There is magic in the old and magic in the new. The trick is to successfully combine the two.
―Adrienne Posey
An Ordinary Day to Start New
I used to struggle to get out of bed in the mornings. Then one ordinary day in the middle of the school year, in the middle of the month, in the middle of the week, I decided to make a change.
We can make changes to our routines in the middle of things. We don’t need to wait until the start of a school year, or the start of a unit of study, or a fresh start after a break. We can start on a Wednesday.
That’s what I did. I changed my morning routine one random Wednesday. It was more than a decade ago, and I’m still grateful that I didn’t wait for pomp and circumstance. I just made one small change.
Over the years I’ve tweaked my morning routine, never waiting until a special occasion, but simply responding to what feels right. My life is better because of this attitude.
We can do this in our classrooms, too. Humans adapt. And the younger the human, the easier the adaption. Too often we see an idea or we know a routine that would be helpful, but we put it off, filing it away for next year. We make ourselves believe that it’s too late to play with a procedure or update a routine.
This is simply not true. This week, as random as the timing seems, we look at firming up routines, because it’s always the right time to strengthen our routines.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Bitsy Parks teaches the foundations of first-grade classroom life through minilessons early in the year. This is a great list to check if midyear routines need to be strengthened.
Stella Villalba explores why it is so important to teach vocabulary to English language learners in context.
Tim Shanahan explores what brain science can tell us about reading instruction—and shares a safer bet for getting things right.
Do you wish you had more time to share new books with your students? We know you don’t need fluff or pretty activities. Instead we get to the heart of what you need to thoughtfully share new books in your classroom.
NEW! Our book guides are created and vetted by in-the-field educators. They hold true to the tenets of giving students choice and voice in their reading lives, while empowering a teacher to expand the representation of books shared with students. Click here to see all of our new book guides.
Begin with the 2024 Caldecott winner…
Big, written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, is the story of a young girl who receives many messages about what it means to be big and which of those messages she chooses to own.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Joanne Emery rounds up several ideas for embedding vocabulary routines in the school day. She also shares many rich vocabulary resources.
It’s not always easy to hold on to effective instructional routines and find ways to embrace new initiatives and mandates. In the first installment of a morning message series, Ruth Metcalfe addresses the issue of time.
Choice Numeracy | Jodie Bailey shares practical ways to nourish students’ thinking routines in her math classroom. She is inspired by Peter Liljedahl’s book Building Thinking Classrooms.
In this video, Tammy Mulligan shares a beginning-of-the-year (or middle-of-the-year) routine where second graders create an identity frame. This becomes a place to highlight photographs of their learning each week throughout the school year.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Heather Fisher taps the power of play in professional learning. By being mindful of incorporating play into professional learning, teachers build their skills and confidence with new materials or strategies in their classrooms.
Alexandra Auriemma gives tips for working with your polar opposite. It begins with fostering your own communication skills.
Quote It:
No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.
—Robin Williams
That’s all for this week!
