Oz Musical or Reader's Theater
⭐ Three Billy Goats: Reader's Theater or Partner Play
⭐ Three Little Pigs: Reader's Theater or Partner Play
⭐ Winter Guided Readers: Set #1
⭐ Winter Guided Readers: Set #2