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More Literacy Keepsakes to Carry Home at the End of the School Year
Last year we surveyed readers of our weekly newsletter The Big Fresh requesting suggestions for literacy activities for the final days of school. Hundreds of teachers wrote back. Here are literacy...
Seedfolks: Connecting Community and Literature
I had my first anxiety dream about school starting last night. It was the first day of school, and I was late. Not just 5 or 10 minutes late. I...
Draft Stamps: Moving Learners at All Levels Forward
One of our first discoveries as administrators was that our title authorized our membership on countless committees. We never knew so many committees could exist! Our past employment as consultants...
Persuasive Pamphlets
My state and district standards require that seventh grade students should be able to write persuasively. Traditionally, teachers meet this standard by assigning a speech or a paper, and I...
5 Easy Steps for Starting a Blog
Blog. Blog because it is reflective. Blog because we need you to share what you know with us. Blog because it is good to remember how it feels to be...
Reading Preferences: Social, Pleasurable, and Sometimes Awkward
Like many people, I made a few resolutions as the new year was ushered in. One of those resolutions was to be better at tracking the books that I read....
Beginning with the End in Mind: Planning Ahead for Closing Activities
All of this week's suggestions for closing out the school year require planning ahead. How far ahead? Often all the way back to the first day of school, and many...
Choosing 5th Grade Read Alouds for the New Year
It's that time of year when I gather together all the books I think would be good to read aloud and share with my 5th grade students for this year....
You Never Know What You’re Going To Get
One of the things I find myself struggling with is that as I get older, I get busier. As my retired dad gets older, he has more time. This is...
Pamphlets on Books (Part 2 of the Persuasive Pamphlets Series)
I can never seem to make just a quick trip to a bookstore or library. I'm easily side-tracked from my initial purpose, and the thrill of discovery makes time seem...
Coaching Beyond the Curriculum: Reframing Our Talk and Attitude Toward Difficult Students
"Can Darren spend some time with you? He needs to take a break from our classroom right now." Translation: Darren is driving me crazy and I need a break from him so...
Closing Out the Library: Cleaning Up and Thinking Ahead
I love the end of the school year for many reasons. I actually enjoy closing out the school year and cleaning up a bit, because the process helps me reflect...
Tips for Conducting Demonstration Lessons, or How to Avoid the “Am I Doing This Right?” Question
Teachers spend most of their day alone with their class, and each day they are required to make hundreds of "in the moment" instructional decisions. Here are just a few...
Parent Contributions Beyond Instructional Support
Many parents want to contribute to their child's school. Some parents want to roll their sleeves up and take on a job to complete. Others like to attend school events...
“To Teach is to Learn Twice”: Creating Professional Communities in Schools
This year at our Choice Literacy Workshops the last gift we gave everyone was a backpack with the quote, "To Teach is to Learn Twice" printed on it. It was...
Helping Children Build Notetaking Skills
As a paid college notetaker, I shudder to think of the poor students who reviewed my laborious notes. Possibly the sole qualifications of that position were someone who meets deadlines...
“What Will You Do with This Mess?”: Helping Students Learn to Collaborate
This year one of my goals was to incorporate creative technologies in my reading and writing workshops. I need to be aware of how different tech tools shape and support...
Ending the Year with Literacy Gifts
Recently I received an email from a student who was in my kindergarten class nine years ago. He is now a freshman in high school and just wanted to say...
Keeping “House” in a Literacy-Rich Classroom
Housecleaning is not one of my favorite chores, but it is necessary for my life to be organized (and for me to have some sense of sanity considering the pace...
Redesigning a Classroom: Putting Students First (and Technology in Its Place)
It takes time, effort, thinking, rearranging, and more thinking to design a classroom environment . . . and then every summer the cycle repeats itself. I set up a kindergarten...
Using Picture Books to Spice Up Vocabulary Instruction (BOOKLIST)
Vocabulary instruction has always been a challenge for me. I believe strongly that students need to learn vocabulary in context, but I have realized recently that there are concepts related...
