Content Category: Choice Literacy
Results
February 2, 2024: Nourishing Growth
The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing. ―Marcus Aurelius Throw-Down You'll find me at the gym before 6 a.m. three times a week. There's a class called...
When They’re Hard to Teach
Nathan sits down at the table and begins to read from his collection of familiar texts. He’s strategic. He grabs the easiest books he can from his pile. As we...
When Reading Practices Drift
I spend much of my summer at my sister’s pool. It is my way of rejuvenating and making time to focus on myself after a long school year. One of...
January 26, 2024: Finding Joy in Learning
The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise. ―Maya Angelou Press On! Did you know today is National Fun at Work Day?...
Kintsugi
On the first day of a summer graduate class on equity and engagement, the professor handed each of us a beautiful china bowl. Then she shocked us all by telling...
Reclaiming Our Time
I recently worked with some incredibly thoughtful fifth-grade teachers who were studying their reading instruction. They knew they wanted students to have more time to read, and, more specifically, read...
January 19, 2024: Research Notes
Energy and persistence conquer all things. ― Benjamin Franklin Join Us! Did you know that less than 5 percent of the population sets goals? This is staggering to me, because...
Increasing Engagement During Online Practice Opportunities
Scanning the room as a fifth-grade class engages in an online practice tool, I see the whole range of student behaviors: Some students are practicing as the teacher intended, some...
Bet You Didn’t Know: Chicken Eggs and Research
Chicken eggs arrived. We set up our incubator. We placed the eggs inside the incubator. We collected wonders about the eggs on sticky notes and displayed them. I knew we...
Color Coding: An Organizational Strategy
Recently my daughter Megan and I were shopping in a nearby town when she asked if I minded stopping in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. “Um, sure. What are you looking...
January 12, 2024: Poetry
Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ― Oprah Winfrey Happy New Year Nineteen years ago I gave up on New Year's resolutions...
Poetry Friday Stretches Into Poetry Slam
For years in my classroom, we have started every Friday by reading poetry. Poetry Friday is an idea that we've shared for quite a while. The students arrive and settle...
Poetry Strategies for Partners and Groups
Because of its personal nature, writing poetry is usually a solitary activity. But a fun and energetic alternative is to write poems with a partner or a whole group. In...
December 22, 2023: 10 Articles from 2023
People now feel time accelerating. Lists allow them to feel some sense of accomplishment. —David Viscott Top Ten Lists I love top ten lists, but I'm not a fan of...
December 15, 2023: Top Issues from 2023
In wisdom gathered over time, I have found that every experience is a form of exploration. —Ansel Adams Explore Ever since 2006 I have chosen a word to live by...
December 8, 2023: Curiosity
You need to let little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you. ― Andy Warhol Noticing Distraction I like to choose the longest checkout line. I size up...
Stay Curious
One of my favorite shows is Ted Lasso. In one of the most famous scenes, Ted and Rebecca are in the local pub, where they encounter her ex-husband, Rupert, a...
Sparking Curiosity: Developing Ownership of Learning Through “What If” Questions
Playing a role across subject areas, inquiry is at the heart of discovery and learning. Whether it is drawing inferences from text, engaging in problem-based learning, or changing variables while...
December 1, 2023: Care and Compassion
We need Joy as we need air. We need Love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share. ― Maya Angelou Show Up...
Detours: A Reminder of the Humanity of Students
It would have been like any other Monday of the school year. The students would have come in, answered the daily attendance question, done 10 minutes of independent reading, attended...
Increasing Student Choice
“What are we doing today?” “How long does it have to be?” “Does this sound right?” “How much do I have to get done today?” We hear these questions often....
