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
Building Peer Conferring Skills in the Primary Grades
In my past experience with sixth-grade students, peer conferring was a way of life in our writing class. Students were able to take the lead and really push the thinking...
Lifting the Quality of Peer Response
Helping children learn to listen to each other well and give feedback takes a great deal of time. For many years, I just assumed that kids intuitively knew how to...
Whole Class Writing Share: Teaching Response Skills in 1st Grade
Katie DiCesare's first graders respond to their classmates' writing, using questions they developed together over time.
A Picture Walk in Kindergarten
Mandy Robek takes her kindergartners through a picture walk using Mrs. Wishy Washy as the text.
I Have Two Pictures of Cindy. . .
I have two pictures of Cindy. Both are taken on her birthday at school. In each, she stands beside a lovely array of cupcakes, looking straight at the camera. In...
Hearing Carlos: Helping Young English Language Learners Develop Speaking and Listening Skills
Carlos is listening carefully to me. As I read the story, he laughs and nods. He is absorbing my words as I give directions on what to do next. Yet...
Peer Conferring: The “Try It On” Phase
Mercy Watson is always causing trouble, but I don’t think she means to. She doesn’t always know what she’s doing. Abby, age 6 “I love Roald Dahl books,...
Preschool: Learning in Many Languages
Melissa Kolb explains how she supports many languages in her preschool classroom through the thoughtful use of volunteers and other resources in this three-minute video:
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...
Without Answers
Dedicated to all brave young English language learners everywhere If you would ask me the meaning of nostalgia I’d tell you it’s a tranquil afternoon A moment filled with dialogues...
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...
From Playing to Drawing to Writing in Preschool
Kelly Petrin guides Drew from playing to drawing and finally writing during this conference in her preschool classroom.
Engaging Boy Readers: Beginning with Teacher Behaviors
Was the problem that Ron and boys like him were not as literate as the as the girls in the class? Or was the problem that Ron was not as...
Are Your Writers Talking During Writing Workshop?
Writing workshop: the hour block in the school day when writers of any age get together to compose, create, use their imaginations, and play with words. When I think of...
Partner Reading: Helping Peers Teach Peers
In this video from Linda Karamatic's second-grade classroom, two girls meet with Linda to develop tips to share with their classmates on how to partner read successfully.
Energy, Stamina, and Training Wheels for Coaching Teachers
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving. Albert Einstein I remember the day I learned to ride a bicycle in vivid colors. The...
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.
Focused Independent Reading in Second Grade
Sean Moore demonstrates how he helps students focus their independent reading with preparation and then with discussion after reading.
The ABCs of Literacy Coaching (Part 1)
Summer gifts me time to think about the upcoming coaching season. In particular, I’m thinking about the new coaches: Vikki, Samantha and Meghan that I’ll be mentoring in the fall...
Ask Me – I’m Not the Expert
“If nothing else, children should leave school with a sense that if they act, and act strategically, they can accomplish their goals. I call this feeling a sense of agency.”...
Nonfiction Read Aloud (Part 2)
Sean Moore is reading Plants That Eat Animals to his second graders. He asks students to listen for short periods of time, and then has them remember two facts and do a think pair share quickly.
