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
Teacher Vulnerability
Dear Mrs. Johnson, This has been just a wonderful year of school for Molly. You have reignited her love of learning and I can’t thank you enough for that. This...
Creating Anchor Charts with Multiple Classes
Three years ago my building was moving to a semi-departmentalization concept. Now I would be teaching my own homeroom reading and writing, but I would also teach two additional classes...
Reading as Reward
Many years ago, a wise friend advised me, “You should always reward children with what you want them to value.” When we reward a child with candy or toys, it...
Ten Classic Ideas That Still Work
I am not one to use the same activities and materials over and over just because they've worked in the past. I don't keep a file cabinet of things I...
Good News: Your Teacher is Calling
Talking with parents about their children’s first weeks of school quickly divides the group into “very happy” and “not happy at all” camps. It’s usually not disappointment with curriculum or...
Book Memories
When I taught middle school language arts, my favorite lessons of the year were the ones in which the students shared book memories. I have so many strong memories related...
Opening Doors to Parents in Middle School
The email starts, “What a fun day we have had!” I smile, take another bite of my sandwich, and reach across my lunch to start scrolling. “After a snack...
Trust
As soon as you trust yourself you will know how to live. —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe When the basket of meditation stones was passed to me at the writing retreat,...
Do They Care? Empathy Book Clubs
Students are sitting in circles, heads close together, excitedly talking about books, and using the words “I felt empathy when . . .” over and over again. The murmurs of...
The Power of Music
When literacy coach Heather Rader walked into Sean Moore’s second-grade classroom the kids were already sitting at the carpet. On the chart paper were the phrases “cooler than the flip...
Notes from the Mad Teachers Liberation Front: Create Your Manifesto
Summer can be a fine time to renew, refresh, and recommit to our passions and ideals. When a group of teachers here in Oregon, who work with children and young...
Field Experience: Social-Emotional Learning in Workshop
Compassion and understanding are as important to workshop instruction as strategies and routines. Understanding the social-emotional needs of students (and ourselves) allows for safe learning environments. Topic: Opening and Closing...
A Perfect Storm
“Let’s wait and see what happens,” I said to my co-teacher. Maggie had wandered her way into the playhouse and made eye contact with Olivia. The pinnacle of stubbornness was...
Walls, Displays, and Invitations Early in the School Year
The first few weeks of school are my very favorite time of the school year. A new community is forming, and we are all getting to know each other. For...
Reaching Evan with Read Alouds in the Intermediate Grades
Evan’s face is intent, full of excitement and engagement. We are in the middle of reading aloud the book Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt as a class, and...
One Book, One School: Building Community with Shared Text
Some time ago I had the opportunity to read an early copy of R.J. Palacio’s debut novel, Wonder. I’d heard about it through friends and eagerly anticipated reading it. The...
Loops and Blended Classrooms: Practical Tips to Start the School Year
Anyone who has taught the same group of children for two years in a row -- by looping up with them to the next grade level, or blending (where you...
Discussing Observations with New Teachers
Jennifer Allen's new teacher group discusses what they learn from classroom observations in this video taped early in the fall.
The Quest for the Perfect First Read Aloud of the Year
I love summer reading. I love the freedom to read what I want, and catching up on books I’ve been meaning to read. And I love having time to browse...
Preschool Morning Sign-In
Melissa Kolb explains the social and academic value of morning sign-in for preschoolers.
Making Thinking Visible
One of my biggest challenges as a middle school teacher -- aside from teaching my sixth graders how to navigate the halls, use their lockers with ease, and organize their...
