I love how I can just pull out the bin when I need it and add resources as I collect them throughout the week! It’s so helpful to have reference posters, mini-lesson materials, graphic organizers, and mentor texts all in one place! I organize all of my mentor texts, mini-lesson materials, reference posters, and graphic organizers in Iris cases.

The Story Structure Comprehension Kit is such a helpful resource for keeping my comprehension lessons consistent. I love being able to teach story elements using mentor texts and quality printable materials. Then, I always keep some on hand during guided reading. I will run off 10-15 copies of each graphic organizer and let them pick which one they feel best fits with their independent reading book. Providing various options for showing learning is key! I also like to incorporate student choice.

Graphic organizers help students visually organize a story’s elements, increasing their ability to retell, summarize, and comprehend the story. When it feels like they are ready, we pair the skill with books on their independent reading level. Or, I’ll assign them each an element to listen for as we are reading. Sometimes, I pair them with partners or put them in small groups to write out the story elements on Post-Its. As we revisit the mentor texts and read additional books that connect with the skill, I slowly pull back support and allow students to take over with identifying story elements.

Analyze story elements anchor chart