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Writers on Revision Quote Collection
If a teacher told me to revise, I thought that meant my writing was a broken-down car that needed to go to the repair shop. I felt insulted. I didn't...
Preparing Students for Summer Reading
I keep a reading log tracking the books I read each month. When I look at the log across the years, I notice that there are patterns to my reading....
Quotes about Commitment to Teaching
To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply...
Learning from the Shadows
This past month I decided to try something a little different. I asked Jeni, a teacher in her third year to shadow me for a full day. New teachers have...
Last Words and Next Steps: Closure Activities for Study Groups and Mentoring Programs
The final moments of any professional development activity or school community can be among the most memorable of the year. We like final discussions and reflections to feel authentic and...
Quotes about Content Literacy for Adolescents
If you are a struggling reader, all you have to do is look tough and say nothing, and then you will become invisible. Richard Vacca Unfortunately, the idea of harder...
Putting Ourselves in Our Teaching
It's important to know that even if you don't think of yourself as a particularly reflective person, or someone who naturally puts your thinking on display, it doesn't mean that...
More Than Listening Centers: Using Audio Books in Literacy Instruction
A lanky boy in a hooded sweatshirt was sprawled across a beanbag chair in the back of the classroom. He was staring intently at the book in his hands. "Uh-oh,"...
Favorite Writing Quotes
When you write, try to leave out the parts readers skip. Elmore Leonard Keep in mind that the person to write for is yourself. Tell the story that you most...
Creating a Reflective Culture in Classrooms
Have you ever been part of a school culture where you've been asked to consider issues that affect you directly? Maybe it's about vertical planning, or ways to increase parent...
Organizing Book Bins: Letting Kids Help and Plan
I happily spend my days with first graders . . . I love to guide them as they discover, read, and tell stories. I am curious about kids. What does...
Helping Students Find Their Own Mentor Texts
We believe a mentor text is a book that offers myriad possibilities for our students and for ourselves as writers. Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through...
Making the Rounds: Visiting Everyone
Anyone who knows me would say that I have a "Type A" personality. In some situations this has served me well, in others it has made life complicated. I am...
Collecting Stories: Opening Activity and Icebreaker (PRINT DOWNLOAD)
The "Collecting Stories" activity is a great way to launch a workshop or new study group on a topic. The one I designed here was used with participants in a...
Looking Back to Move Forward: The Plan Book Scavenger Hunt for Literacy Leaders
It's 5:30 in the afternoon, and the school improvement team meeting for one of my buildings is concluding. My principal remarks that there are only sixteen days of school left....
January New Teacher Group Update: When Life Happens
It was noontime when I received a call from my daycare provider, Sandy. She told me that my daughter, Samantha was coughing a lot. I had an important meeting scheduled...
Writing Strengths Anchor Chart
When I taught middle school, I liked to have kids display their talents as often as possible. While students usually didn't have trouble sharing their social selves, asking them to...
Conferring with Children
One of the hardest things for us to learn in improving our conferring skills was to truly get up, move about, and start conferring with children one-on-one. We were accustomed...
The Anticipation Guide: A Tool for Study Group Leaders
When I was a fifth-grade teacher, a typical day ended with a hundred and one important details that needed my attention -- planning for the next day's classes, calling parents...
Shopping With Ana: Expanding Our Definition of “Just Right” Books in Grades K-2
My six-year-old daughter Ana has recently discovered the joy of gift certificates. She received a gift certificate from Borders Bookstore from my parents for Valentine's Day. Ana seemed to grasp...
Time for Reading
How much time do your students spend actually reading text during the literacy block? This question came up during a meeting of elementary classroom teachers. These teachers are required to...
