Library
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
Harnessing the Power of Words
Tara Barnett and Kate Mills share three quick ways to increase vocabulary exposure in middle school. They also offer a summary of the importance of vocabulary development that inspires the urgency of vocabulary instruction.
Writing to Learn
Leigh Anne Eck shares how her middle school moved away from essay writing in all content areas and prioritized three writing strategies: sentences, summaries, and quick-writes as low-stakes writing tasks.
Whole-School Animal Research
Gigi McAllister shares an annual school-wide research project she leads in the library. You’ll be inspired by the way a focus on research can bring joy and belonging to all students in all grades.
Quick Take: Everyone Owns the Learning
Tammy Mulligan wants the kids to own the learning in the classroom. Here is one way she helps reinforce the message that everyone has something to offer the learning community.
Quick Take: A Classroom of Belonging
Tammy Mulligan shares the first steps to help students develop a sense of belonging in the classroom.
Feedback Writers Will Use
Vivian Chen offers insights into the conditions needed to help writers value feedback. She discusses written and verbal feedback, as well as AI-generated feedback.
Shared Writing with Older Readers and Writers
Mandy Robek explored using shared writing experiences in her third-grade classroom and discovered it offered many rich literacy learning opportunities.
February 28, 2025: Finding Possibilities with Mentors
This week’s newsletter is about mentor texts.
Now What? We Went on a Field Trip
Mandy Robek thoughtfully connects a field trip to multiple literacy experiences in her second-grade classroom. If you’re looking to leverage the field trip experience for reading and writing, you’ll love Mandy’s process.
Uplifting Independent Reading in the Living Room
Gwen Blumberg offers ways to make the library a welcoming space for readers to settle in with their choice of books. Classroom teachers can consider creating a living room, too.
Mentor Texts Elevate Readers and Writers
Bitsy Parks uses mentor texts to elevate her students as writers. Although mentor texts are included in many curriculum programs, Bitsy offers more opportunities for students to use mentor texts to strengthen their reading and writing lives.
February 21, 2025: Let Hope Stick
This week’s newsletter is about letting hope stick.
February 14, 2025: Spark Reading Response
This week’s newsletter is about sparking reading response.
Writing About Reading: A Search for Authenticity
In this powerful essay, Leigh Anne Eck challenged herself to read a complex text and discover the authenticity of writing about reading. She transferred her experience to create meaningful opportunities for her students as they write about their own independent reading.
Quick and Easy Reading Responses
Tara Barnett and Kate Mills offer three ways for students to write a quick and meaningful response inspired by their independent reading.
Expecting Joy in the Classroom Library
Bitsy Parks shares the joy you can expect from the classroom library.
February 7, 2025: Boost Talk = Boost Learning
This week’s newsletter is about boosting talk in your classroom.
Sketchnoting in the Library
Gigi McAllister shares how she helped her students get started with sketchnoting during read aloud time. Perhaps like Gigi you aren’t a natural at this format, but you’ll be inspired by the value and ease of introducing this powerful note-taking technique.
Fostering Classroom Dialogue
Gretchen Schroeder shares her big takeaways from reading Inspiring Dialogue. Now more than ever, we need to help students express themselves and claim their voices, because the classroom is one of the last places where we can engage in dialogue about big questions with those who might not share our beliefs.
QuickTake: Using Picture Books to Start Conversations
Gigi McAllister reminds us of the special way picture books can open the doors of conversation.
January 31, 2025: Meaning Matters
This week’s newsletter is about making meaning with our learning.
Meaning Makers
Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills push against the adage that “early readers are focused solely on learning to decode, while later readers are making meaning.” Instead they remind us of the beautiful way all readers are meaning makers.
Zooming In and Stepping Back
Gretchen Schroeder creatively leads her students in chronicling key scenes from a novel so they can evaluate which ones are important and use it as a reference throughout their discussions.
January 24, 2025: Ways to Show Learning
This week’s newsletter is about assessing student learning.
I Was Wrong About…
Gretchen Schroeder invited her students to write personal essays inspired by the 2022 New York Times series “I Was Wrong About.” Gretchen shared with her students (and with us) the way she was wrong about her mammy collection.
Alternatives to a Literary Essay: Two-Voice Perspective Poems
Tara Barnett and Kate Mills offer an alternative to writing a literary essay for middle school students. Providing alternative ways to discuss and demonstrate understanding about reading can be a welcome break from an essay for both students and educators, with valuable learning still taking place.
January 17, 2025: More Engaged Students
This week’s newsletter is about engagement.
December 20, 2024: Graphic Novels and Novels in Verse
This week’s newsletter is about graphic novels and novels in verse.
December 13, 2024: Literacy in All Subjects
This week’s newsletter is about literacy in all subjects..
December 6, 2024: Gratitude
This week’s newsletter is about the importance of gratitude.
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