Content Category: Choice Literacy
Results
November 19, 2021: Classroom Libraries
The best decoration in the world is a room full of books. —Billy Baldwin [Now you can listen to the Big Fresh as a podcast.] Libraries Inspire Readers I grew...
Quick Take: Simple Classroom Library Organization
Christy Rush-Levine shares her simple system for organizing her massive classroom library.
Leading Students Toward Underused Sections of the Classroom Library
When it comes to my high school classroom library, my students definitely play favorites where different genres are concerned. Realistic fiction is a perennial favorite. Some years I’ll have a...
The Seasons of Classroom Libraries
One June morning, within the final days of the school year, a child exclaimed, “The only reason I love reading is because of this class!” This declaration surprised me and...
Encouragement for Readers and Writers Podcast
The focus of this week's podcast is encouragement for readers and writers. Cathy Mere and Ruth Ayres join the conversation. Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with...
November 12, 2021: Encouragement for Readers and Writers
Knitting is a perfect metaphor for life. You might spend months knitting something, but you could probably unravel the whole thing in hours. —Gabbo de la Parra [Now you can...
Formative Assessment From Share Sessions
Learners need endless feedback more than they need endless teaching. —Grant Wiggins The share session offers valuable opportunities for growing a community of learners and for formative assessment. Still, it...
Write Like Nancy
I met a stranger one morning. I guess all people are strangers until you meet them. Nancy, the stranger I met, was riding her bike as my dog was on...
November 4, 2021: Empowerment for Readers and Writers
Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results. —Willie Nelson Asset-Based Approaches During the first few weeks of school, one of my responsibilities was to...
Fifth-Grade Writing Conference: The Heart of the Story
Dana Murphy confers with fifth grader Rebecca about her writing draft, and they discuss the heart of her story.
The Answer Is Always “Yes”
When I first started implementing a writing workshop as a young teacher, I remember being paralyzed by the thought of my writers being in different stages of the writing process...
Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out (or, how to give students the resources, space, and time for self-directed literacy learning)
[R]ather than assuming that education is primarily about preparing for jobs and careers, what would it mean to think of education as a process of guiding kids' participation in public...
The Choice Literacy Book Club Discusses Enduring Freedom
Enjoy listening as the Choice Literacy Book Club discusses Enduring Freedom by Jawad Arash and Trent Reedy. This year the Choice Literacy Book Club was formed. You will find a book talk...
October 29, 2021: Expanding Reading Choices
Let us be grateful for the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. —Marcel Proust [Now you can listen to the Big...
Expanding Book Choices for Secondary Readers
I once met a 16-year-old star quarterback who loved Nicholas Sparks books. In the early days of the school year, as I was getting to know students as readers, I...
A Case for Graphic Novels as “Real” Reading
At the beginning of the school year, I send home a classroom library permission slip to open dialogue between school and home before putting books in students’ hands. I ask...
Minilesson: Using a Web Search to Help Visualize
Staci Revere helps her middle school multilanguage students learn to visualize by discovering images through a web search to understand the text in a deeper way.
Building Connections Beyond the Classroom Walls Podcast
The focus of this week's podcast is building connections beyond the classroom walls. Cathy Mere and Ruth Ayres join the conversation. Click here for ALL links discussed. Each week Choice...
October 22, 2021: Building Community Beyond the Classroom
The purpose of pruning is to improve the quality of the roses, not to hurt the bush. —Florence Littauer [Now you can listen to the Big Fresh as a podcast.]...
Creating a Community of Care: Beyond the Classroom Walls
Dear Ms. Villalba, My class is having a lunch picnic next Thursday. Can you come and join us? Love, M Every time I get a note like this, my heart...
The Classroom Library: Building Bridges
Brandon was twice as tall as he was when he first stepped into my classroom all those years ago. It was a nice surprise to see him. Every once in...
