Content Category: Choice Literacy
Results
September 30, 2022: Math and Literacy Connections
To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.—Confucius Choice Numeracy I’m always intrigued by people who know what they don’t know. It’s important...
Stay Sharp: Christy Rush-Levine
Christy Rush-Levine shares tips on how teachers can stay sharp.
Stay Sharp: Bitsy Parks
Bitsy Parks shares the importance of reading professionally to stay sharp.
Best Wrong Answer
“You want us to get the answer wrong?” Meera asks. “Yes, I want you to think about common mistakes a fourth grader might make on this problem. What is the...
Picture Books with Recipes to Foster Math Engagement
It never fails. The years when I read Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco, the last page turns into a flurry of questions. What is in a thunder cake? Did you...
Math Is Everywhere
“Look, Mrs. Parks, there is math in my snack!” “There’s math in my snack too!” “That tree is math—it’s a triangle!” As I marveled at these noticings (and snapped some...
September 23, 2022: Student-Built Classroom Libraries
Really, the more I cook the more I like to cook. —Julia Child The Satisfaction of Choice Andy (my husband) and I love to cook. Most evenings you'll find us...
Quick Take: How Do Writers Get Started?
Ruth Ayres shares different ways writers can enter a writing project.
Stay Sharp Series: Seek Out Others
Dana Murphy shares the ways she seeks out educators who help her stay sharp. Her key sources are Twitter, the educators in her school, and reading the Big Fresh.
Informal Conversations Give Insight for Instruction
Melissa Quimby encourages informal conversations with students to get insight into their personalities and lives.
Building a Classroom Library with Students (and Navigating the Tricky Parts)
I intentionally started the school year with hundreds of books scattered on a few shelves because I wanted the children to construct the library. And yes, after 10 days in...
September 16, 2022: Little Things That Make a Difference
Life's too short for bad coffee. —Gord Downie The Best Cup of Coffee There is a phenomenal coffee shop in my town, and my favorite coffee is a honeycomb lavender...
September 9, 2022: Setting the Year in Motion
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect. —Alan Cohen In Motion Last February I broke my ankle and was not allowed to...
Nourish a Sense of Belonging
Dana Murphy shares ways to nourish a sense of belonging in all students.
Spontaneous Text Sets
When it was time for me to take back the class from my student teacher, I contemplated starting up author studies. The idea overwhelmed me. The rhythm of this year...
Knowing Genres
“Mrs. Robek, what is blue tape?” I knew this question would come one day. Katie was book shopping in our classroom library. When I started teaching, my mentors modeled using...
Lifting the Quality of Hands-Down Conversations
Before we begin our seventh whole-class hands-down conversation, I ask the class, “What do you notice about our hands-down conversations? What is working well, and what could we do even...
Making Time for Poetry
I grew up in a small town, and although it was a wonderful place to experience childhood, there wasn’t a lot there. If we wanted to go to the zoo,...
How to Begin a Community Circle
Bitsy Parks gives direction in beginning a community circle with primary learners.
Hands-Down Conversations in the Primary Grades
It’s 8:25 in the morning on the third day of school. Most students are seated in a circle on the rug, waiting for a few others to arrive. Students walk...
Establishing Independent Reading Is Like Planting Seeds
The beginning of the year is an exciting time: new possibilities, fresh faces, shy smiles. There’s a lot to teach, and I tend to over-plan, moving lessons from one day...
