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January 21, 2022: Choice and Whole-Class Texts

This week’s newsletter is about choice and whole-class texts.

What Do You Meme: Logical Fallacies

Gretchen Schroeder teaches her high school students how to notice and combat logical fallacies, a much needed skill due to the fact that most of her students use memes as their primary news source.

Honoring Student Choice in a Teacher-Chosen Text

Tara Barnett offers practical and engaging choices to students when reading a teacher-selected whole-class text. Download the reading choices survey and a sample pacing calendar to offer your students more choice during a whole-class read.

What Criteria Should We Use When Selecting Whole-Class Texts?

Christy Rush-Levine reminds us that text selection affects students. By shaping a unit of study to contain texts of varying formats and representing a wide variety of characters, students are empowered to develop their own ideas even while reading a whole-class text. Download a diverse text list to deepen a discussion of how family shapes identity.

Tips for Selecting Inclusive Texts

Hannah Tills and Josie Stewart challenge themselves to select more inclusive texts so all students feel as though they belong. They offer six suggestions to help us examine our bookshelves, thinking, and curriculum.

January 14, 2022: Be Present

This week’s newsletter is about being present.

Book Talk: Sheets and Delicates by Brenna Thummler

Christy Rush-Levine pairs Brenna Thummler’s books Sheets and Delicates in a book talk for her sixth-grade class.

Using Digital Photos to Enhance Learning

Stella Villalba uses photos in the classroom as a powerful tool for critical thinking and reflection. Photos allow students to process complex learning as it happens.

Presence Required

Christy Rush-Levine reminds us that it requires presence to sit alongside young readers and writers. In two examples, we find resilience for meeting students at their points of need and then teaching them as readers and writers.

Welcoming Spaces Podcast

Cathy Mere and Ruth Ayres discuss reflective practice on the podcast.

January 7, 2022: Welcoming Spaces

This week’s newsletter is about welcoming spaces.

Keeping Unity

When students feel safe then they are positioned to learn. Julie Cox shares ways to create a learning environment that brings unity to her high school classroom.

What Is Communication? A Mini-Inquiry Project and Booklist

Bitsy Parks leads her first-grade class in a study about communication to strengthen their socially distanced and muffled-by-masks community. Included is a booklist.

Reflective Practice Podcast

Cathy Mere and Ruth Ayres discuss reflective practice on the podcast.

December 3, 2021: Reflective Practice

This week’s newsletter is about reflective practice.

Grow and Innovate with Reflection

Julie Cox makes a case for reflection as an essential tool for growth and innovations. She shares simple and powerful practices that will allow all educators to continue to deepen their instructional practices.

The Reluctant Marathoner: Reflecting on Student Engagement

Gretchen Schroeder uses her reluctance as a marathon runner to reflect on how to encourage more engagement in reading and writing.

The Choice Literacy Book Club Discusses Octopus Stew

The Choice Literacy Book Club discusses Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez.

November 26, 2021: Courses Special Issue

This week’s newsletter is a special issue highlighting Choice Literacy courses.

Classroom Libraries Podcast

Melanie Meehan and Ruth Ayres discuss classroom libraries.

November 19, 2021: Classroom Libraries

Classroom libraries is the theme of this week’s newsletter.

Quick Take: Simple Classroom Library Organization

Christy Rush-Levine shares her simple system for organizing her massive classroom library.

Leading Students Toward Underused Sections of the Classroom Library

Gretchen Schroeder intentionally leads students to “jilted genres” in her classroom library.

The Seasons of Classroom Libraries

Melissa Quimby shifts her classroom library throughout the year so that as her students grow as readers, her library will continue to nourish them.

Encouragement for Readers and Writers Podcast

Cathy mere and Ruth Ayres discuss building connections beyond the classroom.

November 12, 2021: Encouragement for Readers and Writers

Encouragement for students as readers and writers is the theme of this week’s newsletter.

Formative Assessment From Share Sessions

Ruth Ayres outlines different kinds of share sessions and different formats for the share, including some that take advantage of technology.

Write Like Nancy

Inspired by a stranger on a walk, Jen Court clarifies the importance of sharing our writing lives with others. She identifies three important qualities of a writing community.

November 4, 2021: Empowerment for Readers and Writers

Empowerment for students as readers and writers is the theme of this week’s newsletter.

Fifth-Grade Writing Conference: The Heart of the Story

Dana Murphy confers with fifth grader Rebecca about her writing draft, and they discuss the heart of her story.

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