Article Content Type: Article
Results
More Productive Writing Workshops
By early winter, many writing workshops have become humming hives of productivity and progress. But some haven't hit their groove. What to look for and what to do about those...
QR Code Listening Stations
Many classrooms have a listening station to replicate the benefits of classroom read-alouds in literacy stations. Yet, in my experience, listening stations are one of the most difficult stations to...
Using Podcasts as an Alternative to Article of the Week
Like many teachers, I have been using Kelly Gallagher’s Article of the Week activity in my classroom for several years. At the beginning of the year, this activity is great:...
Focused Revision: Introductions
As I sit at my computer, trying to start writing this article, each blink of the cursor on the blank white page is a recurring taunt of “Start! Start! Start!”...
Better Writing Response Groups
Peer feedback is something we value for ourselves, and so we’re always looking for ways to improve the quality of feedback our students give and get. In middle school, we...
Teaching Revision in Middle School
The pre-assessment prompt for our first unit of writing reads, “Please keep in mind that you’ll have 45 minutes to complete this, so you will need to plan, draft, revise,...
Tips for Student Podcasting
“I wish this lesson was on the radio so I could listen to it over and over until I understand it.” That was all I needed to hear from Alex....
Making Co-Teaching Work
For four years, we had the fortunate circumstance of being placed together as co-teachers in a fourth-grade classroom. For four years, we got the opportunity to know each other only...
Writing Empathy
I write stories about my daughters. Not made-up stories. Real stories about their childhood and our family. I write about Maddie’s first loose tooth and the way Katie always smells...
What Writers Need
A couple of summers ago I decided to be a writer full-time for two weeks. I woke up each day and headed to campus, filled with excitement, some anxiety, and...
Writing Effective Conclusions
This year I actually had a student ask me, “Do I have to write a conclusion? Can’t I just stop?” Besides making me laugh, this question stopped me cold for...
The Quote Collector
I love collections. Collections of books, of shoes, of childhood mementos, of swatches of clothing my children wore to be made into a quilt (someday!), of wine corks, of sticky...
Teaching Summary with Book Blurbs
Every year my students struggle to summarize their texts. I pull my chair alongside them for a reading conference and ask Carl Anderson’s now infamous question, “How’s it going?” My...
Using Mentor Texts Across the Writing Process
During our prep for state testing, Alex wrote lead after lead in her on-demand narrative pieces that mimicked the structure and phrasing of Owl Moon. She knew the lead to...
Mentor Texts for Letter Writing
A few months ago, Jennifer Serravallo posted a photo of children in her neighborhood writing letters and postcards. When we looked at this photo, we could almost hear the productive...
Children’s Books: Mirrors and Windows
“I’ve been to the barbershop!” exclaims Tyrell, bouncing on his knees. “My pop-pop took me to the barbershop.” His kindergarten teacher, Gina, looks up from the read-aloud book Bippity Bop...
Breathe
Every now and again, just as I’m feeling confident and sure of my skills as a leader, someone will come along and do something so simple, so perfectly appropriate, that...
Build More Lingering into Coaching
I recently spent some time at the counter of my local bank. I had misplaced my ATM card and was requesting a new one. What I thought was going to...
Making Meetings Purposeful
We’ve all heard the jokes and complaints: When I die, I hope it’s in a meeting. That way, the transition from life to death will be barely noticeable. I just...
Being Selfish About Meeting Norms
Writing norms helps create groups that are able to have honest discussions that enable everyone to participate and be heard. Joan Richardson I have found myself thinking about the...
The Children Are Communicating. Are We Listening?
“Look at this photo of Cutie Jarius!” Erin’s email read. And there he was, standing proudly in front of “Morning Message” scrawled in a kindergarten hand. Robert Fulghum says all...
