Content Category: Choice Literacy
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Using Humor to Teach Language Standards
Upon first exposure, language standards don’t seem to offer many opportunities for play and laughter. Punctuation and conventions? Not terribly funny. Parts of speech? Important but pretty serious. But maybe...
Supporting Students as They Exit Intervention with Series Books
The end of our third reading intervention cycle was approaching. Giselle—a student who had been in intervention all three cycles this year, as well as the year before—showed enough growth...
Engaging Students with Humor
“This class is the reason that I come to school in the morning.” I asked Jessica to tell me more about that statement. “This class makes me feel like I...
October 16, 2020 Slightly Alive
There are always flowers for those who want to see them. Henry Matisse One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride, and my favorite character in The Princess Bride...
Interactive Read Aloud in Second Grade
Jen Court completes an interactive read aloud in a second-grade classroom.
Read Alouds in Content Classes
“I’m not really into reading today. Can we just watch a video or something?” “Sure, Maddie, we can develop certain skills, as well as very good content knowledge and understanding,...
October 9, 2020 Coffee Shop Contemplation
I have measured out my life in coffee spoons. T. S. Eliot My husband and I were sitting in the trendy cafe, enjoying our tea and coffee, savoring the cinnamon roll...
Digital Interactive Read Alouds
Something we’ve been trying with teachers in the last few months is digital interactive read alouds. During the digital read aloud, we watch a short film with students and use...
October 2, 2020 The Kind of Teacher Who Cares
It costs you nothing to err on the side of care. Lindy West Not long ago, I noticed my son was uncharacteristically quiet. After some prodding, waiting, and...
Issues Overload
One of my favorite books from childhood was Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary, published in 1955. Beezus lives an almost idyllic life in a loving home on Klickitat Street....
Changing How I Teach Small Groups
I’ve changed lots about my teaching over the years, too many things to count. Many of the changes I have made help me listen more and let the students’ words...
Guided Reading Part 1: Previewing and Skills
This is the first guided reading group in September for Cheryl Miller. She begins the lesson by previewing the book and reminding students of the skills they are working on....
September 25, 2020 Pygmalion Syndrome
A makeover is the rebranding of a human being. Mokokoma Mokhonoana I decided that I was going to be one of those elegant, put-together women. I had a department store...
Matching Evidence and Claims in Writing
Christy Rush-Levine confers with Brendan about his literary analysis and how to match evidence and claims. She has him talk through his understanding of the text, using the oral rehearsal...
Learning Standards: No Best Way
Not long ago, I took part in a work group to deconstruct standards for language arts teachers. I’d reluctantly agreed to serve on the work group as a favor for...
Data That We Can Trust
Data analysis is not a clean process, at least if we are trying to gain a true measure of student success. Many schools (including mine) rely on screeners and benchmark...
Preparing for Book Club Discussions
“When do we start book clubs?” “Who’s in my book club?” Book clubs are a much anticipated and loved part of our literacy curriculum. Most of our kids love the...
September 18, 2020 Going Rogue
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Antoine...
See Your Students
I saw the widely acclaimed author Jason Reynolds at Nerd Camp in Michigan. He delighted the participants with a story about his childhood. He told us about an event called...
Using Picture Books for Rhetorical Analysis
It was ninth period, the end of the day, but the energy in the room was running high. Twelve 11th graders were sitting in a circle, each clutching a picture...
Picture Books for Mental Wellness
For seven months my husband and I attended a class with our daughter so we could learn more about supporting a person with emotion dysregulation. It took a long time...
