Choice Lit Topic: Literacy Coaches
A simple question – who will coach the coaches? If you’re a literacy coach, you already know there is no job more amazing or overwhelming in a school. Our Choice Literacy library includes a small sample of our resources for literacy coaches. If you work as a coach, you’ll want a subscription that includes access to our Leaders Lounge, where there are over 900 resources for coaches, including study group protocols, videos of demonstration lessons, and guides for designing coaching cycles.
Results
The Power of Linking Words and Perceptions
The school year is underway, and all across the country teachers have undoubtedly already identified the children in their classrooms who are going to give them a run for their...
Rethinking Mentor Texts
I know. That title kind of makes your heart skip a beat, doesn't it? Imagine how I felt when I read it in a National Council of Teachers of English...
Virtual Book Clubs for Teachers
My first encounter with a virtual book club was about three years ago. My regular, run-of-the-mill, face-to-face book club was on a field trip. We were taking a tour of...
Getting the Most Out of Visiting a Colleague’s Classroom (PODCAST)
In this podcast, Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan chat with Franki Sibberson about how teachers can get the most out of observing a colleague's classroom. A full transcript is below...
Big Ideas: Balancing Plans with Authentic Response
The expression "from the mouths of babes" never holds more true than when you are teaching kindergartners! Last fall, a group of kindergarten students taught me a lesson that is...
Virtually Coaching a Lesson
I'd known Chad for about two months when his first observation was scheduled. Chad had shared with me that he didn't feel like his new principal understood him. Even though...
An Attitude of Gratitude
When my daughter Ahna was in first grade, she secretly stuck a note in my purse that read I hope you have an extcnt day Mom. Spis! (Translation: I hope...
Transitioning to Guide on the Side: Facilitating Collaborative Scoring
"I want to move as much of my professional development from sage on the stage to guide on the side," I wrote as my goal for the coming year. For...
Simplexity: Finding Your Focus
Simplexity - Finding the smallest number of high-leverage, easy to understand actions that unleash stunningly powerful consequences. Michael Fullan, in Motion Leadership As I approached 279 Newbury Street in Boston, I...
The Power of Checklists in Primary Literacy Workshops
We had the pleasure of hearing Atul Gawande speak recently at a local event. He is a bestselling author and surgeon who writes about how to get things right. He...
Off the Dance Floor and Onto the Balcony: Getting the Big Picture in Schools
We coordinate professional development efforts in schools. Periodically we visit classrooms during literacy blocks to think about how we are progressing toward our goals, and to identify next steps for...
Putting the “Mini” Back in Minilessons
Recently I watched a very engaging lesson. The teacher started the lesson by reading aloud a short story about a trip to the beach. Then she projected some photos on...
Balancing Assessments Through Better Classroom Notes
Marie Clay reminds us, "The one closest to the classroom experience is in a unique position to see and communicate a reliable and valid instructional perspective of the child." In...
The Email Mirror and Literacy Coaching
Last year while attending a mentor symposium, my thinking about coaching was challenged. As experienced instructional coaches, we were asked to rate ourselves on a number of attributes. When I...
Math, Writing, and Coaching to Learn
In Writing to Learn, William Zinsser states, "Writing is a way to work yourself into a subject and make it your own." There is no subject I like more than...
Creating a Coaching Schedule
We have been encouraging the literacy coaches we work with to create a year-long coaching schedule for their school. The main goal of these coaching schedules is to ensure that...
Daily Tidbits: Professional Development in Small Bites
With so many modes of communicating these days intended to make staying in touch easier, sometimes it becomes a burden and a challenge to keep up with them all. I...
Still Revising After 10 Years: Sorting Through Pitfalls of Study Groups
"You hammer against the walls of your house. You tap the walls, lightly, everywhere. After giving many years' attention to these things, you know what to listen for. Some of...
Portable Anchor Charts for Literacy Coaches
After watching a video clip of Franki Sibberson share her use of foam boards, I was intrigued with how I could use this idea in my own work as a...
Injecting Writing into Everything: Bringing the Outside In
In her third-grade classroom, Debbie Davis-Reid and I were observing the students the first few days of writing workshop. Who starts quickly? Who adds to their authority* list? (from Ralph Fletcher's book: Writing...
What Velcro Can Do: Science, Literacy and Coaching Connections
"You aren't going to be the science program police, are you?" Donna* said in response to my prompting about where science fit into her day with fourth graders. Our science...
