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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
Essay Writing: Thesis Statements and Supporting Details Minilesson
Beth Lawson works with her 4th graders to develop essays with strong thesis statements and supporting details, using a folder organization system to highlight different thesis statements for each child. This is the first video in a series.
Common Core Conversations: Text Complexity
Amanda Adrian and Heather Rader find ways into understanding text complexity with students and teachers.
I Can’t Quite Put My Finger On It
Have you ever had a teacher enthusiastically embrace a new “magic bullet” instructional program that includes scripted or rote elements that concern you? Melanie Quinn considers this sticky situation instructional coaches sometimes find themselves in, and comes up with some starting points for conversations with colleagues.
Essay Writing: Teacher Modeling
Beth Lawson works with her fourth graders to develop essays with strong thesis statements and supporting details, using a folder organization system to highlight different thesis statements for each child. This is the second video in a series.
Conferring with Tweens: Boys and Series Books
In this conference from a 6th grade classroom, Katie Doherty confers with a boy who is reading a book from a series she is unfamiliar with – watch how she engages the child to learn about the series and refocus the discussion on skills and goals.
Noticing Words in Second Grade
In this brief video from Linda Karamatic’s 2nd grade classroom, students share words they are noticing, and Linda talks about making revisions to the wall displays of words in the classroom. She also mentions the word “wretched” which the class discussed the previous day, and how the word might be used naturally in conversations.
Book Matchmaker: Picture Book Biographies
Franki Sibberson shares some of her favorite picture book biographies in the latest installment of Book Matchmaker.
Same Old Love Song — A Cento
Shirl McPhillips creates a cento – a collection of lines written by other poets compiled into a new poem. It turns out poets were sampling other creative works centuries before rappers made the practice so popular today.
Listen In: Writing in Math
Heather Rader confers with 2nd grader Maya about her math writing as Linda Karamatic listens in.
Conferring About Thesis Statements
In this conference with a 4th grader, Beth Lawson talks about supporting details for thesis statements. This is part of the video series from Beth’s room on essay writing.
Write Today
Ruth Ayres describes her own experiences as an author, blogger, and teacher. She shows how possible and essential writing is for even the busiest educators.
Poetry that Celebrates Summertime and the Outdoors
Franki Sibberson combines verse and nature in this booklist on taking poetry outdoors.
11/11/11: We Are One Celebration with Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Hundreds of people gathered at Millennium Park in Chicago for a joyful and silly celebration of Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s “We Are One” flash mob.
Conferring About Chunking Words in Second Grade
Sean Moore confers with a 2nd grader who is learning the strategy of chunking words in reading. Notice how Sean focuses the student, refers to previous conferences, and previews an upcoming whole-class reading.
If You Like Junie B. Jones, You Might Like . . .
What young learner doesn’t love Junie B. Jones? Franki Sibberson shares great texts to recommend for readers who adore Junie and might be looking for similar characters and plots.
What’s On Your Summer Pleasure Reading List? (Round-Up)
We asked some of our favorite teacher authors what's on their nightstands and in their book bags for summer reading.
Stuck on a Thesis: Conferring
In this conference with a 4th grader, Beth Lawson works with a student who has chosen a challenging essay topic and is struggling to develop his thesis.
Preschool Centers
Centers can be an effective teaching and learning strategy in preschools. In this video, Melissa Kolb shares her rationale for using centers in her Head Start classroom with video examples of centers.
Preschool Thank-You Writing Center
Teachers Melissa Kolb and Andie Cunningham help preschoolers use the thank-you writing center in this quick two-minute video.
Learning to Write Engaging Nonfiction: A Middle School Partner Writing Study
Ann Marie Corgill takes a big risk and pairs her middle-school students randomly for a nonfiction writing project, and finds the risk pays off.
Book Matchmaker: Intermediate Read-Alouds
Franki Sibberson shares some of her favorite read-alouds for the intermediate grades.
Sticky Notes to Determine Importance
In this conference from Beth Lawson’s third-grade classroom, the focus is on the skill of determining importance in texts. Beth helps Sephina integrate sticky notes into her strategic reading of the book The Blues Singers.
Beyond Harry Potter: Tapping Student Interest in Fantasy
Franki Sibberson taps into the fantasy craze among students with this booklist.
Conferring About Rereading Strategies
In this conference with a fourth grader, Aimee Buckner guides a child to think more deeply and critically about a book being read to the whole class, Goblins in the Castle.
Reading Conferences in 5th Grade
Karen Terlecky confers with her 5th graders during reading workshop.
Book Matchmaker: Graphic Novels for a 6th Grader
Franki Sibberson has graphic novel suggestions for 6th grade girls.
Respond, Reflect, Rejoice: The 3 Rs of Writing Celebrations
Ruth Ayres explains how teachers might put less focus on big, showy events, and more on the daily small pleasures and joys of writing success in classrooms.
Argumentative, Opinion, and Persuasive Writing in the Common Core
What does the Common Core have to say about persuasive writing? Jennifer Burton explains how she and her colleagues are teasing out the differences between opinion, argument, and persuasive writing with students, and helping them develop this type of writing in authentic ways
How Do We Structure Small Groups? (Part 3 of the Grouping Series)
Heather Rader synthesizes recommendations and provides examples of how grouping structures work in classrooms.
Standards and Magic: Digging Deep and Being Spontaneous with Infographics
If you’ve ever had 15 minutes or less to plan for a session with kids, you can appreciate the blend of panic and improvisation the experience inspires. Mary Lee Hahn devises an activity with an infographic for the 4th and 5th grade environmental science club at the last minute, and finds students exhibit many surprising literacy skills during the session.
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