Articles
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.
Latest Content
Beyond Harry Potter: Tapping Student Interest in Fantasy
Franki Sibberson taps into the fantasy craze among students with this booklist.
Oral Language and Understanding with Ellin Keene (PODCAST)
In this podcast, Ellin Keene poses important questions to herself about true understanding and its relationship to language in the classroom.
Books that Make Kids Squeal
Shari Frost shares books with “squeal appeal” — here is a booklist of texts that energize and delight kindergarten learners.
Standards and Magic: Digging Deep and Being Spontaneous with Infographics
If you’ve ever had 15 minutes or less to plan for a session with kids, you can appreciate the blend of panic and improvisation the experience inspires. Mary Lee Hahn devises an activity with an infographic for the 4th and 5th grade environmental science club at the last minute, and finds students exhibit many surprising literacy skills during the session.
Evocative Coaching in Action (PODCAST)
In this podcast, Bob Tschannen-Moran uses the strategy of imaginative listening to process an unsettling interaction Heather Rader had with a colleague.
The Power of Games for 21st Century Learners
Franki Sibberson explains how low-tech board games can be a powerful tool for developing skills that will be in high demand in the coming years.
Building Community Protocols
Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan share two of their favorite protocols for building community among educators.
A Seating Arrangement that Empowers: The Conversation Circle
Ann Marie Corgill explains why a circle arrangement for middle school reading and writing workshop share sessions is vital for helping students focus and respond thoughtfully to peers.
Using Video to Build the Home-School Connection
Video is a terrific tool for building connections between home and school. Heather Rader explains how Kelli Demonte uses video to guide children and communicate with families.
What Can You Learn from Slice of Life Writing?
Ruth Ayres inspires us to develop the habit of writing on a regular basis by taking a bite out of the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
Can I Quote You on That?: Capturing Classroom Conversation
Here's a fun notetaking strategy to try. Ellie Gilbert records snippets of conversation from Katie Doherty's students, and then uses them in a debrief session to discuss student strengths, needs, and next steps.
Unpacking the Common Core Standards: Compare and Contrast Nonfiction
Franki Sibberson highlights texts for teaching compare and contrast in nonfiction texts.
Argumentative, Opinion, and Persuasive Writing in the Common Core
What does the Common Core have to say about persuasive writing? Jennifer Burton explains how she and her colleagues are teasing out the differences between opinion, argument, and persuasive writing with students, and helping them develop this type of writing in authentic ways
How Do We Structure Small Groups? (Part 3 of the Grouping Series)
Heather Rader synthesizes recommendations and provides examples of how grouping structures work in classrooms.
Mentor Texts for a Writing Study in Graphica
Graphica readers often want to become graphica writers. Franki Sibberson weeds through the books and leaves us with the "good stuff" for mentor texts.
Common Core Conversations: Reading in the Disciplines
Amanda Adrian and Heather Rader look at reading across the disciplines within the Common Core.
Katherine Casey on Sharing Blunders with Colleagues (PODCAST)
Katherine Casey explains why she shares her teaching blunders (on video, no less) with colleagues, and what she has learned from the process.
Invocation at the End of Summer
Shirl McPhillips reminds us of the power of an invocation–a call for support. Not only is this a beautiful poem, but it is a model for students writing their own invocation.
Skype an Author with Kate Messner (PODCAST)
In this podcast, Kate Messner points out the cost and kid benefits for skyping with an author.
Pitching My Lesson Plans for a Day of Peace and Poetry
Seizing an unexpected learning opportunity may be the best way to remember why you became a teacher in the first place. Karen Terlecky celebrates one of these serendipitous moments.
The Superpower of Reflecting
Are you more of a Pollyanna or Eeyore reflector? Heather Rader takes you inside the questions that help us reflect even more deeply on our instructional practices.
Improving Poetry’s Rap
Katie Baydo-Reed finds the web has great resources for her middle school students when it comes to sparking more interest in poetry.
Current and Cocoa: Mixing Social Studies and Literacy
Current and Cocoa is a fun routine for integrating social studies, literacy, and conversation in classrooms. Heather Rader describes how the weekly activity builds community and fosters awareness of news events.
Conferring with Parents (ROUND-UP)
There is always a new tweak to consider with conferences involving families. Choice Literacy Contributors have both the head and heart in mind with these tips.
Trying to Coach Without the Budget in Mind
Melanie Quinn makes a somewhat surprising discovery in the midst of the budget cutting season. The best way to justify her literacy coaching position is to do less – but do everything extraordinarily well.
Wild Facts
Wild Facts is a terrific example of how Andrea Smith's intermediate students naturally connect web resources with content learning.
Sorting Students for Flexible Groups Across Classrooms
Jennifer Jones explains how one team of second-grade teachers formed guided reading groups across classrooms to marshal resources and expand their collaboration.
Learning from Master Teachers: Final Lessons in the Cycle (Part II)
Franki Sibberson presents two more minilessons from her cycle on teaching students how to respond to reading.
Image of the Week: Building a Classroom Community Through Visual Literacy
Teachers know visual learners are in every classroom, and Andrea Smith is no exception. She uses an “image of the week” to get at high expectations, observations, publishing, and, of course, building community.
Mentor Texts for Organizing Writing
We think of mentor texts for teaching literary elements, but what about for organizing? Aimee Buckner describes how she selects books to demonstrate a range of ways to organize writing and help students make choices independently.
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