Content Category: Choice Literacy
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Padlet Possibilities
Far and away the most-used technology resource in my fifth-grade classroom is Padlet. Padlet is simply a website. I think of it as an online bulletin board. There are two...
Collaborative Charting in First Grade
A small ball of clay brought heartwarming excitement to the six- and seven-year-olds in the classroom. Their small hands rushed into mine as I passed out the pieces of scissor-cut...
The Big Fresh September 3, 2016 Batch Work
Nobody ever drowned in her own sweat. Ann Landers I remember canning days in the summer when I was a young child. It was a long, hard day of labor...
Opening the Year with Optimism
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. Henry David Thoreau In early August I invited my students from last year to meet up with...
Pulling Weeds
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground...
Plans for Writing Circle
Stella Villalba meets in a circle with her first- and second-grade English language learners to share plans for writing workshop.
Better Mondays Through Quick-Writes
It was one of those Mondays. My students came to me with that glazed-over, deer-in-the-headlights look, and it didn’t seem like they were going to engage with me. I asked...
The Big Fresh August 27, 2016 Lindsay, Charlotte, and the Case for Sweaty Palms
In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold. ...
Critical Thinking and Captain Underpants
Unfortunately, middle school students who are considered struggling readers are often treated as if they are also struggling thinkers. However, in my experience the two rarely go hand in hand....
Adding “Girly” Books to a Next-Read Stack
Katherine Sokolowski responds to fifth grader Sophia's request for more "girly" books to add to her next-read stack.
Embracing the Books My Students Love
A few years ago, I decided to read The One and Only Ivan to my third graders early in the year. It is one of my favorite books, and I...
Books That Mirror the Children in Our Classrooms
A book can show you the world but it can also show you a reflection of yourself. Grace Lin We sat in silence. “Comments? Thoughts?” I asked this group...
The Big Fresh August 20, 2016 Armchair Experts
When we are judging everything, we are learning nothing. Steve Maraboli My husband and I are watching the Olympic diving competition. It isn’t long before we are yelling out...
Using Mentor Texts to Craft Leads
“Hook the reader” is a phrase that we hear often during writing instruction when students are crafting their leads or introductions for their writing pieces, and it is, essentially, one...
Mentors for Process and Habits
If you are familiar with David Shannon’s book David Goes to School, it is clear that...
From Mentor Texts to Mentors in First Grade
This summer I’ve become hooked on podcasts, from writers such as Elizabeth Gilbert, who hosts the podcast Magic Lessons, and Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnson, who host the Nerdette podcast...
Mentor Texts for Crafting Nonfiction
Melanie Meehan talks with a third-grade teacher about how she introduces craft elements in nonfiction mentor texts.
The Big Fresh August 13, 2016 Hosting Martha
The ornaments of your home are the people who smile upon entering time and time again. Maralee McKee This fall marks the third year our family will host an exchange...
Superpowers and a Middle School Classroom Library
Reading choice matters because it shapes who you are. Choices are as much a part of reading as breathing is a part of life. I think Mrs. Rush has the...
Introducing the Classroom Library
I introduce my students to classroom design and the layout of the library on the very first day of school. This room will be their home away from home for...
Prepping the Meeting Area for Success
Our meeting area is where all of our minilessons happen, and it happens to be surrounded by our classroom library. We have some of the typical things in our meeting...
