Content Category: Choice Literacy
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Writing from the Heart
On Thursday, we said goodbye to our sweet, adventurous golden retriever, Friday. She grew up with my kids, and it was a tough farewell. They say 13 is a good...
Validating Students
“Mrs. Burk, Mrs. Burk, come quick!” I swiftly turn around and look across the room, then walk toward the voice calling me. I expect to see something dramatic happening ....
Centering Students’ Brilliance (Booklist)
On July 5, 2022, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad tweeted this: Schools and texts should help students to know themselves, their beauty, brilliance, and genius. What text is in your curriculum to...
March 24, 2023: Poetry
Poetry is the mother-tongue of the human race. —Johann Georg Hamann The Color of the Sky I answered the phone and Jordan, my senior-in-high-school son, said, "Mom! Look outside. You...
March 17, 2023: Strengthening Turn-and-Talk
There's a thin line between mockery and endorsement. —Dawn Foster Turn and Talk I once sat in a staff meeting where the principal used a turn-and-talk video as an opener....
Three Ways to Engage Your Students in Reading and Writing Poetry This Spring
I don’t think it’s an accident that National Poetry Month falls in the spring. After spending so much time inside during the winter, being able to spend more time outdoors...
Poetry Surprises
Fridays in our classroom start with poetry. The first few students in the room grab a tub or make a stack of poetry books from the classroom library and place...
March 10, 2023: Students as Teachers
I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it. —Michael...
Student-Generated Questions to Promote Problem Solving and Modeling with Mathematics
How many gumballs could fill our classroom? When will you be 1 billion seconds old? How many books will you read in your lifetime? Enrico Fermi was an Italian physicist...
Turn and Talk, Then What?
"Who has an idea they'd like to share?" I ask my students, wanting to hear whether they're on the right track. Crickets. "Anyone? Anyone?" Oh no, I sound like the...
Learning to Listen During Turn-and-Talk
If I were to model a demonstration lesson in your classroom, the first thing I would do is ask your students to tell me their names. As they sat in...
Authentic Audience
When we sat down to revise our sophomore speech unit, my grade-level partner Jordan and I were unsure where to start. We knew the unit would continue to encompass the...
Three Ways Student Writers Taught Me How to Use Writing Partnerships
See with the eyes of your heart. Look for the good in people. Look for the good in the mirror. Look for something that's working and you will find it....
Teaching Students to Be Teachers
When it unexpectedly flurries at school, rather than pushing against the excitement and desire to watch the snow for the sake of plowing along with the lesson at hand, we...
March 3, 2023: Nobody Wants to Write
Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. —Vince Lombardi Nobody Wants to Write "What do you do when kids won't write?" This was asked by a teacher who...
Teaching Writers to Hear Feedback
Recently I did one of the things I love to do most: talk with someone about their writing. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 7 or 77, I enjoy talking about...
It’s the Final Countdown: Using Chunking and Timers to Scaffold Reluctant Writers
When it comes to writing, are you a procrastinator? As much as I hate to admit it, I’m one. I cringe to think of how many papers I wrote in...
Choral Counting Routine
“One, two, dee, door, dive, dix, de-veeen, eight, nine, ten,” my son Brooks says, counting his grapes. I never realized seven was the only two-syllable number in one to 10...
February 24, 2023: Do Hard Things
In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. —Mary Poppins Wisdom and Whimsy Four portraits hang in my office: Walt Disney, Harry Houdini, Helen Keller,...
Level Two Unlocked: Using the Language of Video Games to Engage Students in the Assessment Experience
In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. —Mary Poppins Ching, ching…one point. Brush up and down. Ching, ching…two points. I watched as my son...
Helping Writers Self-Correct
Let’s face it: We’ve all been there. Finally, we find a quiet evening to sit down with a stack of writing from our students. We make a nice cup of...
