Content Category: Choice Literacy
Results
Modeling Nonfiction Writing for English Language Learners: Part 3
Stella Villaba models nonfiction writing for her first- and second-grade English language learners, and in the process integrates vocabulary instruction into her lesson. This is the final video in a...
Strategies for Elaboration in Opinion Writing
I was in a fifth-grade classroom today, and the teacher handed me an essay a student had written. The essay was well structured, but it was definitely short. Given the...
The Big Fresh March 26, 2016 The Mighty Minute
Good things, when short, are twice as good. Baltasar Gracian y Morales “I can do almost anything if it’s only for one minute.” My friend Darla was talking about...
The Big Fresh March 19, 2016 Long Day
Make no judgments where you have no compassion. Anne McCaffrey It was the end of a long day in the middle of a long week that was part of...
Weaving in Poetry
“They don’t really seem to understand how to read poetry yet,” my administrator says in September. “Well, not yet. It’s only September, and we are just starting to closely read...
The Case for the Sonnet
Upon hearing mention of a sonnet, I imagine many people’s train of thought goes something like this: sonnet = Shakespeare = old = boring. Sonnets, by their very nature, are...
Message from Old Crow
In a slipstream of winter light I wait along time’s trail—freed from the urgencies of earlier days, still feasting on what remains. Mountain spirits roar through the pines, stir...
The Big Fresh March 12, 2016 Don’t Settle
Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become. Steve Jobs Recently, I stumbled across a quote that instantly resonated...
Character Traits Through Word Sorts
Identifying character traits is an important skill for readers, and the need for precise word choice rises in third and fourth grade. Students are expected to pay close attention to...
Modeling Nonfiction Writing for English Language Learners: Part 2
Stella Villalba models nonfiction writing for her first- and second-grade English language learners, and in the process integrates vocabulary instruction into her lesson. This is the second video in a...
Building Word Learning Routines
When working with readers who need extra support, it's not uncommon to need to do some work with letters, sounds, and words. Some students, for a variety of reasons, seem...
The Big Fresh March 5, 2016 A Tower of Giraffes
Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary. Tim Gunn A tower of giraffes. A drove of pigs. A scurry of squirrels. A brand new picture book is...
Vocabulary Instruction: Where to Start?
I have a confession to make: I’ve always struggled with incorporating vocabulary study into my high school English class. I’ve tried lots of different things over the years, but never...
Modeling Nonfiction Writing for English Language Learners
Stella Villalba models nonfiction writing for her first- and second-grade English language learners, and in the process integrates vocabulary instruction into her lesson. This is the first video in a...
Holding a Dictionary
As a little girl, I loved reading the dictionary. Actually reading it. My parents had a gigantic Random House dictionary that was likely bigger than me in height, weight, and...
Learning Vocabulary in Context with English Language Learners
Student 1: I think Frog is really nice. Me: What makes you say that? Student 1: Because he helped Toad find the list. Student 2: Yeah . . . because...
The Big Fresh February 27, 2016 The Game of Life
If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you will never change the outcome. Michael Jordan We're heading into March Madness, that nutty time when...
Student Self-Assessment Strategies
Over the course of the year, I have watched my daughter’s level of engagement rise in the work she does for her high school English class. In her AP English...
Observations and Test Preparation
As I navigated the test-taking arrangement of desks in my fifth-grade classroom while handing out copies of Foul Flora, I knew that students would receive this sample state examination selection,...
Tests of Time
The night before the exam, we scrawl The Late Unpleasantness across the blackboard from Sumter to Appomattox, and tack up dates like tattered flags. I dish up Ramen noodles...
Read Alouds and Standards
“Oh, man, you missed the best part yesterday!” “I couldn’t believe I never saw that happening.” “My prediction was all wrong, and I totally had to revise it.” Read-aloud is...
