Content Category: Choice Literacy
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Lessons from Listening to Toddlers Read (Home Is Where the Books Are Series)
It’s fascinating as a mom to have the luxury of enough time to pay attention to the different ways my kids read. It helps me understand their process, find books...
Chris Lehman and Kate Roberts on Close Reading (PODCAST)
Franki Sibberson chats with Chris Lehman and Kate Roberts about close reading in this 30-minute podcast. Chris and Kate are the authors of Falling in Love with Close Reading: Lessons...
Owl Research: Whole Class Explanation of Marking Up Text
Andrea Smith explains a close reading activity her fourth-grade students will complete as part of their owl research.
The Big Fresh August 31, 2013 Chasing Joy
The most successful people I know got that way by ignoring the race to find the elusive, there's-only-one-and-no-one-has-found-it right answer, and instead had the guts to look at the infinite...
Conferring in 4th Grade: The Dilemma of Multiple Novels
I don't read different novels simultaneously. I can’t keep the stories straight, and when I read a book for pleasure I am not interested in reading any other book. So...
Mentor Texts for Writing Endings
Have you ever been completely satisfied with a book because of the power of its ending? The last few words or paragraphs the author chooses can leave me fulfilled ....
Literacy Contracts: Introduction
As you walk into our fifth-grade classroom, Raigan and Gracie are seated shoulder to shoulder, hovering over their books and whispering to each other while pointing to specific lines and...
The Cure for Value-Added Grief? Teacher Research
Data: what a loaded word. We’re living in a data-driven society, where data is collected, analyzed, and used to make decisions about everything from identity theft prevention to hospital infection...
Using Pinterest for Professional Development
A few weeks ago, I noticed this tweet from Chris Lehman, “I'm tiptoeing back into Pinterest. Just opened an account. Still feel so overwhelmed though. Tips?” I knew exactly how...
Helping Students Evaluate Online Video for Research
At some point during the 2005-2006 school year, my students introduced me to an online video sharing site where anyone could upload and share a video with the world. At...
The Big Fresh August 24, 2013 Texting About Reading
A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. Marion Garretty My younger sister Jenny hasn't always thought of herself as a reader. In her...
The Big Fresh August 17, 2013 Pausing Time
In the most successful spaces, you don't see everything at once. The more time you spend in them, the more you discover. They open up like flowers. Vicente Wolf...
Using Technology to Connect Young Readers and Writers
We are stronger together than we are apart. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach I’ve always been one of those people who likes to talk about books with others. I’ve always read voraciously,...
Fourth Grade Writing Workshop Minilesson on Focusing
Franki Sibberson shares some tips and strategies with her fourth graders from the web for focusing and organizing their writing.
The Minimalist: Essential Texts for Kindergarten Teaching
I am a minimalist. I fancy myself a careful consumer looking for utility in each item. I have learned to survive using a few select items. These select items fit...
Global Read Aloud with Pernille Ripp (PODCAST)
Franki Sibberson chats with Pernille Ripp about Global Read Aloud, a worldwide initiative bringing children of all ages together around shared read alouds. You can visit Pernille's blog at http://www.pernilleripp.com...
Laundry Line Luxuries
One bulb at a time. There was no other way to do it. No shortcuts—simply loving the slow process of planting. Loving the work as it unfolded. Loving an achievement...
Reimagining Reading Notebooks
Several years ago I stumbled across some premade reading notebooks. They already had spots for my students to record what they were reading, how many books they had read in...
Building from Strengths: Conferring with Mia
Sean Moore confers with second grader Mia, encouraging her to build on her strengths by writing about what she knows well.
The Big Fresh August 10, 2013 Awkward Is Good
Always choose awkwardness over resentment. Brene Brown When...
Notebooks, Goals, and Writing About Characters in First Grade
Katie DiCesare confers with a group of first graders about their writing notebooks, goals, and drafts about the characters they are studying during reading workshop.
