Tag Archives: connecting

When a reader with autism needs to respond to literature…

By Sara Finegan What happens when a reader with autism needs to respond to literature? My focus in reading comprehension instruction this fall is all about responses to literature, and by this I mean writing in depth about what we read.   An essential component to the basic reading response is the way we connect to [...]

Role of the classroom aide: To help the child toward independence

By Richard Finegan This blog is a collaborative effort between my wife Sara and me.  She does most of the writing.  I do all of the editing, formatting, illustrating (mostly clip art), layout, etc.  Since neither of us had ever blogged or had a website before, it has been a new and rewarding experience. I [...]

Say what? Asking questions as one reads

By Sara Finegan Sam, a sixth-grader, didn’t like to read anything except picture books. His independent reading level was at the fourth grade for non-fiction (he loved science and nature text) and at the low third grade in fiction. The more I conferred with him about his reading, the more it became clear that Sam’s [...]

Out, out, damned plot! Keeping track of “Who…did what?”

By Sara Finegan Nick loved to bring high level fiction books to school, and eagerly showed them to me each time he walked into the classroom. He proudly informed classroom visitors that he brought his own independent reading from home.  Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones were two of his favorite characters, though when pressed, he [...]