Are you teaching Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School? Are you worried your students are having a great time reading or listening to the stories, but not building their reading comprehension skills?
Having fun while also keeping students accountable can be tricky. The stories in Sideways Stories from Wayside School are great to read out loud to students or have them work though, but you definitely don’t want to just be throwing that time away!
I created my Sideways Stories From Wayside School Chapter Questions when I taught a special education class of students with various Learning Disabilities. We would read a chapter or two each day after lunch and recess, and I wanted a way to check their listening comprehension.
If you’re looking for a great way to read a student favourite while still ensuring you’re hitting curricular outcomes, look no further than this product! It’s one of my most popular Katie is a Teacher products for good reason!
BENEFITS OF SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL CHAPTER QUESTIONS
When you purchase this product and put it into use in your classroom, your students will be able to:
- Provide you with assessment data for reading or listening comprehension
- Think creatively in order to answer questions based on this fun book
- Build critical thinking skills as they infer answers to questions
- Improve response and short-answer writing skills
With these questions, you’ll be able to assess your students on their reading comprehension skills as well as their writing skills. You can use this data to inform your teaching practice, targeting the areas your students may need improvement and further support in.
WAYS TO USE SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL CHAPTER QUESTIONS
As I noted above, when I first created this resource, it was specifically for my students with learning disabilities who were listening to the book. I wanted to have fun while reading the book, but ensure that they were building listening comprehension skills.
Since creating this resource, I’ve used it with both special education and regular education classes. I find that all of my elementary students love Sideways Stories, so depending on the age and ability of the students I will either read aloud to them or have them read on their own or in small groups.
You can have students work through these questions independently, with a teacher, or in small groups. For example, a “classic” way to use them would be to read a story/chapter as a class, then have students answer the questions independently. This way, you can gather assessment data for each student independently.
You may also want to break students into small groups. I’ve often used these for a centre-style lessons, in which students work with myself, an EA, or in small groups. You can break students into groups strategically and they can read through independently or with you, answering questions as they go.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL CHAPTER QUESTIONS
This was perfect for my students with moderate disabilities in the middle school setting. After we read a chapter together, we answered the questions that went along with it. It was the perfect amount of questions and they were specific enough that most of my students could recall facts to answer the questions independently.
– Kim S.
I have used this resource in guided reading groups. It is wonderful for practicing RADD short responses. Thank you so much for this!
– Shalyn N.
My students have been loving listening to this book and the questions make them pay even more attention. Thank you for the great resource!
– Katharine J.
So, if you know your students would benefit from working with these Sideways Stories from Wayside School Chapter Questions, CLICK HERE or on the image below to head over to TpT and purchase Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School Chapter Questions.
Help your students build their reading comprehension and written response skills today. With this product, you’ll be able to gather important assessment data and recognise areas of growth for students. Download yours now and get started!
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