The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
—Robert Frost
Cornerstones
I was walking in the snowy woods and came upon an old structure that was more rubble than building, but then I noticed a dated stone. I was whisked to my past as a little girl, remembering a book I read in which the siblings came across an old, abandoned building. The author wrote about the cornerstone in detail, sharing its history and significance. A cornerstone was the first stone placed in old buildings. Often a date was etched into the cornerstone because it marked the moment the builders committed to the project.
This part of the story stuck with me long after I’d forgotten the title of the book. I was intrigued by marking the point of a commitment… and then building around that point.
There in the woods, I walked to the cornerstone and ran my fingers over the weathered stone. The date was worn, almost invisible, and I thought about the foundations that we build upon. Big, wet snowflakes fell, and I breathed a deep breath, absorbing the quiet of the woods.
It was not a surprise when lines from one of Robert Frost’s most famous poems entered my mind:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
What are the cornerstones of our literacy instruction? I pondered as I stepped high over the snowdrifts. It goes without saying that at Choice Literacy, one of the main parts of our foundation is choice. In this era of structured literacy, I’m intrigued by the way so many educators protect the choices of student readers and writers. This week we celebrate cornerstones of literacy instruction that uplift and honor student choice—plus more, as always.
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Gretchen Schroeder shares her big takeaways from reading Inspiring Dialogue. Now more than ever, we need to help students express themselves and claim their voices, because the classroom is one of the last places where we can engage in dialogue about big questions with those who might not share our beliefs.
Don’t let being busy stop you from sharing new books with your students. We make it easy to expand the representation of books in your classroom with our book guides. For a limited time, access the book guide for Big by Vashti Harrison. Big 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.
Are you looking to connect with other instructional influencers? Join Coach-to-Coach—a free monthly gathering for instructional coaches. You’ll receive an inspirational article from our Leaders Lounge and a Zoom link to learn and collaborate with others. Coach-to-Coach is led by Ruth Ayres. Our next gathering is Wednesday, March 11, at noon (EST).
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.
Bitsy Parks offers a valuable and useful alternative to spelling tests to increase conventional spelling among her first graders.
Melissa Quimby tackles the question of how to foster more independence in her students. She considers the way tools can help scaffold independence. Melissa offers an in-depth conversation that examines what tool to create, how to introduce it, and where to store it.
Mandy Robek reflects on the post-assessments in a new curriculum, and the way students were making simple mistakes that lowered their scores. Mandy experimented with using “I can” statements as part of students’ self-reflection and was impressed by the influence this simple shift had on the post-assessments.
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.
Obstacles are a part of literacy leadership. Matt Renwick offers three steps to reframe our obstacles to reduce anxiety and stress.
Gwen Blumberg is inspired by Ted Lasso to consider intentional mindsets to foster success as a coach.
Quote It:
Without education you are not going anywhere in this world.
—Malcolm X
That’s all for this week!
