Latest Content
Fun in January: A Mock Caldecott Unit

Katherine Sokolowski discovers a seven-day Mock Caldecott unit is a fun way to build a reading community by predicting the winners, and Skyping with another class to share results.

 

Book Matchmaker: Nonfiction to Read Cover to Cover

With the Common Core emphasis on nonfiction, teachers are striving to integrate more nonfiction texts throughout their literacy workshops. Franki Sibberson shares her favorite nonfiction texts that can be read cover to cover.

I Love a Good Argument

As Heather Rader works with teachers and teams on opinion/argumentative writing, she’s considering the anatomy of an argument and engaging ways to teach it.

Teaching the Rule of Three to Writers

Aimee Buckner finds that teaching the rule of three to young writers adds variety to student texts.

Writers Inspiring Writers

Melissa Styger invites colleagues and family members into the classroom to share their writing process with students.

Previewing a Read Aloud

Franki Sibberson previews a read aloud with her grades 3 and 4 students.

Peer Conferring: The “Try It On” Phase

Amanda Adrian continues her series on how teachers can scaffold and model peer conferring. In this installment, Amanda uses the fishbowl technique with students.

Poetry All Year Long

Ann Williams shares how she builds a love of poetry in her fourth-grade classroom all year long.

Common Core Booklist: Writing Personal Narratives

Personal narratives are an important part of the Common Core in 4th grade. Franki Sibberson shares a booklist of some of her favorite mentor texts for teaching narratives in the intermediate grades.

Peer Conferring: The Modeling Phase

Amanda Adrian provides a framework, sample model lesson, and peer conferring guide for students to use as they learn how to respond to their classmates.

Conferring for Conventions (Conventions Series Part 5)

Heather Rader gives examples of convention conferences in this final installment of the conventions series.

Aligning the Common Core and Conventions Instruction (Conventions Series Part 4)

Heather Rader works with a team of intermediate teachers as they connect their plans for conventions instruction and the Common Core.

Ten Classic Ideas That Still Work

Teachers are always on the hunt for something new, even as we cherish what works well year after year. Franki Sibberson lists the activities that have stood the test of time in her classroom.

Between Inquiry and Instruction (Conventions Series Part 3)

Heather Rader works with a team of intermediate teachers as they pore over student work together and analyze which conventions should be taught.

Chronology in Nonfiction (Common Core Booklist)


Franki Sibberson's latest Common Core booklist includes texts to help students master chronology in nonfiction.

Appealing Book Displays for Boys

Are your book displays enticing to the boys in your classroom? Tony Keefer has suggestions for making classroom libraries more appealing.

Interactive Read Alouds to Support Struggling Readers

Shari Frost explains how interactive read alouds are the “kickboards” of reading instruction, especially for struggling readers. She explains how one teacher used them to support a struggling reader in 3rd grade.

When Are Students Ready for Writers’ Notebooks?

Second grade? Third grade? Aimee Buckner breaks down what behaviors to look for if you’re trying to determine when students are ready to move from draft pages or booklets to writers’ notebooks.

Field Experience: Writers’ Notebooks

Writers’ Notebooks are an important tool for writers. Ruth Ayres designed a field experience to showcase how elementary teachers use notebooks with young writers.

Field Experience: Social-Emotional Learning in Workshop

Compassion and understanding are as important to workshop instruction as strategies and routines. Ruth Ayres compiled a field experience to highlight the way understanding the social-emotional needs of students (and ourselves) allows for safe learning environments.

Field Experience: Craft Moves for Elementary Writers

This field experience invites us to consider a handful of craft moves to teach young writers in minilessons, conferences and share sessions.

Field Experience: Classroom Tours

Spend time noticing the details that reflect beliefs and influence instruction.  Ruth Ayres set up room tours for a field experience focused on more than trendy spaces.

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.

Choice Literacy Membership


Articles

Get full access to all Choice Literacy article content

Videos

Get full access to all Choice Literacy video content

Courses

Access Choice Literacy course curriculum and training


Membership Options

Loading...