Spring is a true reconstructionist.
―Henry Timrod
Direction Beyond Assessment Data
Happy May! Sometimes it is unbelievable to me how quickly time passes. In just a handful of weeks, my youngest son will be graduating from high school. There seems to be an infinite list of things to do before the end of the school year.
This is a typical kind of to-do list for educators at this time of the year. We can feel the pressure of the end of the year, and it feels impossible to accomplish all that needs to be done.
If this is true for you, I’m super glad you’re here, because this week’s collection focuses on invaluable tools to get to the point of need. We share ways to peek inside the minds of students and provide direction beyond assessment data. Our Leaders Lounge continues this theme by gathering ideas to make professional learning personal and engaging. You’ll find treasures in the Free for All section, too.
This week we focus on invaluable teaching tools—plus more, as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Stella Villalba has practical advice for reaching a young English language learner who is reluctant to write and often frustrated.
Tammy Mulligan shares the importance of giving students choice and agency with book club tools to improve engagement and the quality of the conversations.
Scholastic shares a helpful technique for young readers to select a book.
Do you wish you had more time to share new books with your students? We know you don’t need fluff or pretty activities. Instead we get to the heart of what you need to thoughtfully share new books in your classroom.
NEW! Our book guides are created and vetted by in-the-field educators. They hold true to the tenets of giving students choice and voice in their reading lives, while empowering a teacher to expand the representation of books shared with students. Click here to see all of our new book guides.
Beneath by Cori Doerrfeld is a story about a girl navigating loss by learning from her grandpa how to notice what is beneath the surface during a walk through nature.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Lisa Mazinas reminds us of the importance of fostering a love of reading in all students. She offers specific ways to reconnect students with the enjoyment of reading.
Becca Burk guides us in using self-portraits as an assessment tool for early writers. Becca shares a rubric, self-portrait samples, and practical next steps for her kindergarten writers.
In this encore video, Heather Fisher works with first graders to teach them the strategy of taking “mini-breaks” to sustain reading during workshops.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Suzy Kaback provides a guide for using an AI chatbot to help generate transcripts to study explicit instructional moves. Download a progression to learn how to refine requests to create a high-quality transcript. This is the third installment in a series about using AI with teacher candidates.
Inspired by low-ceiling, high-threshold activities in classrooms, Heather Fisher offers three ways to plan professional learning so that it is accessible to a range of educators.
Gigi McAllister explores ways instructional coaches can make strong connections through drop-in visits. Download the Drop-In Visit note sheet and add drop-in visits to your schedule today.
Quote It:
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
—Robert Collier
That’s all for this week!
