Content Category: Choice Literacy
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5th Grade Sentence Observation
This past summer, I spent a lot of time thinking about all the components of my writing workshop. I intended to make it a focus of study for myself throughout...
Managing Book Boxes
In this first video in our "Organizing Book Boxes" series, Joan Moser (of "The Sisters") explains three strategies she uses to help students pick books for their book boxes.
Learning from Graphica: Conferring with Students
In this lesson from a 4th grade classroom, Sarah Thibault introduces students to a writing activity. Students will be creating their own comic books, after extensive preparation and experience with...
Inferring Read Aloud Part I
Using picture books to teach strategy instruction is not only popular, but works. When my sixth graders see me pull out a picture book during the first week of school...
Conferring with Leonela: A Two-Day Progression
Leonela is a six-year-old student whose first language is Spanish. In these videos of conferences with Ruth Shagoury filmed over two days, she makes connections between her drawing, writing, and...
Collaborative Team Meeting: Assessing and Planning Together
Collaborative team meetings take place every 9-10 days in our schools. In these meetings, teachers from one grade level, literacy coaches, and our principal meet together to discuss individual students,...
Desk Area Reorganization
In this brief time-lapse video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help Carrie reorganize her desk and rug area for better access to literacy materials and teaching supplies. ...
A Literacy “Playground”: Cheryl Cole’s Second Grade Classroom
Aimee Buckner hosts this video tour of Cheryl Cole's second grade classroom at Brookwood Elementary School in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Cheryl shares the many strategies she uses to promote literacy...
Student Storage Areas: Tips for Reorganizing
"The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk with Kelly about strategies for reorganizing student storage areas, considering access, group supplies, and how the materials are used.
Rule of 3: Writer’s Craft Whole-Class Lesson
The "Rule of 3" is well known among writers. From "The Three Little Bears" to sets of three adjectives in descriptions, authors know clusters of three are a powerful tool...
Decluttering a Storage Area
In this time-lapse video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help second-year teacher Carrie declutter a storage area in May, talking through decisions about what to keep and what...
Rule of 3: Mini-Group After Whole-Class Lesson
I often ask students who might want a little more information or help after a whole-class lesson to stay for a small group. These "mini-groups" are an important part of...
Narrative Nonfiction in Fifth Grade, Part 1
In this lesson from a fifth-grade classroom, Aimee Buckner guides students in a notetaking process to help them understand the qualities of nonfiction narrative writing.
Organizing Reading Area Supplies
We design our rooms to support students as they work independently. Often this means areas throughout the room house supplies for literacy - books for independent reading, guided reading, notebooks,...
Rule of 3: Conferring
In this final video of a three-part series showing my teaching progression for Rule of 3, I confer with individual students during writing workshop, checking in to see how they...
Crafting Characters in Writer’s Workshop
In this lesson from writer's workshop with grades 3 and 4 students, Franki Sibberson helps students analyze character traits through whole-class and partner work with the lead to The Secret...
Middle School Classroom Makeover Part III
In this third of a three-part video series, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help 7th grade teacher Erin declutter and rearrange her classroom. Have you ever been assigned...
Meeting Area Makeover
Meeting areas in classrooms serve many purposes: they are gathering places for students and teachers, and they also are key storage areas on the perimeter for student work, materials, and...
Tips for Displaying Student Work
In this six-minute video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help a colleague dress up her displays of student work. The common mistake teachers make is to display work...
Middle School Classroom Makeover Part II
In this second of a three-part video series, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help seventh-grade teacher Erin declutter and rearrange the media area of the classroom, creating a...
Preparing Walls for Displays
In this four-minute video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help a new teacher "frame up" an area of the room for future displays of student work, in a...
