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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.
Latest Content
Quotes about Commitment to Teaching
Our quote collection on commitment to teaching includes some provocative quotes for generating discussions about teaching fatigue and renewal.
Learning from the Shadows
Jennifer Allen writes about the power of being shadowed by a young teacher, Jeni, for a full day.
Last Words and Next Steps: Closure Activities for Study Groups and Mentoring Programs
Here are some quick closure activities to help you finish out the last study groups and meetings with colleagues on a high note.
Quotes about Content Literacy for Adolescents
Here are some just-right quotes for newsletters and opening meetings.
Putting Ourselves in Our Teaching
Debbie Miller's wonderful essay is great to read when you're feeling rushed, and want to hit the "pause button" to remind yourself of what really matters in the classroom.
More Than Listening Centers: Using Audio Books in Literacy Instruction
Shari Frost sorts through the changing world of audio books, and their resurgence in popularity with smaller, cheaper, and trendier MP3 players. She shares some of the innovative ways literacy coaches and teachers in her network are using audio books.
Favorite Writing Quotes
Quotes to get your creating juices flowing about writing.
Creating a Reflective Culture in Classrooms
Debbie Miller explains how the language we use with students conveys our appreciation for their thinking.
Organizing Book Bins: Letting Kids Help and Plan
Katie DiCesare writes about how children can be enlisted to help in creating and organizing book bins in libraries. But in Katie's classroom, the process of matching books to children begins with "My Stack" – her pile of books that changes daily, linking individual children and texts of interest.
Helping Students Find Their Own Mentor Texts
Franki Sibberson helps her students learn how to evaluation and discover their own mentor texts in her grades 3 and 4 literacy workshops.
Making the Rounds: Visiting Everyone
Jan Miller Burkins finds getting into a classroom isn't that different from getting into a party. It's your choice whether you crash your way in or get a legitimate invitation – and how you get in certainly affects how you're perceived once you're there.
Collecting Stories: Opening Activity and Icebreaker (PRINT DOWNLOAD)
Ruth Shagoury’s collecting stories icebreaker is a fun yet thoughtful activity for opening a meeting or all-day professional development event with energy and reflection. It gets everyone moving around the room, talking with colleagues, and best of all, focused on students and curriculum.
Looking Back to Move Forward: The Plan Book Scavenger Hunt for Literacy Leaders
Jennifer Jones is as busy as the rest of us at the end of the school year. Yet she finds time spent in a “scavenger hunt” of her planning book/calendar is essential for setting realistic goals and scheduling professional development priorities for next year.
January New Teacher Group Update: When Life Happens
Preparing for a forced sick day with her daughter, Jennifer Allen is reminded that the culture of professional development in her school is something she can depend on.
Writing Strengths Anchor Chart
Suzy Kaback's anchor chart activity builds a sense of community and peer editing connections in her middle school classroom.
Conferring with Children
“The Sisters” (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk about how their views have changed over time when it comes to conferring.
The Anticipation Guide: A Tool for Study Group Leaders
Suzy Kaback finds the Anticipation Guide is the “little black dress” of study group and staff development leaders, taking any literacy leader seamlessly from the classroom to PLCs and faculty meetings.
Shopping With Ana: Expanding Our Definition of “Just Right” Books in Grades K-2
Franki Sibberson learns from her daughter about emerging readers and book choice.
Time for Reading
Shari Frost describes how literacy coaches shadowed children to get a sense of how much reading students were doing.
Planning for a Year of Author Studies (TEMPLATE)
Meaningful reading, writing, speaking, and listening comes out of thoughtfully planned author studies. Gayle Gentry shares her thinking and planning.
Conferring in the Zone: Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Writing Conferences
The zone of proximal development continues to be an important frame for noting where writers are at and what's next. Ruth Shagoury lists questions at different phases of writing to help nudge writers forward.
Literacy Coach Confidential: What Can I Do About Poor Attendance at My Study Group?
When attendance drops in study groups, here are some ways to get it back on track (or take a new direction entirely).
Room for Beliefs: Linking Classroom Design and What We Value
Debbie Miller questions what our classrooms say about our beliefs and practices, and suggests how to bring our designs into closer alignment with our values.
Just Because They Can Doesn’t Mean They Should: Choosing Age-Appropriate Books for Literature Circles
Kids might be missing out on great books that are a better fit if they are reading books just because they can. Shari Frost delivers a smart reminder about challenging advanced readers.
Hooked on Series: Great Series Books for Transitional Readers
Finding the right series for a transitional reader is a gift. Franki Sibberson shares her favorite finds.
Boosting Attendance at Study Groups
Brenda Power shares advice from teachers that are building and maintaining inquiry study groups with adults.
Letters from Home: Letting Families and Friends Teach Us
Brenda Power and Ruth Shagoury use letters from home to learn about students and build community.
Honor Books: Helping Children and Families Build Bridges Between Home and School
What does Andie Cunningham gets when she mixes pictures from the classroom, messages from families and poetry from teachers? A wonderful recipe for an Honor Book you’ll want to try with your own students.
Collaborative Teaching: Finding Common Ground First
These are important questions for teachers entering into a co-teaching situation to consider in advance.
Literacy Coach Confidential: Teachers Resent Me – What Can I Do?
We address the issue of resentment by considering how leaders can stay optimistic and use questions to open up a discussion.
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