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Endings Minilesson with Second Graders

Cathy Laker uses her own writing as a mentor text with her second-grade students to demonstrate options for endings.

A Booklist for Memorial Day

Sarah Klim’s latest booklist includes titles for honoring those who serve on Memorial Day.

The Data Wall Debacle

Shari Frost has a suggestion for what shouldn’t be on classroom walls: student assessment scores. She explains why this practice can be harmful to students.

Understanding the Summer Slide: Sharing Data with Parents and Students

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan explain why it is important to share data with parents while school is still in session in order to avoid the summer slide. This is another installment in their summer reading series.

Mental Images: Connecting Reading and Sketching

Sean Moore confers with second grader Teague, masterfully demonstrating how to move between instruction and celebration when conferring with a child who struggles with reading.

Getting Ready for Summer Reading: A Lesson Cycle

Franki Sibberson designs a lesson cycle to prepare students for summer reading.

Reading Through Spring

Gigi McAllister has many suggestions for a strong reading finish to the school year.

Connecting Nonfiction Reading and Writing: Conferring with Hermione

Stella Villalba confers with Hermione, a first grader who is also an English language learner. Hermione is combining research and writing as she writes a nonfiction report.

Celebrating Screen-Free Week (BOOKLIST)

Screen-Free Week is scheduled for May 5-11 this year. Here are some book suggestions to help you explore the issue with students.

A Booklist for Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. Sarah Klim presents some favorite titles to share with students and build awareness in this booklist.

Conferring About Word Learning

Sean Moore teaches second grader Mikhail some strategies for learning words in a conference.

Word Observations

Max Brand describes how word observations can work as powerful minilessons in elementary classrooms.

Bridge to Comprehension Minilesson

Deb Gaby uses a bridge metaphor in a comprehension minilesson for second graders.

Simplifying Word Study

Max Brand has suggestions for simplifying word study.

Drama and Two-Page Spreads: Conferring with Max

Ruth Ayres confers with second grader Max about the drama of losing his dog, and the value of using two-page spreads to tell a story.

Sentence Combining in Workshops

Heather Rader has strategies for using sentence combining in literacy workshops.

Conversational Skills in a Boys Book Club

Linda Karamatic observes a second-grade boys book club using tokens as a cue for turn taking, and then discusses her observations with the students.

Children’s Literature for the Olympics

The Olympics are just around the corner, and Sarah Klim has suggestions for read alouds in a new booklist.

Jennifer Serravallo on Formative Assessment (PODCAST)

Franki Sibberson chats with Jennifer Serravallo about formative assessment in this podcast. Jennifer is the author of The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook, Grades 3-6: Four Steps for Turning Assessment Data into Goal-Directed Instruction.

Formative Spelling Assessment

Max Brand has developed templates for grades K-2 and 3-5 to use for formative spelling assessments.

Rereading and Retelling to Inferring: Part 2

Linda Karamatic uses texts her second graders already know to build their inferring skills as they construct a chart together.

Exploring Inferring with Second Graders: Part 1

Linda Karamatic uses a read aloud to launch a group activity to build understanding of  inferring.

Words Chart Minilesson

Ruth Ayres develops a word chart in this brief minilesson with second graders.

Keep Going

Ruth Ayres has advice for moving forward, staying positive, and focusing on what’s important.

A Closer Look at Engagement

Are the terms stamina and engagement synonymous? Cathy Mere defines the terms by observing her first graders.

Spelling Cycles: An Alternative to Weekly Spelling Lists

Max Brand developed Spelling Cycles as an alternative to weekly spelling tests. He explains how they work with an example from a third-grade class.

Second-Grade Minilesson on Capital Letters

Ruth Ayres presents a minilesson on capital letters to a second-grade class.

Finding Topics in Writer’s Notebooks Minilesson

Sean Moore shares the importance of using a writer’s notebook to discover topics in this minilesson with his second-grade students from early in the year.

Powerful Conferences

Ruth Ayres explains how deciding the purpose of conferring in advance can lead to more powerful conferences.

Holding Thinking Minilesson with Second Graders

Deb Gaby uses an analogy of animal tracks to introduce the concept of "holding thinking" in reading journals to second graders.

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