Article Content Type: Article
Results
Reader Response Anchor Charts
“There’s a bunch of kids stuck there together.” October 9 This sentence, followed by a date, was a typical entry recorded by my students in their reader response journals. This...
Climbing Gordon’s Ladder with New Teachers
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. Maya Angelou As a teacher leader for the Teacher Mentor Program, I worked...
The Data Wall Debacle
One of the things that we seem to like to do in education is take a good idea and misuse it. If picture walks work well in helping to prepare...
Operation Classroom Library
One, two, three, four crates of books were stacked against the wall, standing taller than any kindergarten student in the class. The stack was teetering, in danger of abruptly crashing...
Nonfiction Graffiti Walls
I love nonfiction. I love learning about new things and broadening my horizons. But when I was a sixth grader, I was singing a different tune. I all but ignored...
Planning for a Year of Study Groups
Sustainable improvement can never be done to or even for teachers. It can only ever be achieved by and with them. Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan As a literacy...
Student Work Ethic: Overcoming Spring Fever
A few weeks ago I had to be out of the classroom for one day. I left my substitute—a retired art teacher who is amazing—lesson plans that involved collecting a...
Developing a Collaborative Vision for Leading Literacy Coaches
Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation. Mark Twain It’s August, and Amanda and I are perched in...
Supporting Struggling Readers: David’s Story
My 10-year-old began last Saturday morning with the words, “I wish today was Sunday so that we would be one day closer to summer break.” At my house, my kids...
Interviewing a Coach
Almost every year I get the opportunity to participate in interviews for elementary or secondary instructional specialist positions in our district. Spots open up because of a coach heading back...
Coaching Minute: Professional Development Matters for Us
In this brief video, Ruth Ayres explains why professional development is important for all of us, no matter your leadership role.
Understanding the Summer Slide: Sharing Data with Parents and Students
Without school support, many of our students stop reading. It is as if we are taking two steps forward during the school year and one step backward during the summer....
Teacher Blogs in the Digital World
All the teachers in our Introduction to Digital Writing class agreed that being digital writers themselves would help them incorporate technology into their classrooms. Some were even interested in creating...
Coaching in the Moment
Recently we have noticed that some of our best coaching moments are happening outside of our coaching schedule. These on-the-go conversations in the photocopier line, in the parking lot, or...
Coaching Boundaries: Do You Have Any?
Time is the resource on which we’ve relied to get more accomplished. When there’s more to do, we invest more hours. But time is finite, and many of us feel...
Picture It: Binder Full of Coaching
Heather Rader keeps her binder with her as she moves between the 13 elementary schools in her district. Each tab belongs to one of the educators with whom she’s currently...
Getting Ready for Summer Reading: A Lesson Cycle
I used to spend a lesson or two getting students ready for summer reading. We’d have a visit from the local librarian about their summer reading program, and we’d have...
The Gifts of Literacy
“I will miss you all the way to heaven and back.” Peyton modified one of my favorite lines in children’s literature in a way that both revealed a surprising depth...
Using Meeting Minutes as a Reflective Tool
A lot of people are so used to just seeing the outcome of work. They never see the side of the work you go through to produce the outcome. —Michael...
Making Summer Reading Plans
Just like we prepare for summer—cleaning the barbecue grill, planting a garden, cleaning closets, or making vacation plans—readers prepare for summer too. Each June we teach one final unit of...
Intentional Agendas: Planning for Teacher Learning
When I stepped out of the classroom seven years ago and into a professional development role, I felt like a first-year teacher all over again. The only difference: my “students”...
