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Here is where you’ll find all the latest print features from our contributors. If you’d like to browse specifically by grade level, topic, or contributor, you can use the links in the right sidebar.
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Back to Basics: Choice
Ruth Ayres explores the boundaries of student options in writing workshops.
Reorganizing the Classroom Library
Gigi McAllister reorganizes her classroom library checkout system, and finds that a little upfront investment in time pays big dividends all year long.
Moving Beyond Bed-to-Bed Stories in First Grade
Katrina Edwards moves her first graders from writing "bed-to-bed" stories early in the year with a mentor text and writing activity that promotes self-discipline and a growth mindset.
Using Webcomics in Classrooms
Katherine Sokolowski explains why she uses webcomics in her literacy workshops, and shares an extensive list of her favorite online sources.
Reading Pictures in High School
Gretchen Schroeder melds famous artwork with literacy instruction in her high school classroom.
Visual Reading for Writing
Carly Ulmer uses visual literacy to build writing skills with her seventh graders through two powerful minilessons.
Close Reading for Comparison in Fifth Grade
Katherine Sokolowski uses a fascinating picture book to build close reading skills with her fifth graders. The key is selecting a text that holds up well through multiple readings.
Literary Analysis and Authenticity in Middle School
Christy Rush-Levine finds the best way to help her middle school students learn to read closely for literary analysis is through student writing. They begin with analyzing student exemplars from the Common Core, and then move to shared texts as they hone their skills.
Close Encounters with Text: Reading Many Ways
Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris find their reading processes as adults informs the way they view close reading with students.
“Are We Gonna Watch the Movie?”
Gretchen Schroeder finds her high school students are always eager to see the movies related to the novels they are reading in class. Yet it rarely makes sense to show the entire film. She explains how to choose clips judiciously.
Embracing Standards in Creative Ways
Christy Rush-Levine makes links between standards, video clips, and close reading.
Core Memories and Gotcha Moments
Jennifer Schwanke explains why pop quizzes can be damaging to students by using a pop culture reference.
Mid-Workshop Conversations
Stella Villalba finds mid-workshop conversations are a terrific routine to add to literacy workshops to promote growth, especially for English language learners.
Technology Is Not a Reward
Bill Bass explains why teachers who are still using technology as a reward are far behind their colleagues in integrating computers and applications into workshops.
NaNoWriMo with Students
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is coming up in November, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for sustained writing and linking students with writers across the web. Katherine Sokolowski shares how it works, as well as tips for getting started.
Figuring Out Social Media Together
Ruth Ayres finds storytelling is at the heart of social media, and describes how teachers and students might work together to find a place for social media in classrooms.
Unstable Labels: Stop the Race to Z
Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris consider the insignificance of what levels convey about young readers.
Little Levels, Big Thinking
Katie DiCesare moves beyond levels to consider her first-grade readers’ needs.
Reading, Engagement, and Kidwatching
Katrina Edwards looked around her first-grade reading workshop one day in winter and it wasn’t a pretty picture. Many students were doing anything but reading. She develops a plan to approach the issue of time on task thoughtfully.
Reorganizing Primary Information Texts
Katie DiCesare thinks about the needs of her first-grade students, and spends some time reorganizing primary information texts, considering both physical texts for the library and online resources.
Nonfiction Books with More Than One Entry Point
Franki Sibberson shares some of her favorite nonfiction books with more than one entry point.
Nonfiction Scrapbooks
Justin Stygles finds Nonfiction Scrapbooks are a fun way for his fifth-grade students to explore their reading interests and artistic talents with the classroom community.
Grouping Strategies for Guided Reading
How can you support the “outliers” in classrooms — students with unique needs or profiles who don’t neatly fit into any instructional group? Shari Frost offers some strategies.
Embracing Meaning Making in Guided Reading Groups
Katie DiCesare finds her guided reading practices are rusty, so she develops some new strategies to improve her work.
A Fiction Writing Field Trip
Katherine Sokolowski’s students love writing fiction, but their skills don’t match their enthusiasm. A field trip helps bridge that gap.
Beyond Explicit Instruction: What Do Struggling Readers Need?
Franki Sibberson explores the varied needs of young readers and writers.
Like Teacher, Like Student: Finding Emotional Support in Schools
Andie Cunningham and one of her kindergarten students share something in common at the start of the school year — tears as they struggle to find their place in a new community.
My Journey with Marcos: Autism and English Language Learners
Stella Villalba finds she needs new strategies for assisting a young autistic English language learner.
Using Reading Notebook Covers for Reflection and Goal Setting
Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan are using reading notebook covers in ingenious ways.
Getting Started with Digital Portfolios
Megan Skogstad shares advice launching digital portfolios.
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