Bill Bass has advice for teaching web-based search skills to students.
Max Brand uses written blind word sorts to build student word learning skills.
Andrea Smith shares some of her favorite nonfiction classroom displays.
The line between fiction and nonfiction can be fuzzy, but Tony Keefer finds what matters most is finding texts that captivate readers.
Andrea Smith uses Explore Time with her fourth graders to build interest in nonfiction.
Katharine Hale looks at the value of hashtags in helping students harness Twitter in a reading community.
Julie Johnson has advice on classroom uses of tech resources.
Gigi McAllister shares how she combines vocabulary instruction with analysis of character traits in her fourth-grade classroom.
Beth Lawson helps fourth grader Donovan focus his many ideas for writing through some dictation in a writing conference.
Andrea Smith explains two routines, Daily News and Fact of the Day, which are key components of her morning meetings.
Megan Ginther found she was spending too much time responding to student writing, and just as important, taking on too much of the responsibility for improvement. She tackled the issue by developing a new program for peer evaluation of student writing.
If your students are already comfortable with an unstructured requirement of 20-30 minutes of reading each night, you may find adding 10 minutes of writing at home works wonders in fostering writing skills. Katherine Sokolowski explains how the assignment works in her classroom.
Beth Lawson confers with a fourth grader about her “about the author” blurb, a great chance to learn more about students’ home passions.
Why save all the most enjoyable literacy activities for May or June? Gigi McAllister spreads out the fun all year long with literacy events and activities to break up routines.
Franki Sibberson gives a group of boys a “lift a line” assignment to build their close reading skills.
Shari Frost asks a provocative question: Can books harm children? She explores practical ways for teachers to walk the fine line between support and censorship in matching books to students.
Tony Keefer takes the leap and commits to sharing more of his writing process with students.
Aimee Buckner confers with fourth grader Amanda about her reading comprehension and fluency, encouraging her to use a sticky note to track thinking around a focus question.
Andrea Smith discovers the value of more creative nonfiction book tub titles after listening to ideas from her students.
Katharine Hale has moved much of her reading response to digital boards, which are also a useful tool for formative assessment.
Students transition between home and school with the Community Board in Andrea Smith’s classroom. It’s a lively bulletin board that is updated and discussed daily in her fourth-grade classroom.
Beth Lawson uses an LCD, whiteboard, and magnetic clips in a clever way during the transition from minilessons to independent writing in writing workshop. Students tag whether they will be working on drafts or conferring with peers as Beth completes her status of the class on the board.
Stella Villalba gives a tour of her classroom library and publishing corner designed to support the grades 1-5 English language learners she works with daily.
Andrea Smith shares her best advice for library design that celebrates nonfiction as much as fiction.
Help students transition back to school with minilessons that give children a strong sense of the purpose of literacy workshops.
Ruth Ayres has tips for organizing desks, tables, chairs, and materials to support literacy learning.
Susan Dee uses shoebox autobiographies to build community and relationships with students early in the fall.
Tony Keefer confers with fourth grader Sydney about revising her writing and transitioning to a new genre early in the year.
Gigi McAllister finds the ever-popular six-word memoirs are a wonderful way to build community and help students get to know each other.
Karen Terlecky has advice for using summer reading for launching and closing the school year to build community and enduring connections with students.
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