Content Category: Choice Literacy
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Uncovering Reading Behaviors
It's "Reading Opportunity" time in Katie Doherty's sixth-grade classroom. As resident researcher, I'm still getting to know the kids, the routines, and the special culture of the school and classroom....
Bookroom Makeover in the Midst
In this video tour, Jessica Ardela and Josie Stewart talk about the renovations in progress in bookrooms at their school in Dublin, Ohio. The goal is to make it easier...
Along Saplines
Looking out at you, you skinny old tree, waving your rough arms in place like a tired warrior with nothing but a flurry of white between you and victory. Nothing's...
Portable Anchor Charts for Literacy Coaches
After watching a video clip of Franki Sibberson share her use of foam boards, I was intrigued with how I could use this idea in my own work as a...
“The Wrath of Guess Jeans”: Response and Read Around
In this second video in a three-part series, Katie Doherty leads her 6th graders through a response activity. In this installment, the students respond orally and share some of their...
Tips for Conducting Demonstration Lessons, or How to Avoid the “Am I Doing This Right?” Question
Teachers spend most of their day alone with their class, and each day they are required to make hundreds of "in the moment" instructional decisions. Here are just a few...
Reflections on a Year of Read Alouds
Last summer at about this time, I started to gather books I loved and thought my fifth grade students would also enjoy. My goal was to make a list of...
Parent Contributions Beyond Instructional Support
Many parents want to contribute to their child's school. Some parents want to roll their sleeves up and take on a job to complete. Others like to attend school events...
Guiding Readers in Kindergarten: A Planning and Assessment Template
"Guided reading is a context in which a teacher supports each reader's development of effective strategies for processing novel texts at increasingly challenging levels of difficulty." In Guided Reading: Good First Teaching...
Still Revising After 10 Years: Sorting Through Pitfalls of Study Groups
"You hammer against the walls of your house. You tap the walls, lightly, everywhere. After giving many years' attention to these things, you know what to listen for. Some of...
Books and Activities from Around the World to Celebrate the Holiday Season
We're in the midst of the holiday season here in the United States. Often when I visit schools or teacher blogs, or get a peek at other classrooms this time...
Math, Writing, and Coaching to Learn
In Writing to Learn, William Zinsser states, "Writing is a way to work yourself into a subject and make it your own." There is no subject I like more than...
Closing Out the Library: Cleaning Up and Thinking Ahead
I love the end of the school year for many reasons. I actually enjoy closing out the school year and cleaning up a bit, because the process helps me reflect...
“The Wrath of Guess Jeans”: Debrief
In this third video in a three-part series, Katie Doherty leads her 6th graders through a response activity. The text they are reading was written by a middle school student...
Keeping “House” in a Literacy-Rich Classroom
Housecleaning is not one of my favorite chores, but it is necessary for my life to be organized (and for me to have some sense of sanity considering the pace...
Quick Take: Time Constraints in Conferences
In this two-minute video, Aimee Buckner explains how she deals with time constraints when she is conferring with students.
Redesigning a Classroom: Putting Students First (and Technology in Its Place)
It takes time, effort, thinking, rearranging, and more thinking to design a classroom environment . . . and then every summer the cycle repeats itself. I set up a kindergarten...
Unexpected Gifts: Technology and Community in the First Days of School
The first week of school is exhilarating, exhausting, and full of surprises. My thoughts about school bounced me out of bed at 4:45 in the morning all week (not typical...
A District Film Festival: Giving Kids An Authentic Audience for Their Work
Last spring, students in the Parkway School District in Missouri attended their 2nd Annual Film Festival: "Lights. . .Camera. . .Parkway! Our World Through a Digital Lens." After receiving their...
Connecting Students, Wall Charts, and Reading
In this conference with third-grade student Jeffrey, Beth Lawson helps this young reader think through the importance of developing stamina to get through the first 50 pages of a book....
Science Workshop Whole Class Debrief
In this final video in a three-part series, Jennifer Morgan discusses what was learned during a science observation and writing activity in her grades 3 and 4 classroom.
