Frequently Asked Questions
How many SREs are on the site?
There are currently about 60 SREs on the site.
Who writes the SREs?
All of our SRE authors are expert teachers. Most of them are K-12 teachers, a few are university professors, and a few are graduate students.
How do you decide what texts to write SREs for?
We use several criteria in selecting texts for SREs: We choose texts that are widely used in K-12 schools, texts representing various genre, and texts representing various subject areas. We deliberately select both older and newer texts. We look for multicultural texts that will appeal to the broad array of students in today's schools. And we look for texts that will foster higher order thinking.
How are the SREs, the Previews, and the Story Maps on the site related?
The SREs are the main component of the site. They are complete and detailed lesson plans that describe lessons ranging in length from three days to three weeks. The Previews and Story Maps are supplementary components of the site. They are brief activities to be used as part of a larger lesson. The site does not contain SREs, Previews, and Story Maps for the same texts. There are Previews and Story Maps for most of the same texts, but the SREs are for a different set of texts.
How often should SREs be used?
This varies hugely with your class, what you are reading, and what you are trying to accomplish. In classrooms where teachers are familiar with SREs, we find that teachers often to use them once a week or once every other week. When students are reading challenging texts, they will profit from the support and guidance of an SRE. But there are other ways to support students' reading. Also, students should spend some of their time reading selections that are not particularly challenging, and in many cases they will not need SREs for these selections.
How can I learn more about SREs, how to create them myself, and how to use them in my class?
Detailed information about creating and using SREs is given in Michael F. Graves & Bonnie B. Graves (2003). Scaffolded Reading Experiences: Designs for Student Success. Norwood , MA : Christopher-Gordon