Latest Content
The Power of a Hashtag

Katharine Hale looks at the value of hashtags in helping students harness Twitter in a reading community.

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover: Teaching Book Choice Strategies to Middle Schoolers

Katie Doherty helps students make choices for independent reading.

Peer Evaluation of Student Writing

Megan Ginther found she was spending too much time responding to student writing, and just as important, taking on too much of the responsibility for improvement. She tackled the issue by developing a new program for peer evaluation of student writing.

My Middle Schoolers Still Can’t Spell!: Focusing on Individual Students

Gretchen Taylor concludes her two-part series on spelling instruction in middle school.  In this installment, Gretchen visits a colleague in the primary grades to get advice and practical insight.

Writing Homework

If your students are already comfortable with an unstructured requirement of 20-30 minutes of reading each night, you may find adding 10 minutes of writing at home works wonders in fostering writing skills. Katherine Sokolowski explains how the assignment works in her classroom.

My Middle Schoolers Can’t Spell!

Gretchen Taylor has a common teacher's lament about spelling, so she decides to do something about it. This is the first installment in a two-part series.

Close Reading and Multiple Layers in Middle School

Christy Rush-Levine uses striking texts that inspire multiple readings by her middle school students.

Using Close Reading to Analyze Propaganda

Propaganda, word clouds, and close reading engage students in Holly Mueller’s sixth-grade class.

Can Books Harm Children? Support and Censorship

Shari Frost asks a provocative question: Can books harm children? She explores practical ways for teachers to walk the fine line between support and censorship in matching books to students.

What Kenny Taught Me

Jennifer Schwanke has a student who just won’t sit still and behave appropriately in her middle school classroom. She finally gives up. That’s where the learning begins.

Reading Passports

Justin Stygles develops reading passports as an alternative to traditional reading logs with his fifth- and sixth-grade students.

Digital Boards for Formative Assessment

Katharine Hale has moved much of her reading response to digital boards, which are also a useful tool for formative assessment.
 

Effective Organization

 Ruth Ayres has tips for organizing desks, tables, chairs, and materials to support literacy learning.

Shoebox Autobiographies

Susan Dee uses shoebox autobiographies to build community and relationships with students early in the fall.

Giving Audio Feedback to Student Writing

If you find yourself buried in student work that needs a response, you’ll enjoy suggestions from Bill Bass for using a nifty new online tool.

30 Books in 30 Days

Justin Stygles uses the 30 Books in 30 Days project to introduce his sixth graders to a wide variety of authors and genres.

Giving Up Television

Gretchen Taylor finds giving up television enables her to reconsider many habitual behaviors.

Nonfiction Book Blitz

Justin Stygles finds a nonfiction book blitz is the perfect unit for closing out the school year.

Final Literacy Contracts: Student-Generated Themes

Megan Ginther and Holly Mueller close out the year with their final literacy contracts. It’s time for students to take ownership of their learning, so they select the themes.

Capturing the Elementary Years with Photo Essays

Justin Stygles helps his sixth graders prepare to move to middle school with a photo essay assignment in the last weeks of school.

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.

Nonfiction Graffiti Walls

Katie Doherty uses nonfiction graffiti walls as a tool for building response skills and community with her sixth-grade students.

Reading Interviews: Part 3

We conclude our video series of end-of-year reading interviews with Ruth Shagoury. In this installment, she asks students about how they have changed as readers throughout the year.

Writing Interviews: Part 3

Ruth Shagoury’s end-of-year writing interviews finish with questions about change and the teacher’s influence on writing.

Reading Interviews: Part 2

Ruth Shagoury asks sixth-grade students about reading at home and how they have changed as readers this year.

Writing Interviews: Part 2

Ruth Shagoury’s end of year writing interviews with sixth graders continue with questions about writing strengths and weaknesses.

Reading Interviews: Part 1

Interviews at the end of the school year can help students consider their growth as readers and writers. In this week’s video, Ruth Shagoury interviews sixth graders about their reading. This is the first video in a three-part series.

Writing Interviews: Part 1

Ruth Shagoury interviews sixth graders about their writing at the end of the year. This is the first video in a three-part series.

Reading Through Spring

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

End-of-Year Literacy Interviews

Ruth Shagoury explains why year-end interviews are so valuable, and includes questions to use in your interviews.

Choice Literacy Membership


Articles

Get full access to all Choice Literacy article content

Videos

Get full access to all Choice Literacy video content

Courses

Access Choice Literacy course curriculum and training


Membership Options

Loading...