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Choice Literacy Articles & Videos
The Choice Literacy library contains over 3,000 articles and 900 videos from 150+ contributors. Classic Classroom and Literacy Leadership subscribers have access to the entire library. Content is updated continuously, with five to six new features published each week.
Latest Content
Revision Tools: Providing Options to Students
From old favorites like highlighters to new resources like kangaroo bags, this whole-class session with Franki Sibberson's grades 3-4 students highlights cool tools that will inspire learners to dive in and test out different revision strategies in writer's workshop.
Four Essentials in Designing Professional Development for Literacy Leaders
While clever activities for adult professional development are fun, what really helps colleagues become more competent and sensitive to classroom and school needs? Franki Sibberson knows what her colleagues need and gives it to them.
Starting Points: Easy Beginnings for Writing Better Narrative Assessments and Report Card Comments
If you struggle as a writer at report card time, these tips might give you ideas for streamlining your work.
Helping Young Readers Understand the Middle East: A Booklist of the Best Fiction Picture Books
Do your books reflect the images of your learners' families and culture? Ruth Shagoury offers a booklist to explore the Arab and Persian world.
Reflection Sheets: A Tool for Assessment and Conferring
Franki Sibberson explains how “reflection sheets” work as an assessment tool in her classroom, replacing detailed notes from conferences.
Teacher Study Group: Writing Focus
In this video of a teacher study group, Jennifer Allen leads a group of grades 3-5 teachers as they launch their monthly meeting in October.
The Dark Side of Girl Talk: How Female Conversation Patterns Can Inhibit School Change
Brenda Power explores the differences between “rapport talk” and “report talk” and what to do when communication breaks down with female colleagues.
Flexible Groups: Moving Beyond Levels to Assess Reading Needs
Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (“The Sisters”) discuss how their thinking has evolved when it comes to flexible groups. The article includes a video excerpt of Joan working with a group of kindergartners.
Minilessons to Start Conversations with Students About Books
In leadership positions, the first conversations with students about who you are and what you believe can set the tone for the year. Franki Sibberson has helpful advice for talking with readers — big and small.
Family Survey: Report Cards and Evaluations (SURVEY)
Here’s a quick and easy family survey to send home with students.
The “All About Us” Board: Linking Literacy and Community Building All Year Long
Suzy Kaback has terrific tips for an ever-evolving “All About Us” bulletin board to use from the first day of school to the last.
Concepts of Print: Conferring with a Kindergartner
In this conference with five-year-old Mariano, Joan Moser (of “The Sisters”) assesses his understanding of reading, print, and books at the start of the school year.
Creating Anchor Charts with Sticky Note Responses from Young Readers
Over-sized sticky notes are a great learning tool for kindergartners. In this video, Andie Cunningham demonstrates how she uses them with her students.
Guilty Pleasures
Aimee Buckner reveals her guilty pleasures, and finds they make for great writing fodder.
The Lines are to Write My Words: Phonics in Context
Ruth Shagoury considers the role of phonics in context as she observes a classroom built on a foundation of children's expert knowledge as writers.
On Kidney Tables: Small Changes for Big Effects
When our environment aligns with our values, Karen Szymusiak considers what helps learners take charge of their experience in a successful learning community.
Enlisting Students as Observers
Students are keen observers – put those talents to work in your classroom.
Keeping It Simple: Reflections on the December New Teachers Study Group
What is really important for our time and energy? Jennifer Allen reflects on words of wisdom that keep her centered as a literacy coach.
Noticing Interesting Words: Small-Group Vocabulary Lesson
In this five-minute video, Gail Boushey leads a short small-group lesson on vocabulary.
In the Zone: Conferring with a Young English Language Learner
Andie Cunningham confers with kindergartner Cristian within his "ZPD" – Zone of Proximal Development.
Getting Started with Your Own Writer’s Notebook
Notebook Faker Extraordinaire Aimee Bucker writes about how she managed after years of false starts to build the writer's notebook habit one summer not long ago.
Family Dichos: Bringing the Language of Home into the Classroom
Ruth Shagoury and Andie Cunningham use dichos (sayings or proverbs) in many languages and cultures to build bridges between school and home.
Over, Under, and Beyond Words: Alternative Strategies for Observing Talk in Classrooms (E-GUIDE)
Words matter. Tried-and-true templates and strategies in this E-Guide focus attention on classroom talk in ways that help grow professional conversations.
What’s Valued? Exploring Different Values in Evaluation (E-GUIDE)
Brenda Power shares a workshop series designed to help educators bring their values into closer alignment for a more cohesive experience for students.
Opinion Exchange (E-GUIDE)
How can quotes lead educators to awareness and acceptance of the diversity of opinions in a group? Discover what this format for discussion has to offer your study group or staff.
Community Language Board: Building Vocabulary All Year Long
“The Sisters” (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk about how the community language board changes and evolves over the year, building a sense of community and shared literacy.
Idealism Fades to Reality: Thinking Back to My Days as a New Teacher
Jennifer Allen makes connections between her new professional life as a literacy coach and her beginning as a classroom teacher.
Conferring with a Child in the “Silent Period”
Larisa is a six-year-old who speaks Russian at home, and is in the “silent period” in school. In this conference, Ruth Shagoury demonstrates different strategies for eliciting responses from Larisa.
Writing About a War-Torn Home: Zerina Talks About Finding Her Writer’s Voice
In this interview with Ruth Shagoury, English language learner Zerina talks about her growing confidence as a writer as she shares her writing with high school classmates. She also talks about how her father encouraged her to write down her most poignant memory of war in their homeland, Bosnia.
Conferring with Anna
Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing.
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