Videos
Here is where you’ll find all the latest videos from our contributors. These videos are all captured in classrooms with crews using multiple cameras during regularly scheduled reading and writing workshops.
Latest Content
Classroom Tour: Whole-Class Meeting Space
In a classroom tour, Mandy Robek shares the purpose and design of her whole-class meeting space.
Classroom Tour: Creating and Living a Classroom Charter
In a classroom tour, Mandy Robek offers a wise approach to developing a classroom vision with her students. They begin by discussing the way they would like to feel in the classroom. Then they determine the actions that will help them feel those ways. Finally, they make a plan for what to do when they don’t feel supported in the classroom.
Classroom Tour: Classroom Supplies
In a classroom tour, Mandy Robek offers a unique and powerful approach to community supplies in her classroom.
Classroom Tour: Flexible Seating
Mandy Robek shares a variety of seating choices students have in her classroom. She explains the reason for her choices and how she manages a classroom where no one has an assigned seat.
Classroom Tour: Manipulatives and Books
In a classroom tour, Mandy Robek shares the thoughtful ways she pairs math manipulatives and books while providing easy access to the tools for students. She also promotes engineering and design with access to building blocks and parts.
Classroom Tour: Kinds of Spaces to Help Learning Blossom
Mandy Robek takes time to consider different places students will use in the classroom. She considers books, portable learning spaces, and the way learning will blossom over time in her third-grade classroom.
What Would You Do?
Tammy Mulligan uses role-play to help her class process different ways to respond to challenging behavior situations. In this video clip, Tammy shares the rationale behind this practice and gives us a glimpse into her students role-playing a situation and their conversations about possible responses.
Welcome, Everyone!
When Gigi McAllister says the library is a place for everyone, she means everyone! As a child Gigi did not like reading, so she is passionate about creating a space in the library where everyone feels like they belong.
Quick Take: Everyone Owns the Learning
Tammy Mulligan wants the kids to own the learning in the classroom. Here is one way she helps reinforce the message that everyone has something to offer the learning community.
Quick Take: A Classroom of Belonging
Tammy Mulligan shares the first steps to help students develop a sense of belonging in the classroom.
Expecting Joy in the Classroom Library
Bitsy Parks shares the joy you can expect from the classroom library.
QuickTake: Using Picture Books to Start Conversations
Gigi McAllister reminds us of the special way picture books can open the doors of conversation.
Practical Advice for Dealing with Messy Handwriting
Do struggles with handwriting matter? They do when a student can’t even decipher his own words. Katherine Sokolowski confers with fifth grader Sauvi to help him find solutions to the problem.
QuickTake: Grading Student Writing
Ruth Ayres shares a process for grading student writing that improves efficiency and accuracy.
QuickTake: Choice in Making Plans for Writing
Ruth Ayres shares the importance of giving students choice when planning their writing projects.
Assessing High School Readers
Secondary instructional coach Holly Wenning shares ways to assess high school readers.
Teaching Readers Rather Than Teaching Books
Secondary instructional coach Holly Wenning shares her own paradigm shift of teaching readers rather than teaching books, and encourages all teachers to consider the importance of putting students before books when planning literacy instruction.
Conferring and Peer Support
Christy Rush-Levine connects students to support each other as they write their literary analysis essays.
Expanding the Definition of “Text”
Holly Wenning helps us expand the definition of text when considering mentor texts and reading assessments.
Eavesdrop on Your Students
Melissa Quimby suggests listening in on students’ conversations to find out their interests. These tidbits will help you in building connections, recommending books, and encouraging writing topics.
The Importance of the Workshop Model in High School
Instructional coach Holly Wenning shares the importance of the workshop model, and especially work time, for high school students. See the transition from minilesson to work time in a 10th-grade English class.
Stay Sharp: Christy Rush-Levine
Christy Rush-Levine shares tips on how teachers can stay sharp.
Stay Sharp: Bitsy Parks
Bitsy Parks shares the importance of reading professionally to stay sharp.
Quick Take: How Do Writers Get Started?
In this QuickTake video, Ruth Ayres shares different ways writers can enter a writing project.
Stay Sharp Series: Seek Out Others
In our Stay Sharp series, Dana Murphy shares the ways she seeks out educators who help her stay sharp. Her key sources are Twitter, the educators in her school, and reading the Big Fresh.
Informal Conversations Give Insight for Instruction
Melissa Quimby encourages informal conversations with students to get insight into their personalities and lives.
Nourish a Sense of Belonging
Dana Murphy shares ways to nourish a sense of belonging in all students.
How to Begin a Community Circle
Bitsy Parks gives direction in beginning a community circle with primary learners.
QuickTake: Chronicling Learning All Year
Tammy Mulligan shares a beginning-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.
QuickTake: Leave Space for Personalization
Melissa Quimby advises leaving space for students to personalize the classroom when they arrive to start the new school year.
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