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Taking a Stance: Supporting Opinions in Primary Writers
Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills expand their view of opinion writing to taking a stance, and are reminded of the power of choice and honoring student passions and interests. At the same time, students are reminded that their voice is heard and their opinions matter.
Energizing Early Readers: The Classroom Library as a Co-Teacher (Booklist)
Ruth Metcalfe shares a fun-loving and inspiring early reader booklist to help boost reading energy in her classroom library.
Five Ways to Teach Fluency
Dana Murphy reminds us of five ways to teach fluency…especially when reading seems laborious.
Six Tips to Plan a Family Literacy Night
Does planning a family literacy night seem overwhelming? Lisa Mazinas offers six tips to ensure a thoughtful and successful event.
QuickTake: Choice in Making Plans for Writing
Ruth Ayres shares the importance of giving students choice when planning their writing projects.
Validating Students
When an excited young reader interrupts the quiet hum of reading workshop, Becca Burk analyzes the important unseen choices students make as learners, and the powerful messages teachers’ responses send.
Centering Students’ Brilliance (Booklist)
Stella Villalba is passionate about centering the beauty, brilliance, and genius of all students in our classrooms. She shares an inclusive booklist to inspire and support other educators in doing the same.
Turn and Talk, Then What?
Vivian Chen offers useful tips for seasoned and new teachers when it comes to helping students engage in a turn-and-talk.
Choral Counting Routine
Mallory Messenger shares ways Choral Counting provides an opportunity for students to share ideas orally, process language and numbers, and bring out vocabulary within the context of looking for patterns.
Level Two Unlocked: Using the Language of Video Games to Engage Students in the Assessment Experience
Heather Fisher considers the research behind gamified experiences and applies it to a lengthy first-grade phonics assessment. Heather challenges us to gamify assessments to maintain the integrity of the assessment while increasing student engagement.
Helping Writers Self-Correct
What to do with writers who catch errors in isolation but not in their own writing? Cathy Mere suggests three ways to help students self-correct their writing.
Do the Hard Thing
Becca Burk reminds all of us that one of the important parts of being a teacher is helping students believe they are capable. Becca shares three practical ways to uplift student capability.
Good Work, Writer
Becca Burk asserts that every child can become a writer when given materials, opportunity, and authentic glimpses into what it means to be a writer. Most importantly, though, children need adults who believe they are writers.
Read Aloud Magic
Jen Court reminds us of the power of reading aloud to students and pushes us to remember the importance of planning to use books to engage students and hone teaching points.
Conferring Notebook Details
Bitsy Parks opens her conferring notebook and shares powerful ways to use conferring notes to differentiate instruction for students in reading and writing.
How Many? Counting Opportunities in Picture Books
Bitsy Parks shares the importance of counting and a booklist of picture books that lend themselves to counting opportunities.
The Power of an Anchor Chart in a Digital World
Dana Murphy reminds us of the power of an anchor chart in a digital world.
Getting to Know Digital Learners: How Playing with Technology Helps Facilitate Our Identities as Learners
As teachers we do many things to get to know our students as readers and writers and mathematicians. Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills lead us to consider how to get to know our students as digital learners.
Listening for Conjectures
Mallory Messenger shares a routine for hearing student conjectures (in math and other subjects) and a process for giving time for the class to prove or disprove the claims. Download a Conjecture—Prove or Disprove Recording Sheet to collect student conjectures in your classroom.
Student Voices First
David Pittman offers practical ways to place student voices first in classrooms in order for their passions, interests, and identities to influence our teaching.
Our Words Matter: Developing Perseverance in Literacy
Becca Burk reflects on the power of intentional language to build perseverance in students. She shares a booklist designed to give students scripts they need to become brave learners.
Math Debates: A Powerful Sense-Making Routine
Jodie Bailey shares a powerful practice of math debates for students to explore a problem with discussion and evidence to discover the correct solution.
Engaging Kids in Reading Intervention
Dana Murphy shares ways to make reading intervention a high-interest time for students.
Questions to Ask When Reading the Morning Message
Tammy Mulligan guides teachers in a progression to help students identify tricky words, move deeper into word analysis, and develop inferential thinking. Included is a helpful progression chart to guide teachers in helping all students understand that readers encounter problems and can solve the tricky words.
Math Is Everywhere
Bitsy Parks shares an initial read aloud to encourage primary students to develop the ability to see math everywhere.
Building a Classroom Library with Students (and Navigating the Tricky Parts)
Tammy Mulligan leads us through the process of giving primary students the reins for building and organizing the classroom library . . . and offers tips for navigating the tricky parts.
Nourish a Sense of Belonging
Dana Murphy shares ways to nourish a sense of belonging in all students.
Spontaneous Text Sets
Bitsy Parks wanted to create an intentional read aloud routine that responded to student interests and needs as readers. She shares the way her responsive selection of books led to spontaneous (and powerful) text sets.
Knowing Genres
Mandy Robek reflects on the importance of knowing genres and empowering students to be part of the organization process of the classroom library.
Lifting the Quality of Hands-Down Conversations
Tammy Mulligan leads us through troubleshooting the difficult parts of launching hands-down conversations. This is the third installment of a three-part series about launching hands-down conversations.
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