Content Category: Choice Literacy
Results
Analyzing Voice: Conferring with Griffin
Gigi McAllister helps fourth grader Griffin reengage with his writing by pointing out some of the unique qualities of voice and style in his piece.
Things That Can Fly Away—A Tribute to Mary Oliver
Things that can fly away in memory of Mary Oliver Take the word butterfly— drinks from every urn in a continuing thirst for grace. Take the word blackbird— flies in...
January 25, 2019 Peach Pit
When I have to come with ideas, especially in a pinch, I need to create the conditions for creativity. Piera Gelardi Standards, parameters, boundaries. School is all about confined...
Mindful Test-Taking
Have you ever lost yourself in a great book and become unaware of the sounds and events happening around you? Have you ever seen a child so engaged in playing...
Clapping Syllables Routine in First Grade
Bitsy Parks works with her first graders early in the year to teach them the basics of how words are constructed, by clapping through syllable counts.
Grammar Games
In Tony Wagner’s book Creating Innovators, he talks about the importance of passion, purpose, and play for young learners. Although I can’t always infuse passion into the realm of grammar,...
January 18, 2019 Wins and Losses
The thing about football—the important thing about football—is that it is not just about football. Terry Pratchett There was a recent thread on social media in which high school...
Picture Books to Teach Digital Citizenship
My daughter and I were reading together recently, sitting side by side on the couch. She sighed, closed her book, and said, “Well, lesson learned there!” I smiled, and we...
An All-School Writing Project: Six-Word Memoirs
I’ve long heard inspiring stories about schools who adopted a “One Book, One School” experience, exposing all students to a text and then using it to launch conversations and connections....
January 11, 2019 Stand Next to Me
Nine of us got together for our family girls’ weekend last fall. “Paint and Sip” is an activity all of us enjoyed, even though we range in age from teens...
The Importance of Correct Examples
I have not had many struggles with spelling and conventions in my life. That being said, there are a couple of words I know are hard for me. Embarrass is...
Practical Advice for Dealing with Messy Handwriting
Do struggles with handwriting matter? They do when a student can't even decipher his own words. Katherine Sokolowski confers with fifth grader Sauvi to help him find solutions to the...
The Magic That Might Go Down
In her TED Talk, author Susan Conley tells a story about leading writing workshops for students. She explains that during one of her sessions a particularly intense student asked, “Why...
January 4, 2019 Reset
Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind. Roy Bennett Our instructional coach was standing by my door as I came back after a round of classroom...
Building Habits with Short-Term Goals
During the first two of weeks of writing this school year, we were busy teaching “gathering” minilessons to help students fill their heads and notebooks with writing. Since our first...
Beyond Plot: Conferring with Ian
Andrea Smith confers with fourth grader Ian, who is plowing through a book series. She helps him look at the bigger picture of characters, themes, and how the series might...
Reset
I am spoiled by my DVR. I can sit down and watch my favorite shows whenever I want. I can even skip over commercial breaks. However, every now and then,...
December 28, 2018 Celebrations
The most beautiful things are not associated with money—they are memories and moments. If you don't celebrate those, they can pass you by. Alek Wek When I left my...
When Students Set Intentions
One of the things my yoga instructor always says at the beginning of class is “Set an intention.” Our intention could be to focus, or maybe to work on a...
First-Grade Writing Conference: Celebrations to Suggestions
Katrina Edwards begins her conference with first grader Allen by celebrating all he is doing well in his writing. She highlights his language and details in writing before moving on...
Sharing Writing in a Class Celebration
Does celebration matter? Is celebration essential to the business of developing meaningful, conventional, and powerful writers? When there is more to teach and meeting all the needs of students as...
