Latest Content
Can Books Harm Children? Support and Censorship

Shari Frost asks a provocative question: Can books harm children? She explores practical ways for teachers to walk the fine line between support and censorship in matching books to students.

Animal Backpacks and Literacy Joy

Kelly Petrin finds animal backpacks are a wonderful tool for building literacy skills in young learners, as well as the home/school connection.

The Data Wall Debacle

Shari Frost has a suggestion for what shouldn’t be on classroom walls: student assessment scores. She explains why this practice can be harmful to students.

The Gifts of Literacy

Kelly Petrin reflects on what she values most in the final days with children in her preschool program, and what she shares with parents.

A Booklist for Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. Sarah Klim presents some favorite titles to share with students and build awareness in this booklist.

Children’s Literature for the Olympics

The Olympics are just around the corner, and Sarah Klim has suggestions for read alouds in a new booklist.

Jennifer Serravallo on Formative Assessment (PODCAST)

Franki Sibberson chats with Jennifer Serravallo about formative assessment in this podcast. Jennifer is the author of The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook, Grades 3-6: Four Steps for Turning Assessment Data into Goal-Directed Instruction.

Keep Going

Ruth Ayres has advice for moving forward, staying positive, and focusing on what’s important.

Tell Me More

Gretchen Taylor finds the three little words “tell me more” provide breakthroughs in helping her middle school students respond to reading.

Powerful Conferences

Ruth Ayres explains how deciding the purpose of conferring in advance can lead to more powerful conferences.

Dandelions, Chinese, and Patience with Our Youngest Learners

Kelly Petrin meditates on the importance of trust and patience when looking for ways to connect with preschoolers.

Pumpkin Time: Provocations and Stories with Preschoolers

Kelly Petrin reinvents a pumpkin decorating project with her preschoolers to help them build storytelling skills.

Lessons from Listening to Toddlers Read (Home Is Where the Books Are Series)

What can you learn from having toddlers "read" to you? Plenty, as Meghan Rose soon discovers.

Using Pinterest for Professional Development

Franki Sibberson finds Pinterest is a useful tool for professional development.

The Minimalist: Essential Texts for Kindergarten Teaching

Max Brand develops a "Swiss army knife" booklist of texts that he can't live without when teaching young learners.

In Defense of Dictation

Leslie Woodhouse finds dictation is a critical tool for understanding young writers and their sense of story.

Are You Excited About Next Year?

Kelly Petrin finds a bare classroom at the end of the year leads her to improvise with stuffed animals and literacy with her preschool students. The mix of play and reading is so successful that it changes her planning for the fall.

Recommendations for Summer Reading Fun: Early Reader Chapter Books for Boys

Meghan Rose and Ruth Shagoury finish their summer fun for early readers series with a booklist for boys interested in chapter books.

Recommendations for Summer Reading Fun: Comics and Graphic Novels for Early Readers

Early readers love comic books and graphic novels. Meghan Rose and Ruth Shagoury give their top picks in their latest summer fun for early readers booklist.

Recommendations for Summer Reading Fun: Classic Books for Early Readers

Meghan Rose and Ruth Shagoury have written a series of booklists for early readers, perfect for sharing with parents looking for suggestions. The first installment tackles the classic books many of us cherish from our own childhood days.

What Can Charlie Do?: The Value of Response Journals in Preschool Classrooms

Kelly Petrin shares the power of response journals with preschoolers.

Death in Books: Finding Our Way After Loss

Books can help children deal with the toughest challenges in life. In a new booklist, Andie Cunningham shares her top picks for stories about characters grappling with the death of a loved one.

Do You Have Any Questions? Conferring with Families

We've all experienced that moment in a parent conference. You finish your spiel, which includes assessment data, charts, and an anecdote or two about the child. And when you're finished, the parent asks, "But how is my child doing?" Melissa Kolb explores the reasons why there can be a mismatch between our sense of useful information in parent conferences and a parent's expectations.

Three Ways to Build Purpose in a Preschool Reading Workshop

Melissa Kolb finds her three- and four-year-old students are ready for more focus during reading time.

Every Picture Tells a Story

Max Brand describes how he uses images to build reading and writing skills among his kindergartners.

A Literary Taste of Home (Home is Where the Books Are Series)

Meghan Rose may live in Los Angeles, but the home of her heart will always be New England. In this booklist, she shares her favorite picture books about everything from the Red Sox to Maine blueberries to give her children a sense of where she grew up.

Make a Note

Why is Leslie Woodhouse so forgetful? It’s all part of a not-so-devious plot to teach her preschool students the power of creating and leaving notes throughout the classroom.

Inscribe It! (Home is Where the Books Are Series)

Some of the most treasured notes for many of us are the inscriptions in books that are gifts from others. Meghan Rose shares why inscribed books have lasting value for families.

Linking Movement, Minds, and Literacy in Kindergarten

Max Brand explains how movement activities in classrooms with young learners can be so much more than a brain break or “getting the wiggles out”: movement can forge potent connections between mind, body, and story. The essay includes two video examples.

Comic Books and Mini Caped Crusaders for the Youngest Readers (Home is Where the Books Are Series)

Meghan Rose gives a mom’s perspective on comics for young children in this booklist. This is from our new series, Home is Where the Books Are, on literacy in the home from birth to age 5.

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