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The Over-Prompting of Young Writers
I have been teaching long enough to remember a time before our large-scale state writing assessment when the word "prompt" wasn't connected to writing. Yet after receiving our first set...
What Goes in the Writer’s Notebook?
I start off each school year with good intentions. My files will be more organized, my newsletters more concise, and my time more productive. I'll read more about teaching math...
Addicted to Twitter: How Did It Happen?
I have become addicted to Twitter, and this shocks me. I really had no intention of "twittering," and I certainly did not plan on making it a part of my...
The Reading Skills We Use When Searching the Internet
Our students are often much more technologically savvy than we are. They have grown up with tools that are fairly new to us. They often know how to teach themselves...
Implementing RTI: Keeping Students at the Heart of Our Conversations
The success of any RTI initiative will rest largely on the ability of the teachers to select appropriate instructional activities based on the diagnostic evidence each student provides at the...
Living Words: Integrating Word Study, Technology, and Content Literacy (Part 1)
I will be honest. I am a "digital immigrant," a person new to rapidly changing technologies. I am proud to say that I am adjusting, and I've accepted the fact...
Creating a Model Writing School
It's 3:45 p.m. after a long day of teaching. Our media center is buzzing as teachers excitedly greet each other, grab a quick snack, catch up on the day, and...
Expectations for Grade-Level Team Meetings
We are often asked by coaches how we get the teams we are working with to actively participate in the meetings we facilitate. When first asked this question, we tended...
Vocabrity: Fun with Words for Middle School Students
It was my mom's 60th surprise party, and my cousin Joe introduced us to this way fun game called Celebrity Salad Bowl. Each person gets three slips of paper on...
Restless Wanderer: Lessons for Teachers from Summer Vacations
It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts... it is to teach them to think, if that is possible,...
The Importance of Book Clubs for Learners of Any Age
Two years ago, I had the idea to start an adult book club at my school. I pitched the idea out there, and lo and behold, there were a handful...
Creating a Model Writing School . . . Next Steps
Just like anything else that is new, our first steps in creating a model writing school were tentative. We took a few steps forward, stumbled a little, got back up...
Creating Data Teams
A concern that arises in thinking about the collection and use of data is the number of schools that are assigning the job of "data manager" to their reading coaches/specialists....
The Joy of Letter Writing: An Integrated Unit for Intermediate Students
Note to self: Never underestimate the power of FUN in writing workshop. It started as a fairly typical unit of study. I knew that according to the academic content standards,...
Assessment in Writing Workshops: Considering Students
I attended a Language Arts Committee Meeting this week with many other primary teachers across my district. I love going to these meetings because of the learning I take away...
How to Use a Coach: Four Things to Consider
When my husband and I rented the movie Slum Dog Millionaire, I hid my eyes frequently during the first thirty minutes. Completely unprepared for the on-screen violence, I asked Kurt to...
Are You Scaffolding or Rescuing?
Do you remember where you were when you first saw the (now familiar) scaffolding diagram? Oh, come on. You know the one. The long rectangle with a diagonal line stretching from...
Understanding Students in Intervention Programs
Using data to make wise decisions about students who are struggling is one of the most important tasks in schools. In one district we worked with, the data team wanted...
Books That Invite Thoughtful Conversation in Grades K-2
One of the favorite parts of my new job as a school media specialist is that I get to read aloud to primary students again. There is nothing like seeing...
Changing the Learning Landscape: Organizing My 6th Grade Classroom (PHOTO ESSAY)
I wouldn't consider myself a big television fan, but I am addicted to the Bravo and HGTV design shows. I also have a special spot in my heart for Ty...
How to Be of Use: Starting Strong
During my summer, I've been working with my 10-year-old daughter on her conventions in general and her spelling in particular. I'm constantly on the lookout for fun ways to motivate...
