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Choice Literacy Articles & Videos
The Choice Literacy library contains over 3,000 articles and 900 videos from 150+ contributors. Classic Classroom and Literacy Leadership subscribers have access to the entire library. Content is updated continuously, with five to six new features published each week.
Latest Content
Visual Reading for Writing
Carly Ulmer uses visual literacy to build writing skills with her seventh graders through two powerful minilessons.
Reading Pictures in High School
Gretchen Schroeder melds famous artwork with literacy instruction in her high school classroom.
The Big Fresh October 24, 2015 New Glasses
Close reading with tweens and teens is the focus of this week’s Big Fresh.
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.
Beginning a Novel with Close Reading
Aimee Buckner helps a fourth-grade boy tease out emerging themes in the first pages of the novel Morning Girl.
The Big Fresh October 17, 2015 Mockingbird
We look at using videos and movies within literacy workshops in this week’s Big Fresh.
“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.
Stories from Illustrations: Conferring with Kendall
Ruth Ayres draws out the story-writing possibilities with first-grader Kendall by conferring over her illustrations.
From Strengths to Revision: Conferring with Connor
Karen Terlecky confers with fifth-grade Connor about his writing, demonstrating the routine of celebrating strengths first, and then making suggestions of new techniques to try.
Core Memories and Gotcha Moments
Jennifer Schwanke explains why pop quizzes can be damaging to students by using a pop culture reference.
Embracing Standards in Creative Ways
Christy Rush-Levine makes links between standards, video clips, and close reading.
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.
The Big Fresh October 10, 2015 Passion or Craft
We look at uses for social media in classrooms in this week’s Big Fresh.
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.
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.
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.
The Big Fresh October 3, 2015 The Tyranny of Levels
Levels and labels are the focus of this week’s Big Fresh.
Understanding Fiction and Nonfiction in First Grade: Independent Practice
Erin Quealy circulates among student partnerships in her first-grade classroom, checking in to see how well individual students are understanding the different attributes of fiction and nonfiction after her minilesson. Others viewing the demonstration lesson observe, take notes, and interview students.
Understanding Fiction and Nonfiction in First Grade: Venn Diagram
In this conclusion to a whole-class demonstration lesson, Erin Quealy uses a Venn diagram to bring together student artifacts for a whole-class discussion of fiction and nonfiction after a minilesson and independent practice.
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.
The Big Fresh September 26, 2015 Reading for Football
Nonfiction is the focus of this week’s Big Fresh.
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.
Understanding Fiction and Nonfiction in First Grade
This is a demonstration lesson in a first-grade classroom on understanding the difference between fiction and nonfiction led by Erin Quealy. It is the first video in a three-part series.
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.
The Big Fresh September 19, 2015 Learning from Bees
Guiding groups is the focus of this week’s Big Fresh.
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