Matt Renwick is an elementary principal. Matt writes at Read by Example and tweets @ReadByExample. Matt is a veteran public educator, working first as a classroom teacher and now serving as the school leader at Mineral Point Elementary School (Mineral Point, Wisconsin). Matt’s educational writing and consultant work focus primarily on literacy instruction, school leadership, and technology integration. He has spoken at national conferences, including ASCD, ISTE, NAESP, NCTE, as well as facilitated workshops and professional learning experiences.
This week’s newsletter is about engagement.
Matt Renwick shows how to build the capacity of all students to engage in civil discourse.
Matt Renwick worked with a speech therapist after having a stroke. Through this process, he realized powerful teaching points to help students become stronger public speakers.
Matt Renwick defines three archetypes of personalities he has observed who have incomplete understandings about the science of reading. Matt offers approaches to each person, and notes that no one person neatly fits into a simple archetype.
Matt Renwick reflects on the importance of building students’ identities as readers and writers and the power of a daily status of the class. Download a template to put this routine in place in your own classroom.
Matt Renwick challenges educators that if we believe that social and emotional learning is just as important as academics, then we ought to use resources, space, and time to support self-directed learning.
Matt Renwick reminds us that there is a lot of information available in our classrooms that can inform instruction. Some of it is “hiding in plain sight,” for example reading logs.
Matt Renwick gives five phrases every writer should put at the top of a draft, and then explores the way doing so can help develop creativity.
Matt Renwick offers advice on how to use feedback as a tool to support and reinforce what students are doing well. Sincerity and positivity will always give students more confidence in themselves as writers.
Matt Renwick leads us to design book clubs where students can continue to grow and connect as readers in online discussions.
Matt Renwick explores ways in which whole-class conversations around one text can build a strong community as understanding is co-constructed.
Matt Renwick shares creative ways teachers in his school celebrate authors.
Matt Renwick finds the data closest to the students we serve is more helpful to teachers than many benchmarks or screener scores.
Teaching the genre of tests can seem far removed from writing workshop. Matt Renwick explores how to teach constructed response in a way that is integrated with the tenets of good workshop instruction.
Matt Renwick is surprised when his son completes a reading quiz that isn’t required, and finally realizes it’s all about reading response.
Matt Renwick describes the process of paying attention to telling details, and gives practical advice for teaching this skill to young writers.
Matt Renwick encourages you to ask a few critical questions before you adopt the 40-Book Challenge or any other activity with a number for a goal you’re going to be tied to all year long in your classroom.
Matt Renwick discovers technology provides many authentic audiences for student writing.
“China is going to kill us all!” This quote from a student causes Matt Renwick to stop and consider how schools can use literacy to promote global understanding.
Matt Renwick explains why sometimes the best way to grow reading abilities in students is to resist rubrics.
Here are Matt Renwick's three favorite moves for helping struggling writers.
Matt Renwick finds there is value in connecting video games and literacy in classrooms, once he and the teachers he works with can get past their leeriness.
What many school leaders, teachers, and students have in common is that they are introverts. Matt Renwick remembers exhaustion from his first year of teaching because of introversion, and offers suggestions for meeting the needs of introverts in any school community.
If you’re interested in launching student podcasts, Matt Renwick has resources and tips for getting started.
Get full access to all Choice Literacy article content
Get full access to all Choice Literacy video content
Access Choice Literacy course curriculum and training