Parts of the Ant 3-Part Reading

Three-part cards make reading practice independent. The control card lets students find and fix their own errors, which is how humans learn best, with no teacher correction required. Beyond that, remember that interest drives learning. Students who are interested in ants will choose these cards again and again, and that curiosity can carry even a reluctant reader through repeated reading practice. The cards also build vocabulary, part of the language comprehension side of reading in both Gough and Tunmer's (1986) simple view of reading and Scarborough's (2001) reading rope. By reading the word thorax now, a student will recognize and understand it when they later meet it in a science text.

Begin by using the photo-only cards to teach the names of the parts (via the three-period lesson), starting with the whole ant. Our Parts of the Ant Vocabulary Cards also work well for this step. When students are stretching past phonetic reading, use all three parts: lay out the photo cards, read and match the word labels to the photos, and use the control cards to check for accuracy independently (no teacher help required). For a complete learning experience, add the Parts of the Ant Book and Definition Cards, or get everything together in the Book & Card Set.

Typically Kindergarten (ages 5–6) and above. However, students of any age can benefit from these cards if they:

• Can read phonetically
• Are interested in ants or insects
• Need practice reading
• Prefer self-correcting activities to teacher correction