Content Category: Choice Literacy
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Putting Political Talk into Perspective
I recently had an online interaction with an acquaintance that turned ugly. On the Fourth of July, I shared a post on social media with a quote from Frederick Douglass’s...
October 18, 2024: Learning to Collaborate
Reading and writing float on a sea of talk. —James Britton More Than Magical Two students greeted me in the front office. "Hello, it's nice to meet you," I said....
Patterns of Prompting
pattern - noun. a repeated decorative design Designing our classroom spaces is important. We want to create spaces that feel warm, welcoming, and appealing to the eye. Designing the way...
Vertical Whiteboards
I first read about using vertical whiteboards in Peter Liljedahl's book Building Thinking Classrooms (2020). Although this book is all about how vertical whiteboards can build mathematical thinking, I immediately...
October 11, 2024: A Community of Readers
Let's not forget how beautiful simply washing dishes can be. —Noah Hawley What Official Title Do You Need? I am the Official Kitchen Cupboard Closer in my house. It started...
Indoor Walks
“True or false, capybaras eat their own poop?” reads a first grader. “That’s true!” shouts another as they both break out in fits of giggles in the hallway. Suddenly they...
Pick One: How to Establish a Community of Readers
“What do we do when we’re done?” A preK friend looks up at me with wide eyes. My school has something called “step-up day” when the students who will be...
October 4, 2024: A Love of Books
Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. —Kofi Annan Books Offer Hope My daughter Stephanie is living the exact life she wants. This is not the life that many...
September 27, 2024: No Struggle, No Story
Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a...
Reclaiming Space: Weeding to Grow a Healthy Library
It’s a slow summer morning. I just finished a short walk, and now I am working in my backyard on the vegetable garden and flowerpots on the deck. I pull...
You Know How to Show Them
“I sent you all the kids who hate books, Becca…They're terrified of the idea of reading…but you know how to show them.” We were sitting at lunch on the last...
September 20, 2024: Tough Ones
The human capacity for burden is like bamboo—far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance. —Jodi Picoult Connection Is Always Enough My husband and I adopted three kids...
I Don’t Hate Graphic Organizers
"I know you hate graphic organizers," a teacher said to me recently. "I don't!" I protested. But maybe I do a little bit. Of course, not all graphic organizers are...
Bit by Bit: Lifting the Level of Storytelling
Writers were filling more lines, but the trouble was at the heart of the stories. What is the problem in these stories? I pondered as I read further through the...
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....
September 13, 2024: Create Space
Inner stillness is the key to outer strength. —Jared Brock What Makes an Inspirational Leader? I recently heard about a new research study that defines characteristics of the most inspirational...
Morning Hike
On a recent writing retreat, several of us woke hours before breakfast and decided to hike one of the many trails surrounding the property. We located a simple map at...
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...
September 6, 2024: Beginning a New School Year
Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Life is so endlessly delicious. ―Ruth Reichl The Tuesday Crew A few years ago Andy's cousin Denver moved home. We started eating meals...
August 30, 2024: Belonging
True belonging doesn't require that we change who we are. It requires that we be who we are. ―Brené Brown Be You I missed a week at the gym because...
