Content Category: Choice Literacy
Results
Teaching Transition Words
The second-grade team was teaching the unit on writing fairy tales for the first time, and emailed us because they noticed they didn’t have a lesson in the unit that...
January 31, 2020 Creativity and Community
The constraint, whatever it is, supports action. Amy Tangerine Diana Glyer has spent much of her professional life studying the “Inklings”—the group of writers that included J.R.R. Tolkien and...
Writing Partners
“This is good.” “I like your details.” “I think you spelled this wrong.” “You need a period here.” For many years this is the kind of talk I overhead from...
January 24, 2020 Kindness in the Storm
A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. Amelia Earhart When the weather turned violent at Camp...
Exploring Author’s Craft in Graphic Novels
I have noticed that my eighth graders can easily be divided into two groups: those who read graphic novels and those who don’t. In fact, these categories also work for...
January 17, 2020 I See You
Being safe is about being seen and heard and allowed to be who you are and to speak your truth. ...
Writing Partner Feedback in Fifth Grade
In this video, partner teams in Franki Sibberson's fifth-grade class share their drafts and ask for specific feedback on their opinion-writing pieces.
Trauma and Literacy
When I was between the ages of eight and 10, two things happened. First, it stopped raining. There was a two-year drought that dried up the entire state of Ohio....
Kids Teaching Kids: Student-Led Lessons
We’re in a fourth-grade classroom, and the teacher, Mrs. P, has just finished her minilesson. She’s wearing moon-patterned tights reminiscent of Mrs. Frizzle. As the kids move into independent reading...
Pairing Video Clips with Text: The Great Depression
“How do we know that this is the true story? This is only one version of the story.” I absolutely love when my students question what they read. I love...
Characters, Choices, and Graphic Novels: Eighth-Grade Reading Conference
Christy Rush-Levine confers with Nia over the graphic novel she is reading. They discuss the choices characters make.
Self-Esteem and Literacy: Understanding Jeff
“I don’t feel like reading today.” “I am gonna fail this test today.” “Just let me finish this video game and then I will do some work.” “What will my...
30-Second Pair-Share
Sean Moore leads his second graders in a quick pair-share to help everyone reflect on what they learned during independent reading.
Collaborating for Understanding in Writing
“I know you have gone over it 11 times today, but can you explain it one more time?” After spending a few days diving into understanding the truth about Christopher...
Reading Mats Build Confidence
There have been times in my life when I haven’t been confident—when I was learning to drive a stick shift, when I started a new job, when I carried my...
Appointment Clocks
Although there are many benefits to using groups in the classroom, sometimes the dynamics can be overwhelming or problematic. An easy alternative, especially when time is a factor, is using...
January 10, 2020 Nothing Buried Here
My mom recently received a label maker as a gift. If you visited her house, I would not need to tell you this. There are labels everywhere—on drawers, on shelves,...
Building Conversation Skills in Book Clubs
Fifth graders use a visual tool to help them build on each other's ideas in book clubs. They are applying a strategy demonstrated in an earlier minilesson.
January 3, 2020 Letting Go
I realize there's something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they're experts at letting things go. ...
It’s All in the Details
Details matter. Look for them. Collect them. Notice repetition. Notice patterns. Ask questions. If an author includes it, it serves a purpose. This is advice we give to our seventh-grade...
Minilesson: Building Conversations in Book Clubs
Dana Murphy leads a minilesson on book club conversations, using a fishbowl strategy and building blocks to support more sophisticated discussions.
