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The Compliment Conference
Camilla sorts her book bag, and a frown stretches across her face as she slides books out and tosses them to the side. Her shoulders slump, and she looks out...
In the Trenches: Reflection, Not Perfection
As a middle school literacy coach whose job is to provide job-embedded professional development, I am fortunate to find myself in classrooms a good amount of the day. My stance...
Wonder and React
During the first part of our information writing unit, we tried hard to get our fifth-grade students to ask questions. The classroom teacher and I modeled wondering and reacting to...
Growing Toward Independence
When I first noticed Alex, he was sitting on a stool near the window in his first-grade classroom. His books were on the shelf, but he was actually turned away...
Coaching Tool: Voice-Overs
Demonstration lessons and coteaching settings are great contexts for engaging in the “partnership learning” approach to literacy coaching. What happens when the debrief discussion takes place hours after the lesson?...
Voice Notes
As coaches we plan so many professional developments sessions that it is difficult to remember the content we discussed, the things we decided to skip, the opportunities we noticed for...
Time for What Matters
As a high school teacher, I see my students for 42 minutes each day. That’s 3½ hours in a good week (without pep rallies, blood drives, and so on) to...
Building Stamina in Middle School Writers
I am sitting in writing workshop, deep in thought as I confer with a seventh-grade writer. Just as I trhink we're really getting somewhere, starting to work together to move...
Ending Coaching Cycles with Reflection
I am approaching the end of a coaching cycle with a fifth-grade teacher with whom I've been working throughout her information-writing unit. Her students are highly engaged, so we have...
Better Meetings Through Reflection
Think of the hours most of us spend in meetings. There are professional learning community meetings, staff meetings, grade-level meetings, curriculum meetings, data meetings, student intervention meetings, study group meetings,...
Extended Inquiry with Article of the Week
I have been using Kelly Gallagher’s “Article of the Week” strategy in my classroom for some time now. On Mondays, I introduce an interesting or pertinent article to my students...
“Giving Ourselves Hard Problems”: Rethinking Math Workshop
My teaching in my fifth-grade literacy workshops has always come easily, feeling almost instinctive. Math workshop is another matter. Until recently, I hadn’t been able to clinch that same effortless-seeming...
The Intersection of Social Studies and Language Arts
Our state has revised its framework for social studies significantly over the past four years. As I worked as part of a state-level team on the new frameworks for Connecticut,...
Risk and All
“You’re killing me,” said Kacie. She sat across from me in my office. Pale complexion, freckles, thick orange shoulder-length hair. She wore gray sweats, one leg tucked beneath her. She...
Exploring the Writing Process
One of the many great instructional practices to come out of the writing workshop movement is the idea of teaching the writing process. We have tried to demystify the writing...
Debating How to Begin Stories
Last week, I read Eli’s piece over his shoulder. He had the classic beginning: It was a beautiful November day at the zipline park. He continued his piece with this:...
Modifications for English Language Learners
The teacher is reading aloud a new picture book to the class. Since the students haven’t heard the story before, everyone is listening very carefully. But as she comes to...
Knowing Ami: Silent Communication with an English Language Learner
When Ami walked in the door, I wanted to know everything about her. Why did she always have a sparkle in her big brown eyes? Why did she carry her...
A Coach’s Toolbox: Transcribing Talk
Most of my time in classrooms is spent coteaching or teaching a demonstration lesson. My role as a literacy coach is a nonevaluative one, so I aim to be actively...
Teaching Inference Through Picture Books
One reading strategy my fifth graders still struggle with is inference. After years of working with students this age, I think they are making this more complicated than it needs...
It’s All About Perception
Life is all about perception. Positive versus negative. Whichever you choose will affect and more than likely reflect your outcomes. Sonya Techlai The blessing of first-of-the-year assessments is that...
