Listening and speaking—it's the art at the heart of literacy workshops. But there is also a science to how these skills are taught and learned. These resources will show you how to build communication skills in your classroom and school communities.
Sean Moore helps his second graders remember the classroom routines and protocols for sharing reading reflections through a circle group.
Stella Villalba finds mid-workshop conversations are a terrific routine to add to literacy workshops to promote growth, especially for English language learners.
Leslie Woodhouse discovers a dollar store find takes on a life of its own in her preschool classroom in this delightful essay.
Melissa Kolb explores what needs to be in place for our youngest students to learn how to converse kindly.
Melanie Swider discovers that conversations after read alouds are a wonderful way for students to remember and retain the learning from shared texts.
If your goal is to get teens more excited about independent reading, Gretchen Schroeder has suggestions to help.
Megan Ginther found she was spending too much time responding to student writing, and just as important, taking on too much of the responsibility for improvement. She tackled the issue by developing a new program for peer evaluation of student writing.
Katherine Sokolowski shares how she has integrated podcasting into her 5th grade classroom.
Justin Stygles finds that a ban on personal listening devices may not be the best option for students who are easily distracted. He explains how he designed a policy that allows students to listen to music of their choice during literacy workshops.
When’s the best time for some spontaneous opinion writing? Suzy Kaback argues it’s when class conversations get hot.
Are the terms stamina and engagement synonymous? Cathy Mere defines the terms by observing her first graders.
Gretchen Taylor finds the three little words “tell me more” provide breakthroughs in helping her middle school students respond to reading.
Beth Lawson helps her fourth graders sort through what makes peer collaboration work during writing buddy time.
Kelly Petrin reinvents a pumpkin decorating project with her preschoolers to help them build storytelling skills.
Gretchen Schroeder guides us in getting feedback from students, as well as sharing with students the way their feedback matters to us. In a world where we are constantly asked to fill out feedback forms, it’s good to know when our opinions matter.
Leslie Woodhouse finds dictation is a critical tool for understanding young writers and their sense of story.
Sometimes a lack of experience is a gift worth embracing. Michelle Kelly considers all the strengths new teachers bring to schools, from their comfort with technology to genuine enthusiasm.
In this video from Katie Baydo-Reed’s 8th grade classroom, Katie confers a student about his favorite Rick Riordan books and his plans for future reading.
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.
Andie Cunningham observes a third-grade teacher as she systematically improves the quality and depth of student questioning over time.
Max Brand describes how he uses images to build reading and writing skills among his kindergartners.
Keri Archer makes the most of the time her kindergarten students spend transitioning into her classroom with her Question of the Day.
Building a sense of community is complicated in middle school classrooms. Katie Baydo-Reed considers her eighth graders, and is surprised at what endures most with these young teens.
Courtney Pawol looks at how being an introvert affects her role in learning communities, and then moves from insight to practical changes to help the introverts in her first-grade classroom.
Amanda Adrian concludes her series on peer conferring, analyzing the value of students working on their own after instruction and practice.
Ann Marie Corgill questions whether her second graders are ready for peer response. She finds that with some guidance and construction of anchor charts together, the answer is a resounding yes.
Tony Keefer discovers that his fourth-grade students need focused instruction and support to strengthen their peer conferring skills. Tony shares tips and two video examples from his classroom.
Katie DiCesare’s first graders respond to their classmates’ writing, using questions they developed together over time.
Mandy Robek takes her kindergartners through a picture walk using Mrs. Wishy Washy as the text.
Melissa Kolb writes about the importance of time and patience in meeting our goals with young learners — in this instance, a child who struggles to speak in her preschool classroom.
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