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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.

January 27, 2023: Powerful and Fun(!) Assessment

This week’s newsletter is about powerful and fun(!) assessment.

Assessing High School Readers

Secondary instructional coach Holly Wenning shares ways to assess high school readers.

Assessment in Classroom Book Clubs

In this third installment about classroom book clubs, Leigh Anne Eck shares options for robust assessment as well as answers to some frequently asked questions.

Letting Informational Mentors Lead the Way

Tara Barnett and Kate Mills share a practical process for using an informational mentor text to support students as readers and writers. Download a note sheet to support students in noticing text structure.

One-Page Reading Response: A Simple Approach to Complex Assessment

Christy Rush-Levine uses one-page reading responses as a simple culminating activity to provide closure for book clubs. However, the data they offer about readers is far from simple.

January 20, 2023: Story Elements and Author Studies

This week’s newsletter is about story elements and author studies.

Identifying Story Elements

Dana Murphy shares a whole class conversation about identifying the climax of the plot. She reminds us that defining story elements is not always clear-cut.

Implementing Classroom Book Clubs (Part Two)

In this second installment about book clubs, Leigh Anne Eck shares procedures for book club meetings, as well as discusses the importance of standards and instruction. Download a discussion guide.

January 13, 2023: Novels in Verse, Book Clubs, and More

This week’s newsletter is about novels in verse, book clubs, and more.

Teaching Readers Rather Than Teaching Books

Secondary instructional coach Holly Wenning shares her own paradigm shift of teaching readers rather than teaching books, and encourages all teachers to consider the importance of putting students before books when planning literacy instruction.

Getting Started with Classroom Book Clubs (Part 1)

In the first installment of a three-part series, Leigh Anne Eck clearly lays out how to get started with book clubs. Included is an editable planning bookmark to give students more ownership of their reading schedules.

Less Is More: Using Novels in Verse in the Classroom

Gretchen Schroeder explains the reason why she believes requiring high school students to read novels in verse during independent reading time is worthwhile for their reading identity and developing more sophisticated understandings of literary analysis.

January 6, 2023: Joyful Learning Communities

This week’s newsletter is about joyful learning communities.

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.

Our Brains on Happiness

Molly James shares the compelling research about the happiness advantage by Shawn Achor and two practical practices to make it a reality in her kindergarten classroom.

December 9, 2022: Awareness and Inclusivity

This week’s newsletter is about awareness and inclusivity.

Understanding the Beautiful World of Being Multilingual Through the Lens of Brilliance and Complexity

Stella Villalba leads educators through a process to discover the brilliance and complexity of multilingual learners. Rather than searching for a list of strategies, Stella encourages us to linger with our questions and discover multilingual learners’ beauty.

Anthologies to Diversify Middle School Reading Instruction

Christy Rush-Levine offers a booklist of anthologies to diversify middle school reading instruction. In this robust list, everyone will find a new addition to use as a whole-class text.

December 2, 2022: Nourish Student Growth

This week’s newsletter is about nourishing student growth.

Conferring and Peer Support

Christy Rush-Levine connects students to support each other as they write their literary analysis essays.

Building Empathy Through Gratitude

Becca Burk noticed entitlement and discontentment in her students, so she turned to research to discover how to change students’ attitudes. She discovered gratitude can develop empathy, and the Thankful Thursday award was born. This changed attitudes while building literacy skills.

Picture Books to Help Navigate Difficult Emotions (Booklist)

Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills share a meaningful book list to help navigate emotions that come from difficult experiences such as the death of a loved one, moving homes, or an unexpected diagnosis.

November 25, 2022: The Thanksgiving Issue

This week’s newsletter is about thanksgiving.

November 18, 2022: Benefits of Poetry

This week’s newsletter is about the benefits of poetry.

Expanding the Definition of “Text”

Holly Wenning helps us expand the definition of text when considering mentor texts and reading assessments.

Using Mathematics to Connect Home and School

Mandy Robek shares procedures for participation in Family Math. Family Math is a lens into the learning during the week and promotes math literacy at home.

Infusing Poetic Techniques in Our Writing

Tara Barnett and Kate Mills show how to infuse poetic techniques into writing other genres.

November 11, 2022: Stronger Conferences and Feedback

This week’s newsletter is about engaging secondary students.

Listening and Learning: Using Conferring to Better Understand What Students Are Thinking

Jodie Bailey shares the importance of conferring with students during math to reinforce what students are doing well and differentiate instruction.

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