Choice Lit Topic: Big Fresh Archives
Here is where you can find all the Big Fresh enewsletters from the past six years archived, with the most recent issues on top. If you haven’t already, sign up for the Big Fresh! It’s been the go-to resource for tens of thousands of teachers around the globe for over 12 years. We never send subscribers anything but the weekly newsletter, and we absolutely never share your email address with anyone else.
Results
March 27, 2026: Special Edition: Spring Break
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. —Maya Angelou How Will...
March 20, 2026: Stay Mentally Fit!
Find people who make you better. —Michelle Obama Build Friendships I have a theory about friendship: It resists the ordinary rules of time and space. Once you’ve forged a true...
March 6, 2026: Navigating a Literacy Curriculum
Most people don't know what's happening around them because they are speeding through life. —Tracy Morgan Don't Speed I drive too fast, so I set my cruise control. Even then,...
February 27, 2026: The Power of Reading
The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. —Mike Murdock What Routine Will You Create I keep having the same conversation with educators. It goes like this:...
February 20, 2026: Routines for Literacy
The woods are lovely, dark and deep But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. —Robert Frost Cornerstones...
February 13, 2026: Special Edition: Straight from the Heart
Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. —Franklin P. Jones Straight from the Heart In order to become extraordinary, it’s not just being extraordinary in ordinary conditions. You have to...
February 6, 2026: Using Literacy for Good
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. —Naomi Shihab Nye Abundance by Suzy Kaback Abundance is my word of...
January 30, 2026: Keep Steady
Sourdough: where science meets soul. —Unknown Sourdough by Tara Barnett Not too long ago, I took the plunge into sourdough. I’d been gifted a fresh sourdough loaf from my good...
January 23, 2026: Let’s Talk about Books!
What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing. —Oprah Winfrey Let's Talk about Books One of my favorite things to...
January 16, 2026: The Humanity of Teaching
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at a typewriter and bleed. —Unknown So What? My dad was diagnosed with leukemia. It feels like there are no...
December 12, 2025: Let Choice Shine
Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare. —Angela Duckworth Stay the Course Andy and I first hosted an exchange student when we were 28 and didn’t have kids. Taija was from...
December 5, 2025: Be Yourself (It’s Enough)
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. —Ralph Waldo Emerson Be Yourself Before you read more, will you...
November 28, 2025: Hunt for the Celebration
Live each moment in a rampage of appreciation. —Wayne Dyer A Note from Ruth Dear Friends, This week I’m breaking with our usual format and writing you a note instead....
November 21, 2025: Food and Community
Food is our common ground, a universal experience. —James Beard Common Ground The first time we met our son Jay, he was seven. We took him to a restaurant because...
November 14, 2025: Protecting Inquiry
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have...
November 7, 2025: Tools to Foster Independence
The best investment is in the tools of one's own trade. —Benjamin Franklin Tools My son is working as a conductor trainee for Norfolk Southern. As a gift, we gave...
October 31, 2025: Moments to Cherish
I see your true colors shining through. —Cyndi Lauper True Colors One year for Halloween I dressed up as Cyndi Lauper. It started with a wig that could have been...
October 24, 2025: Adjusting to Change
Facts are helpful, but rarely are they soulful. —Bob Goff Hope I have a complicated relationship with hope. It’s a tiny word charged with big emotion, and I constantly find...
October 17, 2025: Playful Learning
Between stimulus and response there is a space. And in that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. —Stephen Covey,...
September 26, 2025: Relevant and Reliable Texts
We danced starlight into the rainbows of our broken hearts. —Joseph Coelho Dance Starlight Joseph Coelho and 21 artist friends created Ten-Word Tiny Tales of Love. I hope you know...
September 19, 2025: Play Promotes Identity, Reading, and Writing
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. —William James Milestones I’m thinking about milestones. It’s my son’s 23rd birthday so I woke up contemplating him and...
