Choice Lit Topic: Community Building
It’s one of the big paradoxes of literacy instruction – students best learn how to read and write independently when they have a strong community of support in classrooms. How teachers build those thoughtful, kind, and challenging classroom communities is explained in these resources.
Results
Finding Meaning and Joy in Teaching: A Podcast with Meenoo Rami
Franki Sibberson talks about finding meaning and joy in teaching with Meenoo Rami, the author of Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching.
Bracketology
It was March 2013. Brackets were everywhere you turned. March Madness had taken over NBA basketball. I was participating in Madness poetry-writing tournament. Our fifth graders were writing persuasively and...
The Pause That Refreshes: Write When the Conversation Gets Hot
This year I am participating in a book group for parents at my kids’ school. Instead of reading popular parent fare, How Children Succeed, or Mindset: The New Psychology of...
“Article of the Week” Activity in Fourth Grade
Tony Keefer demonstrates how the article-of-the-week activity adapted from the work of Kelly Gallagher is a powerful tool for building skills and community in his fourth-grade classroom.
Whole Class Research Planning in 4th Grade
Andrea Smith's students brainstorm how to proceed with their owl habitat research project.
Mock Newbery Club
Last year I created my first ever Mock Newbery club. I rushed to come up with something in January, and students met with me over lunch one day to talk...
Dandelions, Chinese, and Patience with Our Youngest Learners
Seven dandelions plucked with short stems sit in a line on the arm of the bench. By this, I know that a very young child has been here recently. Only...
Finding a Writing Buddy
We begin our introduction to the revision process of our genre study with a question, “What might you want to read in another writer’s personal narrative?” The hands pop up....
Pumpkin Time: Provocations and Stories with Preschoolers
During these early weeks of preschool, beyond learning classroom routines and rules, managing behaviors, and teaching new ways to interact, I’m working on developing some foundational skills and attitudes. Fostering...
Using Technology to Connect Young Readers and Writers
We are stronger together than we are apart. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach I’ve always been one of those people who likes to talk about books with others. I’ve always read voraciously,...
Global Read Aloud with Pernille Ripp (PODCAST)
Franki Sibberson chats with Pernille Ripp about Global Read Aloud, a worldwide initiative bringing children of all ages together around shared read alouds. You can visit Pernille's blog at http://www.pernilleripp.com...
Transition Tool: “Come On Over”
Katie DiCesare brings her first-grade students to the meeting area with unison singing of "Come On Over."
“My Ideal Bookshelf”: Books that Educate Us
I’ve been feeling restless lately about my reading assessment in my classroom—particularly in the realm of reader reflection—and I wanted to try something new. In recent years I’ve asked my...
Routines to Build Independence Early in the School Year
During the first month of college my freshman year, my mom sent me this poem by Erma Bombeck. I can remember finding it inside of a letter she had written...
First Read Alouds (ROUND-UP)
There's something truly special about gathering new students together, no matter their age, for the first read aloud of the school year. No wonder teachers put so much time and...
New Teachers: The Power of Inexperience
Recently, some teachers in my school were discussing books our elementary students have loved over the years. Someone brought up Harry Potter. “Oh I remember that,” said a first-year teacher....
Planning a Read Aloud Sequence to Launch the School Year
I truly believe the first few weeks of school can make or break the community of learners you hope to develop. Teachers feel so much pressure to jump right in...
Whole Group Writing Share
Franki Sibberson leads a whole-class writing share session with her fourth graders, with students focusing on their process and collaboration rather than drafts.
Are You Excited About Next Year?
“Are you excited about teaching next year?” “Uh . . . not yet,” I answered. After all, we were not even a week into summer. We chatted about how nice...
Using Instagram to Sell Summer Reading Options
During this past school year Instagram, a picture sharing social media platform, became very popular with my fourth-grade students. About half of my class had Instagram on their phones or...
Grateful Journals
The sun was up, but the TV was on. In our house there was a strict rule: When the sun was up, anything with a screen had to be off....
