The Goal
The goal of the Blue Ribbon Readers project is to support teachers and parents in their efforts to teach literacy to children. The collection of lesson plans and interactive materials is designed to improve word recognition and encourage reading comprehension in readers in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The 7 Keys to Comprehension
The reading strategies used in the Blue Ribbon Readers lesson plans and interactive materials are adapted from the book, 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It!, by Susan Zimmerman and Chryse Hutchins.
Click on the key to learn more, access the lesson plans, and play the games.
Synthesize
Make meaning of text.
Find Important Ideas
Identify the main idea of text.
Monitor and Clarify
Identify confusing words and make meaning from them.
Create Sensory Images
See it, smell it, hear it, feel it, and taste it ... in your mind.
Ask Questions
Ask who, what, where, when, why, and how while reading text.
Make Inferences
Read between the lines.
Make Connections
Make connections with prior knowledge.