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The Anticipation Guide: A Tool for Study Group Leaders

Suzy Kaback finds the Anticipation Guide is the “little black dress” of study group and staff development leaders, taking any literacy leader seamlessly from the classroom to PLCs and faculty meetings.

Linking Math and Writing Through Word Problems

In this six-minute video, Franki Sibberson demonstrates how she helps her 3rd and 4th grade students make connections between writing workshop and math problem solving.

Middle School Classroom Makeover Part I

In this first of a three-part video series, “The Sisters” (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help 7th grade teacher Erin declutter and rearrange her classroom.

Student Reading Interview: Assessing Ana Part 2

This is the second video in a two-part series. Principal Karen Szymusiak interviewed Ana, a second grader, to learn more about her strengths and needs as a reader. In this week’s installment, Karen will share her findings with Ana’s teacher.

Big Books and Charts Organizer

In this two-minute video, Joan Moser shares a simple tool teachers can create for their classrooms to keep Big Books, charts, and laminated large materials organized.

Watching Teachers Teach: An Observation Form for Literacy Coaches

Being genuine about feedback is essential to educators. Jan Miller Burkins finds a form and process that allows her to be both thoughtful and specific.

Open Book Clubs

Shari Frost shares the nuts and bolts of setting up open book clubs in your school. These clubs are a great way to expand the reading community, as well as connect school libraries and classrooms.

Multicultural Picture Books for Young Children

These books do double duty – building community and understanding of the sounds of language.

Letting Go and Holding On: Evaluating Our Work as Literacy Coaches

It’s hard to know where we’re going if we don’t know where we’ve come from. Jan Miller Burkins has developed an evaluation form for literacy coaches to give to teachers.

Grade Level Team Meeting: Test Preparation

In this video of a 3rd grade team meeting, literacy coaches Janet Scott and Gail Boushey help third-grade teachers think through what is going well with test preparation, and what might be adapted before the tests begin in a few weeks.

Makeover for the Teacher Desk Area

"The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) work with Sarah Thibault and friends in Maine to makeover the teacher desk area in her 4th grade classroom.

New Teacher Conversations: Management Stories from the Classroom

Ruth Shagoury provides a workshop model for teacher leaders looking to encourage respectful conversation with new teachers on the topics that are near and dear to them.

Quotes about Literacy Leadership and Change

Quotes to inspire teachers who lead.

Giving New Readers a Diet of More Than Leveled Books

Franki Sibberson contemplates which diet plan she’ll try this month, and that leads her to think about what a steady “diet” of leveled books does for young readers.

Chance Encounter

Jennifer Jones ventured out to lunch with some former colleagues, and came home with a new perspective on the impact of her teaching after a chance encounter with YuYang, a former student.

Picking a Partner: Demonstration Lesson and Debrief

In this demonstration lesson from a K-2 classroom, Joan Moser leads students through guided practice in picking a partner.

3rd Grade Meeting Area Makeover

Are your meeting area wall displays too cluttered? "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help a 3rd grade teacher rethink her wall displays and meeting area in this ten-minute video.

The Language of Coaching Part I: Word Choices

If you believe it’s challenging but “possible to be tactful without being inauthentic,” Jan Miller Burkins will guide you around the thorniness of the language of coaching.

Favorite Mentoring Quotes

If you're guiding the learning of others, you'll be inspired by these quotes.

Notetaking Series Part V: Getting Out of Notetaking Ruts

It's a quick journey from notetaking routines to notetaking ruts. This installment of the notetaking series focuses on ways to get out of the ruts that emerge naturally whenever any notetaking routine is established.

Memorable Students, Memorable Teachers: A Quick-Write Icebreaker for Teacher Workshops

This is a quick-write workshop activity that is especially suited to the more relaxed pace of summer professional development workshops, or first meetings with colleagues in the fall when everyone is refreshed and reflective.

Conferring with Colin

In this reading conference with Colin, Joan Moser (of “The Sisters”) helps him set a goal of working on accuracy.

Teacher/Principal Conferring: Reflecting on Readers’ Notebooks

In this conference, Principal Karen Szymusiak and 5th grade teacher Liz Cramer discuss the ways Liz uses readers’ notebooks in her classroom.

Running and Reading Logs

In this first video in a two-part series, Clare Landrigan meets with a group of fourth graders to talk about reading logs and goals. In this excerpt, Clare uses the analogy of how runners use logs to chart progress and set goals.

How Study Groups Are Like Self-Cleaning Ovens

With a few key elements in place, Brenda Power and Jennifer Allen explain how study groups can almost run themselves and get everyone involved.

Punctuation Quotes

Fun quotes to start discussions about punctuation for learners of any age.

“Hard” Reading Workshop: Understanding How Proficient Readers Comprehend Difficult Text

The Hard Reading Workshop is a terrific professional development activity for launching conversations about text difficulty and strategy instruction.

Literacy Coaching Interview Rubric

This rubric can help anyone interviewing for a literacy coaching position determine if there is a philosophical fit between their beliefs and the goals of the school. The rubric is also helpful for any school in the process of defining responsibilities for literacy coaches

Quick Take: Advice from Katie Doherty on Starting a Middle School Reading Workshop

In this one-minute quick take video, Katie Doherty has advice for middle school teachers who are thinking of launching a reading workshop in their classrooms.

Running and Reading Logs Part II

In this second video in a two-part series, Clare Landrigan meets with a group of 4th graders to talk about reading logs and goals. In this excerpt, Clare confers with students over their logs and debriefs with their teacher.

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