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Field Experience: Small Group Reading Instruction

Small group reading instruction is an important part of elementary literacy. This field experience is a sampling of a variety of examples.

Field Experience: Picture Books and Older Students

The value of picture books with older students is often questioned. Ruth Ayres assembled this field experience to allow insight into the depth and power of picture books for older students.

Field Experience: General Workshop Routines

This field experience invites us to consider the routines of opening the day, workshop norms, meeting areas and transitions to make workshop run smoothly.

Engaging Boy Readers: Beginning with Teacher Behaviors

Tony Keefer considers some of those awkward early conferences with male readers in his classroom, and shares advice on how to get the year off to a comfortable start with minilesson and conferring suggestions.

Never Say Never: Motivation to Read from an Unlikely Source

Knock knock. Who’s there? A boy who loves sports and has no motivation for reading. Barclay Marcell discovers an unlikely source of engaging text for a child who just doesn’t enjoy books.

The Quest for the Perfect First Read Aloud of the Year

Franki Sibberson is on a quest to find the perfect first read aloud of the year, and the search helps her consider the goals and purpose of read alouds during the first days of school.

Rethinking My Nonfiction Library in Response to the Common Core

Franki Sibberson finds a new classroom, the Common Core, and tech considerations are changing the ways she organizes the nonfiction sections of her classroom library.

Book Club Meetings in 3rd Grade

Beth Lawson explains how she sets up book clubs in her 3rd grade classroom.

Grades 3&4 Room Tour

In this video tour, Franki Sibberson narrates a description of the grades 3&4 multiage classroom she shares with a colleague. The space is small, so Franki explains how storage areas are carefully arranged and seating is creatively designed to make the most of limited space.

Matching Students to Nonfiction Texts in Grades 3-6 (BOOKLIST)

In this booklist, Mary Lee Hahn offers creative categories for considering readers in new ways.

Next-Read Stack: Conferring for Independence

Franki Sibberson explains the value of "Next-Read Stack" conferences for fostering independence, and includes a video example.

Extreme Makeover: Revision Edition

Heather Rader finds short text and shared modeling of revision strategies are just the scaffolds students need to see the power of revision for improving writing.

The Five-Minute Solution: Mini-Groups after Minilessons to Maximize Conferring Time

Aimee’ Buckner’s mini-groups are an easy and simple way to differentiate instruction in workshops, and save time when conferring.

If You Like Junie B. Jones, You Might Like . . .

What young learner doesn’t love Junie B. Jones? Franki Sibberson shares great texts to recommend for readers who adore Junie and might be looking for similar characters and plots.

Synthesis in Reading and the Reading Notebook

Beth Lawson helps one of her 3rd grade students write in response to a complex text he is reading, talking through how the writing might help him synthesize the plot of the story.

Previewing Nonfiction

Teachers are adding more nonfiction to their classroom libraries, and looking for ways to promote nonfiction with students in light of the emphasis on nonfiction in the Common Core. Franki Sibberson share tips for previewing nonfiction with students.

Book Matchmaker: Teaching Theme in the Intermediate Grades

Students need strong mentor texts for understanding the concept of theme. Franki Sibberson shares many of her favorites in this Book Matchmaker.

Book Matchmaker: Intermediate Read-Alouds

Franki Sibberson shares some of her favorite read-alouds for the intermediate grades.

The Affect of Tech on Splrs

Heather Rader considers the cultural divide between teachers and students who are “screenagers” when it comes to texting.  If u r getting LOLed out in ur classroom u might want 2 read this.

Sticky Notes to Determine Importance

In this conference from Beth Lawson’s third-grade classroom, the focus is on the skill of determining importance in texts. Beth helps Sephina integrate sticky notes into her strategic reading of the book The Blues Singers.

Inferring and Synthesis: Conferring Over Series Books

Beth Lawson shows how to get the most from a conference about series books in 3rd grade. Inferring and synthesis are discussed, as well as the use of written notes for making meaning from texts.

Top 10 Technology Tools for Teachers

If you're overwhelmed with the slew of new technology tools coming out all the time (and who isn't?), you might appreciate Scott Sibberson's Top 10 Tech Tools for Teachers. You are probably using some of the tools daily, and may discover a few new ones too.

Wild Facts

Wild Facts is a terrific example of how Andrea Smith's intermediate students naturally connect web resources with content learning.

Spelling Rules — Or Does It?

Heather Rader introduces a new spelling series and maps out the topics she’ll be tackling.

Three Rules Worthy of Spelling Inquiry

It seems like every spelling rule has an exception — so which ones must be taught? Heather Rader shares the three spelling rules worth any teacher’s time.

Digital Reading: Another Facet of a Classroom Library

The good news?  There are lots of free and low-cost digital books for young readers on the web.  The bad news?  The quality of many of them is mediocre at best. Andrea Smith highlights three web-based resources for digital books that are affordable and also high quality.

Writers, Choice and Independence (Part II)

In this second installment of a two-part series, Aimee Buckner writes about the value of open choice writing units.

Tuesday Trades: A New Literacy Ritual in My Classroom

Tuesday Trades are a terrific way to increase peer book recommendations. Andrea Smith created this new weekly activity with her intermediate students, building on existing workshop routines.

Born Wonders: Tapping Student Interest in Animals, Babies, and Books

Cute Alert – what’s more adorable than babies or animals?  Perhaps baby animals!  Andrea Smith shares an addictive web resource that will instantly hook students of any age.  It’s zoo postings of newborn animals from around the world, with many literacy connections.

Letting Go After Holding on Tight: Reflecting on the Last Days of School

Andrea Smith writes about how our instincts as parents and teachers merge to make it so hard to say goodbye at the end of the school year.

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