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Can a High-Stakes Assessment Create Readers?
If I were to ask any educator which instructional practices create joyful readers, you might expect to hear any of the following: a rich classroom library, access to just-right books,...
Teaching Constructed Response Before Exams
I arrived in the fourth-grade classroom. The students were seated and waiting with anticipation; it was not every day that the principal taught a lesson. “Good morning,” I said. “I’m...
Literacy, Phys Ed, and Workshops Across the Curriculum
This past spring, I had the rare chance to hire a physical education teacher. As most principals know, this opportunity doesn’t come along often; most schools have one P.E. teacher,...
Field Notes: Where’s My Language?
West Noble Elementary School has a dual-language program. Some students spend equal amounts of time in Spanish-speaking classrooms and English-speaking classrooms. Half of the class is made up of native...
Don’t Force Vulnerability
Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen. Brené Brown I found myself among a group of moms who were complaining about their kids’ homework assignments. I...
Creating a Safe Space in Middle School
I have never felt more uncomfortable as a professional than I did this past summer in a session led by Chad Everett at the Lead Learners Summer Institute. That session...
Forces of Nature
Image from Force of Nature the earth spinning in orbit With precision, speed, and grace Mother Nature has her grip upon it un-balancing the forces in the vast open...
Poetry and Pastiche
Infusing poetry throughout the school year rather than restricting it to just one unit is one of our goals. There are many benefits to having more poetry in classrooms. One...
Kindergarten and Middle School Poetry Partnership
When I taught fourth grade in a kindergarten through fourth-grade building, it was nothing to create an activity that involved lower grades. I strongly believed then as I do now...
Quick and Easy Word Study Groups in First Grade
When I listened to Ellin Keene present at a workshop years ago, I was particularly interested in her information about how word study fits into a reading workshop model. She...
Teaching Transition Words
The second-grade team was teaching the unit on writing fairy tales for the first time, and emailed us because they noticed they didn’t have a lesson in the unit that...
Writing Partners
“This is good.” “I like your details.” “I think you spelled this wrong.” “You need a period here.” For many years this is the kind of talk I overhead from...
A Heart for Coaching
Friends and colleagues often ask if I miss working in the classroom. My first answer is always “Yes. I will always miss the classroom because my heart is there.” Most...
Exploring Author’s Craft in Graphic Novels
I have noticed that my eighth graders can easily be divided into two groups: those who read graphic novels and those who don’t. In fact, these categories also work for...
Hard Topics in Reading
Using books with dark themes or settings in the classroom can give students the language to express their emotions, models for how to discuss and engage on these topics with...
Trauma and Literacy
When I was between the ages of eight and 10, two things happened. First, it stopped raining. There was a two-year drought that dried up the entire state of Ohio....
Kids Teaching Kids: Student-Led Lessons
We’re in a fourth-grade classroom, and the teacher, Mrs. P, has just finished her minilesson. She’s wearing moon-patterned tights reminiscent of Mrs. Frizzle. As the kids move into independent reading...
From Observations to Questions
What an honor it is to be invited into a classroom. I’m always reminded that it is a privilege. When teachers invite me to observe an English learner in their...
Pairing Video Clips with Text: The Great Depression
“How do we know that this is the true story? This is only one version of the story.” I absolutely love when my students question what they read. I love...
Self-Esteem and Literacy: Understanding Jeff
“I don’t feel like reading today.” “I am gonna fail this test today.” “Just let me finish this video game and then I will do some work.” “What will my...
Collaborating for Understanding in Writing
“I know you have gone over it 11 times today, but can you explain it one more time?” After spending a few days diving into understanding the truth about Christopher...
