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Fireflies and Background Knowledge
Recently, I was eating lunch with a group of friends and two of them shared how excited they were because the previous night they had seen their first fireflies ever....
A Summer Reading Camp for Middle School Students
Summer. The word conjures up images of pools, freedom, baseball, and more. For me, it also is a time to read. Many years ago I began teaching a reading camp...
Are You Excited About Next Year?
“Are you excited about teaching next year?” “Uh . . . not yet,” I answered. After all, we were not even a week into summer. We chatted about how nice...
Using Instagram to Sell Summer Reading Options
During this past school year Instagram, a picture sharing social media platform, became very popular with my fourth-grade students. About half of my class had Instagram on their phones or...
Grateful Journals
The sun was up, but the TV was on. In our house there was a strict rule: When the sun was up, anything with a screen had to be off....
Teacher Resume
In a TED talk, Rita Pierson, a 40 year classroom veteran, spoke to the importance of building relationships with students. She described a colleague who once stated that she was...
SPREAD: Teaching and a Balanced Life
Franklin planners. To do lists. Electronic calendars. Books describing how to delegate . . . or prioritize . . . or simplify abound. I have tried most of them, inching...
Coaching the Coach
I believe “Every teacher deserves a coach.” I believe that every teacher deserves to work in warm collaboration with a trusted colleague, looking closely at her practice or thinking deeply...
Word Nerds
Write down a synonym for the following words or use them in a sentence if you can: 1. girn 2. fug 3. hircine 4. yerd 5. sesamoid Did you try...
Books and Organization of the Classroom Library (Classroom Design Series Part 4)
The collection of books you see here was started in July of 1994, the month I began setting up my very first classroom. It’s been over 20 years since I...
Recommendations for Summer Reading Fun: Early Reader Chapter Books for Boys
Boys who are just getting into early reader chapter books have lots to choose from. We’ve listed some of our favorite books with boys at the center by well-known and...
Reflecting All Year Long
Reflection is important to me, especially at the end of another school year. I am gathering stacks of professional books –- some to read, some to reread, as I plan...
Recommendations for Summer Reading Fun: Comics and Graphic Novels for Early Readers
Kids LOVE graphic novels! What’s not to love? Pictures, details, and interesting stories to pore over, and now there are so many that have the added attraction of good stories...
Values and Design (Classroom Design Series Part 2)
Second only to the quality of the teacher, classroom environment is the most influential factor to student success. Eric Jensen, Environments for Learning This is a photograph taken this year...
Literacy in the Music Room: A Sequence of Lessons
Many people speak of the connection that can be made between music and mathematics, and music is sometimes used to reinforce math concepts. As a longtime music lover, I’ve found...
Recommendations for Summer Reading Fun: Classic Books for Early Readers
For book lovers, summer is a an idyllic time for reading, a chance to dip into those books we’ve been itching to crack open, or revisit special books from our...
Starting with Why (Classroom Design Series Part 1)
Several years ago, I came upon Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. I bought it immediately, and not because it was the...
The Cure for Senioritis? Poetry!
Teaching seniors at the end of the year is always a challenge. The other day, I actually heard one student say to another, “Why would I bother learning anything now?”...
Staying Connected with Students All Summer Long
To say the last days of school are my favorite days would be a bit of a stretch. It's not the crazy end of year events, the incredible buzz of...
Summer Reading Round-Up (Part 2)
It’s time! Time to add more titles to your personal and professional “TBR” (to be read) stack. Choice Literacy contributors have suggestions for you to pick from and pack in...
13 Ways to Raise Students Who Hate Research
Certainly there are just too many words of positive advice for how to raise empowered students. Sure, of course, some people want kids who are inquisitive and energized to learn....
