Choice Lit Topic: Struggling and Striving Learners
It’s hard work, it matters . . . and nothing brings more joy than reaching a child who is struggling. The problem is each of these students presents a unique array of challenges and needs that don’t allow for a uniform approach. Here are the stories from our contributors of their breakthrough moments, one child at a time.
Results
“I Was Scared”: Manny’s Story
I was sitting next to Manny reading a beginning book with her. As I coached her through the text, she turned to me and said loudly and dramatically, “Mrs. Parks,...
Addressing Attention Spans
A common observation from educators, parents, and other adults who work with children seems to be “They just don’t seem to be able to pay attention for long,” or “It’s...
Building Community and Culture with a Restorative Approach
Many teachers today believe that managing student behavior is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. If you scroll long enough on social media, you will find articles, threads,...
Those Pictures You Make: Personalized Tools to Help Students
“Hey, Mrs. Burk, I have to come sit in here.” I looked to the doorway from the rocking chair where I was doing my read aloud to see Taleah, a...
Fostering Independence with Tools
I have heard more than one colleague mention that over time, our anchor charts become “wallpaper.” It is true that when charts hang on our walls for an extended period...
Background Knowledge: More than Just Facts
It is impossible to not apply prior knowledge while reading. —Kelly Gallagher The term background knowledge was often heard in many of my college courses. I knew it was important,...
Why High School Students Need Cardboard Castles and Poetry Caves
This past spring my high school students and I built a cave in our classroom. It was made out of cardboard boxes, kraft paper, and a lot of packing tape...
Hidden Lessons: Why Do Relationships Matter? (Part 3)
By the time they reach high school, many students have learned how to survive change, but not always how to make sense of it. They’ve lost friendships, switched schools, experienced...
An Ode to the Anchor Chart
“Mrs. Parks, can you write those steps on a chart so that we remember what to do?” came a soft voice from the bunch. “Of course,” I said. Another voice...
Four Ways to Use Anchor Charts in the Classroom
Why are anchor charts disappearing from the walls of the classroom? Is it the shift away from the workshop model? Or perhaps, state-mandated curriculum? Have anchor charts become the proverbial...
Hidden Lessons: Integrating Social-Emotional Learning in an Authentic Way
Mental health awareness and social-emotional learning are becoming increasingly important in our schools. As a high school teacher and a mom to adolescent daughters, I see the unique challenges that...
What Just Happened? Download a Behavior Sheet
“Mason, come join us on the rug, please,” I say, calmly reminding him for the third time of the expectation. I turn to the other kids and pick up the...
Rhyme and Reflect: Fostering Fluency Through Poetry
Introduction As children learn to read, their decoding skills strengthen step-by-step. Some readers take to it like a duck to water and read smoothly with expression. Their oral reading matches...
What Is ORF Anyway?
Issac sat down across the table from me. I said hello and then read the directions on my screen to him just as I had read to countless other students...
Helping Kids Lead Every Day: Differentiate with Precision
As I looked out into the classroom during reading time, for the most part, the kids were working. I saw students huddled together in groups silently reading, or they were...
One Size Does Not Fit All: Flexibility in Tool Creation
Readers confidently burst into talk as I asked them to recall the story arc of Mr. Indifferent—a short film we enjoyed watching earlier in the year. We did a quick...
How to Intensify an Intervention
My heart sank a little bit as I scrolled through the progress monitoring data. Graph after graph swept across my screen, and for the most part, I saw a lot...
Leading with Empathy in the Classroom
They were right where I’d expected to see them. For several workshop periods, they’d set themselves up on the rug. At a glance, they were set up for success. They...
Responding to Dysregulated Behavior: How to Move Forward
Sitting on my couch at home, knee in a brace with a bag of ice draped over it, I found myself thinking back to the afternoon of the incident. I...
My Student Is Risk Averse
Hazel can be reluctant to try things. When she hesitated, we talked about the task and recited our class poem— I’ve got a big beautiful brain and an awesome heart....
Responding to Dysregulated Behaviors: What About the Other Kids?
This is the third installment of a four-part series chronicling the responses when a student with dysregulated behaviors joins Becca Burk’s kindergarten class mid-year. A new student had entered our...
