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Newbery Club Wrap-Up
Editor's Note: This is the final installment in a three-part series about a 5th Grade Newbery Club. You can click here to read Part I, and here for Part II. We had our final Newbery...
Tuesday Trading Post: Involving the Whole School in a Book Exchange
What's in place in your classroom or school to encourage readers to share their favorite resources every day? Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) created a new, schoolwide ritual this year...
“You’ll Figure It Out”: 10 Tips for Literacy Coaches Who Are Given Little Guidance
When my principal first approached me about becoming our building's literacy coach (lo these many years ago), my first reaction was "Are you kidding me?" Despite a strong background in...
Closing Out the Year (PART 2)
The end of the school year is such a precious and busy time. This year we asked Choice Literacy contributors to share some of their favorite ideas and activities for...
Jigsaw Jones and Advocating for Kids: A Conversation with James Preller (PODCAST)
Franki Sibberson chats with James Preller about his experiences writing the popular Jigsaw Jones book series, as well as his advocacy work. You can follow James at his blog: http://www.jamespreller.com/...
New Fiction for Boys (BOOKLIST)
As an older but fairly typical boy reader I tend to gravitate toward three types of fiction. Mysteries, humorous realistic fiction and anything that has fast-paced action (with lead protagonists...
How to Look at Student Work
"And there she goes . . ." My daughter, Ahna, is officially a bike rider. I'm sentimental about it because she's the last Rader kid to learn. What's unique about...
An Attitude of Gratitude
When my daughter Ahna was in first grade, she secretly stuck a note in my purse that read I hope you have an extcnt day Mom. Spis! (Translation: I hope...
Poetry Fridays (and So Much More) for Students and Staff
Poetry Friday is surely my most subversive act of teaching. From the outside, you see a suspension of the regular routines of reading workshop. You see children sitting side-by-side with...
Harbinger
Where has this robin been, the one who finally showed up here this morning decked out in a dullish coat of gray over a vest of faded red? Understated for...
Coaching Monkey
As a kid, Curious George was my hero. Sometimes I had to cover my eyes when he was about to get into trouble, but I knew in the end he'd...
Writing Triage: Dealing with Dialogue Disasters
Panicky emails regarding fledgling writers thrill me. Perhaps, it's nostalgia for the pace of my former favorite Thursday night show: ER. Listening to the intro theme song, I tingled with...
Catching Struggling Readers Before They Fall with Pat Johnson and Katie Keier (PODCAST)
Pat Johnson and Katie Keier are the authors of Catching Readers Before They Fall. In this podcast, Franki Sibberson chats with Pat and Katie about their latest thinking on teaching strategies...
Tech Tools for Our Youngest Learners with Kathy Cassidy (PODCAST)
Kathy Cassidy does amazing things with technology in her first-grade classroom. She chats with Franki Sibberson about her favorite tech tools in this podcast. You can learn more about Kathy's...
The Triple Threat: Building a Community, Discussion Skills, and Writing Stamina
There are several key components of a thriving literacy workshop. In my sixth-grade classroom, students need to: be able to read and discuss texts; feel comfortable with each other so...
Writers, Choice and Independence (Part I)
I had an observer in my classroom a few years ago who said, "I love how independent your students are during the workshop. They're such independent writers for fourth graders."...
Sense of Little Engines
About half of our coaching staff is engaged in a book study of Peter Johnston's Choice Words. We meet once a month before school at a local coffee shop that offers...
Poetry Possibilities
April is National Poetry Month! It's time to put the poetry books front and center in the class library. I think that National Poetry Month is a bit of a...
Raising Readers: Independent Reading, Choices, and Intentional Reading Practices
I am one of those teachers who fights a constant battle to balance students' reading time with just-right books with letting them choose freely from many books that interest them....
Fireflies: Then and Now
Summer is a recharging time for teachers; it is our time to be at home with our families and provides us with time to ponder teaching and learning. Last night...
Motive, Means, and Opportunity
I'm on trial for my latest offense. I'll confess -- I did it. And I'll do it again and again -- even if I get caught. I can't stop myself....
