Content Category: Choice Literacy
Results
The Big Fresh January 14, 2017 Whispers
There is another alphabet, whispering from every leaf, singing from every river, shimmering from every sky. Dejan Stojanovic On a cool morning in late April, my students and I...
Quick Take: Evolving Beliefs About Goals
Gigi McAllister gives a brief explanation of how her thinking on goal setting has changed, as well as the ways in which she uses student goals to connect with parents....
Setting Weekly Goals
If you walked into our fourth-grade classroom with our students on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning, you’d see our students unpack, set their reading goal for that night,...
The Daily Record
“Toni always starts our dinner conversation with what she learned in class each day and her opinions on people in American history.” Who doesn’t love to hear this from a...
Tracking Student Goals
It seems that every year I have a brilliant new plan to house, track, use, and reflect on the amazing amount of data that I collect about my students. It’s...
Minilesson: Measurable Reading Goals in Fourth Grade
Gigi McAllister has her fourth graders consider what makes a reading goal measurable.
The Big Fresh January 7, 2017 Lemonade Stand
If life gives you lemons, don't settle for simply making lemonade -- make a glorious scene at a lemonade stand. Elizabeth Gilbert Every time I drive past a lemonade...
Conferring Questions
When I first jumped into writing workshop, I was nervous about what to say in a conference. I wanted to get it right, and I didn’t want to look ridiculous....
Goal-Setting Ideas for Students
As the New Year approaches, my family begins to think about goals. Even though I’m a big believer in goals, I have never been great at setting them on January...
Quick Reading Reflection in First Grade
Bitsy Parks has her first graders complete a quick reading reflection before a share session early in the school year.
Voice and Choice in the Goal-Setting Process
Frank Norris said, “I hate writing, but I love having written.” These words ring true for us. We have writing projects, articles, and blog posts that we want to write....
Increasing Student Engagement During Minilessons
It can be challenging to engage children in our minilessons. Sometimes those challenges arise because of behavior issues—there’s the syndrome when as soon as you address one student’s behavior, another...
Mini-Breaks for Reading Engagement
In this demonstration small group with first graders, Heather Fisher shares strategies for taking quick breaks to build stamina during reading workshop, using the "reading mat" format developed by Jennifer...
Celebrating Completed Books and Presenting New Ones
Gigi McAllister shares a quick daily routine of asking students to celebrate books they have finished reading before she introduces a new book to her fourth-grade class.
In Search of Just-Right Reading Spots
Think about your favorite reading spot. Maybe it’s the lounge chair by the window, the recliner in the den, or the rocking chair on the porch. Whatever and wherever it...
Growing Writing Stamina
We can remember early in our careers feeling a little panicked those first few days or weeks of writing workshop. Because, you know (we’ll whisper this part to you) our...
Building Better Book Baggies
The sound of giggles distracted me from the guided reading lesson that I was watching. I saw Kimora and Janya, partially shielded from view, huddled together in a corner of...
The Big Fresh December 17, 2016 Changing Our Focus
The thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football. Terry Pratchett "Let's talk about my fantasy football team," I said...
Visual Essays
We had just read a series of short stories in class, and I had intended for my high school students to write an essay comparing and contrasting how a certain...
Getting Started with Voice Recorded Responses
Reading and writing float on a sea of talk. —James Britton “How is your class?” is a common question we teachers ask each other throughout the school year. It...
Getting Started with Student Podcasting
My wife started playing the next episode of The Radio Adventures of Eleanor Amplified on her smartphone for the kids in the backseat as we drove to our destination. It...
