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Keeping the M

Melissa Kolb confers with three-year-old Daniela and explains why approximations are crucial for young literacy learners.

Middle School Library Makeover Part I

In this first of a two-part video series, “The Sisters” (Joan Moser and Gail Boushey) work with students, a librarian, and a principal to makeover a middle-school library. This first installment features the creation of a “cozy area” and new book browsing displays.

Tiger Teams: Mixed Age Student Groups

In this video, Karen Szymusiak (the principal at Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Dublin, Ohio) explains how “Tiger Teams” work. Tiger Teams are mixed age groups of K-5 students who meet regularly to talk about their learning and the school community.

Helping Young Readers Become Independent: The “Next-Read” Stack and Peer Groups

Franki Sibberson explains how "next-read" stack conferences work in her grades 3-4 classroom.

Middle School Library Makeover Part II: Stacks and Recap

The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) collaborate with a middle school librarian, principal, and team of students to makeover the school library. In this final segment of the series, they redo the stacks and meeting area, and then talk with students about the transformation of the entire library.

6th Grade Classroom Room Tour

Katie Doherty shares how she has organized her 6th grade classroom to support students at her bustling middle school.

Helping Students Set Nonfiction Reading Goals

Franki Sibberson finds nonfiction reading goals elevate the value of nonfiction in her grades 3-4 classroom.

1st Grade Room Tour with Katie DiCesare

In this video tour of her 1st grade classroom, Katie DiCesare highlights the many areas of the room used to support literacy, including the classroom library and wall displays.

Animals for Literacy: 4th Grade Room Tour

In this five-minute video room tour, 4th grade teacher Andrea Smith from Dublin, Ohio shows how she builds a classroom community and much of her literacy curriculum from the care and study of unusual pets.

Book Choice and Planning Lesson

Franki Sibberson teaches her students about book choice in this video from her grades 3-4 classroom.

Coaching in Kindergarten: Conferring

What’s in a name? For kindergartner Maria, it’s the start of learning how letters and sounds work. In this coaching session, Joan Moser of “The Sisters” helps Daniel understand how to use a child’s name as a beginning point for teaching letters and sounds.

Student Reading Interview: Assessing Ana

Principal Karen Szymusiak interviews Ana, a second grader, to learn more about her strengths and needs as a reader.

Sports Writing Group Discussion

Franki Sibberson finds sports writing is a powerful motivator for boys in her grades 3-4 classroom.

5th Grade Room Tour

Karen Terlecky’s classroom tour focuses on the anchor charts and wall displays she uses to promote literacy with her 5th grade students.

Talking About Tests

Franki Sibberson prepares her grades 3-4 students for state examinations by helping them observe attributes and patterns in test questions.

Literacy Chats: An Open Discussion Format

Literacy coach Pam Hahlen discusses the value and format of monthly “literacy chats” for teachers.

Supporting Thoughtful Book Choice

In this video filmed in the spring, Franki Sibberson helps her 3rd and 4th grade students think through what books they might select for independent reading.

Nonfiction Word Hunt Part I

Word study and nonfiction reading are combined in Franki Sibberson's nonfiction word hunt activity.

Kindergarten Room Tour

In this room tour, Maureen Knostman of Dublin, Ohio shares literacy areas in her kindergarten classroom.

5th Grade Strategy Group on Summarizing

In this strategy group, Karen Terlecky brings together three of her 5th graders to reread a nonfiction article shared with the whole class. They discuss main ideas, and do a writing activity together to build summarizing skills.

Nonfiction Word Hunt Part II

Franki Sibberson explains the value of the nonfiction word hunt activity.

Teaching Rereading During Class Read Alouds

Aimee Buckner teaches her fourth graders the power of rereading using the mentor text Goblins in the Castle by Bruce Coville.

Case Studies in Professional Learning Communities

In this brief video, Literacy Coach Pam Hahlen and Principal Karen Szymusiak meet with two teachers in a professional learning community group to discuss ongoing case studies.

Talking About Synthesis: Metaphors from 2nd Graders

In this remarkable discussion, Lauren Scott's second-grade students chat with their teacher and Principal Karen Szymusiak about metaphors for synthesis.

Teaching Rereading Strategies Through Read Aloud Day 2

Aimee Buckner uses rereading as a strategy to deepen student understanding during read alouds.

Test-Taking Skills: Reading Strategies for Word Problems Part I

Question It – Know It – Show It  are the keys to test preparation in Andrea Smith's 4th grade classroom.

Conferring with Emily: Moving from Questions to Content

In this conference with six-year-old Emily, Ruth Shagoury looks for a way into a conversation by using Emily’s drawings, previous writing, and interests. Emily’s first language is Hmong, and she is experimenting with Chinese characters in her writing.

Old Elm Speaks: Connecting Poetry, Observation, and Reading

In this first installment of a three-part video series, Aimee Buckner shows how observation skills, poetry, and reading instruction come together with the mentor text Old Elm Speaks by Kristin O’Connell George.

Picture Reading in First Grade

In this read-aloud lesson from Katie DiCesare's first-grade classroom, Katie demonstrates the importance of picture reading using the wordless picture book The Zoo by Suzy Lee.

Data Cards: Assessment Profiles at a Glance

“Data cards” are ingeniously designed to allow an entire grade-level team to look at the reading levels of all students in the grade. In this four-minute video, “The Sisters” (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) explain how they work.

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