Choice Lit Topic: Talking and Listening
Listening and speaking—it’s the art at the heart of literacy workshops. But there is also a science to how these skills are taught and learned. These resources will show you how to build communication skills in your classroom and school communities.
Results
Listening for Conjectures
It was my second year of teaching fourth grade, and we were in the second week of the school year. The students were sitting in our meeting area where we...
Student Voices First
We have all been learning a lot about identities, meaningful representation, and creating classrooms of inclusion. I love this work, and it has opened up a world of ideas and...
Our Words Matter: Developing Perseverance in Literacy
Our words have weight from the first moment. “I don’t know how to draw me,” Mason says after I introduce our self-portrait project on the first day of kindergarten. Given...
Math Debates: A Powerful Sense-Making Routine
In a bag of marbles, 3⁄5 of the marbles are blue and the rest are red. If the number of red marbles is doubled and the number of blue marbles...
Lifting the Quality of Hands-Down Conversations
Before we begin our seventh whole-class hands-down conversation, I ask the class, “What do you notice about our hands-down conversations? What is working well, and what could we do even...
How to Begin a Community Circle
Bitsy Parks gives direction in beginning a community circle with primary learners.
Hands-Down Conversations in the Primary Grades
It’s 8:25 in the morning on the third day of school. Most students are seated in a circle on the rug, waiting for a few others to arrive. Students walk...
Using Video to Launch Hands-Down Conversations
Typically, when I launch whole-class hands-down conversation with students, I choose a beloved picture book—perhaps All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold or You Matter by Christian Robinson. I love these...
Deepening Discussion with a Circle Process
“What does that mean, ‘Listen to your heart’?” Enrique asked, as all eyes turned to him. My eighth-grade dual language class was exploring what it means to live with integrity,...
What Criteria Should We Use When Selecting Whole-Class Texts?
Do you think it is important for students to read stories that include a wide variety of characters (different races, religions, abilities, genders, etc.)? Here is what some of my...
Tips for Selecting Inclusive Texts
Hannah was invited to share a read aloud with a class. She reached for the only picture book representing gender inclusivity from a display of books in the coaches’ office,...
Using Digital Photos to Enhance Learning
Hmm . . . 32,249 photos in my iCloud account? Yes. I’m one of those people. I’m one of those people who are constantly taking photos. Looking back through photos...
Presence Required
Years ago at a professional development workshop, I heard Nancie Atwell speak about a time Don Graves (another original leader in workshop instruction) visited her classroom. He said something to...
What Is Communication? A Mini-Inquiry Project and Booklist
“Oh,” I said, “Blake’s favorite weekend activity was riding his bike.” I looked at the socially distanced standing circle around the room and tried to muster engagement with Blake’s share,...
Using Art to Bridge Storytelling
Aminah Robinson was an Ohio-born artist (1940-2015) whose paintings, drawings, and poetry honor African American culture by exploring history and ancestral legend. Some of the themes explored in her work...
Field Notes: 6 Ways to Respond Remotely to Build a Community of Writers
I’m joining Jen Vincent’s seventh-grade language arts class in a school outside of Chicago. Her students meet remotely, and I accepted Jen’s invitation to observe her writing workshop. Rarely will...
Honoring Student Identity
It is rare that I take time out from professional reading for books I don’t intend to put in the hands of my sixth graders. Most of the time, if...
Socratic Discussion in Third Grade
Lora Bieghler facilitates a Socratic-style discussion among third graders.
Collaborating for Understanding in Writing
“I know you have gone over it 11 times today, but can you explain it one more time?” After spending a few days diving into understanding the truth about Christopher...
Whole-Class Reflection in Middle School
Ever since my first day in the teaching profession, my students have taught me how to be a better teacher. This may come from my own learning as a child:...
Young Learners and Self-Talk
“She does a lot of self-talk while she is reading. We don’t want her to do that,” the teacher says. “Why?” I ask. I wonder why the teacher is seeing...
