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Coaching Through a New Program
Traveling in Europe in her early twenties, Josie left her friends and took a train to her father’s very small hometown. Not speaking the language and barely understanding the train...
Tapping Novelty for What Teachers Need
We are nourished by novelty. Too much sameness and the world goes gray . . . We [look] for things to notice, alert to the ways in which our days...
Using Whiteboards Before Writer’s Notebooks
Writing was right after recess in the daily schedule, so the students came into the classroom full of energy and with bright cheeks from the winter weather. After a transition...
Giving Writers What They Need
I glance around the room. There are some students with their heads bent and pencils busily filling up the page. Luke is staring into space, but he looks contemplative—like he...
Opening Moments
The one who does the work does the learning. —Terry Doyle, Learner-Centered Teaching The Idea When I was a fifth-grade teacher, Opening Moments were a regular part of our daily...
Cultivating a Habit of Reading Children’s Literature as Part of Our Professional Growth
I have a Saturday morning ritual that I absolutely love: going to my local library and browsing through the children’s books section. But this is not your typical “check out...
Avoiding Implementation Through Lamination
I recently attended a professional development session in which one of the speakers urged school leaders to avoid “implementation through lamination.” He was referring to administrators whose primary mode of...
Supporting Literacy in All Subject Areas
I was the PLC leader for the English department when a young social studies teacher came to my room. He had assigned an essay to his students, and he was...
Magnifying the Moment
Like many educators, one of my favorite moments is the “light bulb” moment when a learner begins to make sense of the teaching point. The reaction might range from asking...
Maximizing Instructional Time at the Start of a New Unit
The launch of a new writing unit is an exciting time. Usually, students have just experienced some sort of writing celebration, and they have felt the pride and energy that...
Instructional Routines That Promote Agency for Multilingual Learners
“I’d love to see him working more independently…” “Sometimes she is unsure what to do next and does not ask for help…” “One of the things we are working on...
Shake It Up: Active Learning Strategies That Engage Students
I once had a class that nearly broke my spirit. It seemed that no matter what lessons I planned or how enthusiastic I was about them, I was met with...
Great Short Reads for Busy Teachers
“I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing. It was such a wonderful book! Have you read it yet?” I asked Debbie. “Oh, Shari, you’re always talking to me about books!"...
Choice in Assessment
Text is just ink on a page until a reader comes along and gives it life. —Louise Rosenblatt I was a bright-eyed, open-hearted, new teacher in a room filled with...
Field Experience: Kindergarten Writers
Spend time with the youngest writers and you will be mesmerized by their writing processes. This field experience focuses on kindergarten writers. Topic: Writing Instruction Grade Level: Elementary Shared Writing...
Classroom Tours: Learning from Colleagues
A few years ago we had someone from outside our school community do a walkthrough of classrooms in our building, to help us figure out how we could create better...
Writing Workshop Teacherisms
With the beginning of a new school year fast approaching many classroom teachers find themselves reflecting on what worked and didn't work when launching the previous year's writing workshop. Everything...
Teaching Passion and Tech Tools: A Conversation with Angela Maiers (PODCAST)
Franki Sibberson chats with Angela Maiers about teaching passion and new tech tools. Angela is the author of The Passion-Driven Classroom and many other resources for teachers. You can learn...
Using Skype in the Classroom
When I plan for the year I map out field trips, read alouds, and writing units. Iin recent years I've added Skype visits to the calendar. Skype is something I...
A Just-Right Lesson for Just-Right Books
Choosing just-right books is a major focus during the first few weeks of school, but with readers continually growing, just-right book choices continually change. For years I have done the...
Prompting and Support: Understanding the Language of the Common Core in Kindergarten
Gradually releasing responsibility to children as they gain expertise, teaching a few strategies of great consequence in-depth over time, and giving children the gifts of time, choice, response, community, and...
