Articles
Here is where you’ll find all the latest print features from our contributors. If you’d like to browse specifically by grade level, topic, or contributor, you can use the links in the right sidebar.
Latest Content
Unlikely Friendships: A Multi-Generational Booklist
Teachers understand the power of relationships and how we, as humans, need connection. Leigh Anne Eck has compiled a booklist of unlikely friendships that span generations.
Making Meaning of Story Through Modeling
To develop a deep understanding of subject matter, comprehension is necessary across all content areas. Jodie Bailey shows the intricate use of bar models and a slow-reveal method for solving a problem by providing time and space for students to make sense of the story before jumping into action.
“I Was Scared”: Mary’s Story
Bitsy Parks offers wise insight about a student who often ran from the classroom in kindergarten. When she joined Bitsy’s first-grade class, everyone was surprised by the student’s new attitude and willingness to learn. Bitsy reflects on what made a difference.
Addressing Attention Spans
Jodie Bailey nudges us to be aware of the changes in attention spans and to provide opportunities to build time management skills.
Let the Math Linger: Creating Spaces and Conditions for Students to Revisit Math Materials Over Time
Mallory Messenger takes a fresh look at the spaces in classrooms where math can “linger.” By being intentional about the lingering experiences students have in math class, we can shift students’ thinking of math as isolated, daily math problems to connected math experiences ready for continued thinking and learning.
Eight End-of-the-Year Routines
Mandy Robek compiles eight ways to close the school year with intentional growth and joy.
Cool Things Happening This Year: Celebrating Greatness from Within
“Cool” things are happening all around us. Why search and scroll online when we are surrounded by ideas in real life? Heather Fisher guides us in creating celebration and reflection routines for the adults in the school.
Building Community and Culture with a Restorative Approach
Rather than focus on managing student behavior, Leigh Anne Eck considers restorative practices. In this article she shares about proactive circles with a literacy twist.
Navigating Complex Conversations with Young Children
Sometimes, in a world that feels divisive and intense, it is hard to sit before a rug full of children and teach the next phoneme sound or math strategy. Becca Burk shares practical strategies for navigating tricky conversations with young children. From books to read, conversation stems, and how to return to academic learning, Becca leads us all in knowing how to steady the room, and then teach.
Tips for Navigating a Scripted Literacy Program
Mandy Robek offers encouragement and tips for teachers who are navigating a highly structured literacy curriculum.
The Chain
Gretchen Schroeder addresses the doomsday messages about students’ reading abilities and then lets us peek into her high school classroom of active readers.
What Type of Mistake Was It?
How can we help students reflect on their mistakes so that they can be honest with themselves about the type of error they made? Mallory Messenger offers suggestions for how to position students to reflect on their mistakes during problem solving.
From Meet-Cutes to Happily-Ever-Afters: A Romance Genre Study
Gretchen Schroeder decided to capitalize on her high school students’ interest in romance novels and designed a genre study. Romance novels may not seem like the most obvious choice for academic rigor, but they offered a shared language to talk about love, power, identity, and relationships—conversations that matter both on and off the page.
Short Story Anthologies
Melissa Quimby makes a case for short story anthologies and invites you to explore some of her favorite collections.
Just Ask Them: Including Students in the Feedback Process
Hypothesizing what our students might be thinking eats into our time to act upon what they’re actually thinking. Heather Fisher suggests, “Let’s just ask the students.” Heather outlines a process for gathering responses from students of all ages and compiling the data to make it useful in determining next steps.
Protecting Choice and Inquiry with Outdoor Learning Walks
As curriculum shifts in our buildings to feeling more structured, Kate Mills and Tara Barnett reflect on how to protect student choice and opportunities for inquiry. They share a simple and practical way to create opportunity for both choice and inquiry through outdoor learning.
Leveling Up The Locker Problem
Finding a task as rich as The Locker Problem is a bit like finding the perfect read aloud. Jodie Bailey guides us to recognize different ways to turn a seemingly mundane problem into a rich task.
Those Pictures You Make: Personalized Tools to Help Students
Becca Burk shares how to personalize tools for students to build independence in their academics and emotional regulation.
Fostering Independence with Tools
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.
The Right Moment for “I Can” Statements
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.
Lessons from a Bird-Watcher: How to Make Space for Students’ Passions
Students are entering our classroom with passions. Tara Barnett and Kate Mills consider how to tap students’ excitement and create space for them to share their interests as part of the learning community.
Recognizing the Need for Change
Hannah Tills reflects on the importance of career changes in education and how they are not always about working to a higher leadership position. Hannah offers a guiding light for anyone who is wondering if a different position may be calling—even if it means returning to a past role.
More Than a Self-Portrait
Many elementary teachers begin the school year with the creation of self-portraits. Mandy Robek carries the work from the initial creation throughout the entire school year to strengthen her learning community.
The Locker Problem: Choosing Tasks and Posing Questions That Elicit Core Mathematical Ideas
Mallory Messenger encourages us to broaden our thoughts about math tasks: It’s not about using that one task; it’s about choosing a task that will conjure up the mathematical ideas and thinking we want our students grappling with. Mallory shows how to be purposeful in the questions and tasks we ask students to complete, and offers an array of thinking stems to adjust to the wide range of needs in a classroom.
Background Knowledge: More than Just Facts
Although background knowledge may feel like an “old concept,” Leigh Anne Eck offers fresh and important considerations to lift students’ ability to comprehend complex texts.
Why High School Students Need Cardboard Castles and Poetry Caves
Gretchen Schroeder makes a case for offering creative opportunities for high school students to play with language. She names three components to ensure a creative, playful experience is successful: student choice, ownership, and inspiring invitations.
Rethinking Resources: Pausing to Reflect on Old Favorites
Gigi McAlister shares a vulnerable story of realizing a read aloud text she used for many years was racist. She urges us to pause and examine the material we are using with students through different lenses to ensure that we are providing positive learning experiences for all students.
Shining the Light on Truthful Histories
Melissa Quimby advocates for us to become educators who shine light on truthful histories. To do so, we must carefully collect and examine the resources we are using with students.
An Alternative to Spelling Tests
Bitsy Parks offers a valuable and useful alternative to spelling tests to increase conventional spelling among her first graders.
Making the Case for Reading
Gretchen Schroeder makes a case for independent reading to administrators, families, and her high school students. Gretchen offers notebook entries, scholarly articles, and whole-class activities to help everyone know the benefits of consistent, daily independent reading.
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