Content Category: Lead Literacy
Results
What Happens Next Is What Defines Us
My own children have been my greatest teachers. For me, one of the most challenging aspects of parenting has been to help pick them up after a disappointing event in...
Celebrations Across the Year
“Any quick wins?” I inquired as we began to get our bimonthly meeting of literacy coaches underway. Quick wins as described in Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Success...
Encouraging Teachers to Write
“You use your own notebook a lot during conferences,” Mrs. Bean said to me. I looked up from writing conference notes and considered her statement. “Yes, that’s true.” “So I...
Finding Time for Classroom Walk-Throughs
As school leaders, we know our time is precious. It can be hard to prioritize our days with all the duties we are expected to complete. At the top of...
Tackling Coaching Challenges
One of Merriam-Webster's dictionaries defines a nemesis as a "formidable and usually victorious rival or opponent." As a literacy coach, I find that my biggest nemesis is professional development. I...
Open Observations
As literacy coaches, we are always talking about ways to help teachers give ownership to learners. There are constant conversations about opening the door for students to make their own...
Aligning Commercial Practices with Excellent Literacy Instruction
“So, what are you guys using for literacy?” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked that as a school principal. It’s not a bad question or something...
Showcasing the Vision
A family portrait hanging on the gallery wall in your house. A photo block of your child’s first birthday front and center on the fireplace mantel. A matted and framed...
The 15-Minute Meeting
In The 30-Day Productivity Plan, Damon Zahariades makes the assertion that meetings last as long as they are scheduled for. If we want to increase our productivity, he believes, we...
Meeting with Building Leaders
“I want to meet again every month,” Maggie said. “Just like last year.” Maggie is the principal of one of our five elementary schools, and last year, we committed to...
The Lion Unit
In my first year of coaching, my staff and I spent the fall focused on math instruction. We finally had an opportunity during the last three weeks before break to...
Tips for Planning with Teachers
“So here’s what I’m planning for next week.” Michele, a third-grade teacher, held up her planbook for me to see. She had written her teaching points in pen across the...
The Literacy Master Document
Paper copies here. Paper copies there. Paper copies everywhere. Whether it be the district curriculum maps, reading units, or lesson planning sheets, these important paper documents remain a window into...
Three Questions to Open Coaching Conversations
The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge. Thomas Berger In an early blog post sharing her ideas for student-centered coaching, Diane Sweeney writes,...
The Hole in Your Swing
I am a baseball fan. I played the sport through high school, spent a couple of years riding a bench in college, and now enjoy it mostly from the confines...
Becoming More Strategic in Coaching Stressed Teachers
Suddenly, I’m a momma to big kids. It caught me off guard and I’m still wondering how it happened, because I'm sure I didn’t blink. In addition to looking up...
Clearing the Plate: Helping Teachers Feel Free, Not Full
“David,” she said, “I’m so sorry. I just can’t do our session today.” Her tired expression, slumped shoulders, and weak voice had told me that already. “Don’t worry about it,...
Demonstration Lesson: A First Grader Decodes and Makes Meaning
In this demonstration lesson, Clare Landrigan confers with a first grader by building on his strengths of growing fluency and volume with strategies for decoding.
Word Study PD: Building on Strengths
I enjoy working out. But I have a not-so-secret hatred embedded in those workouts: push-ups. I can run, deadlift, jump, and lunge with the best of them (okay, that’s an...
A Literacy Foundation
I lead a school in a building with a lot of history. Veteran teachers currently working in the building can recall their first day of kindergarten in the...
Data Pictures Instead of Data Walls
I've never been a big fan of data walls. They typically consist of bulletin boards and physical space that house student data, documenting various levels of student literacy achievement. One...
