Content Category: Lead Literacy
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Demonstration Lesson: From Play to Literacy in First Grade
Young children need a place and props for play in their classroom. But how can we transfer this learning from play to literacy instruction? Clare Landrigan works with a first-grade...
Motivating Reluctant Writers in Third Grade
Kathy Provost and a third-grade teaching team discuss how to motivate reluctant writers.
Jumpstarting Student Writers
When I was in high school, I dated a guy who owned an antiquated MG. Although the car was extremely cute, it was also extremely inconsistent, and it frequently required...
A Better Hiring Process
Hiring great faculty is one of the most important and rewarding jobs for a principal. We can shape the future of our school with a lot less effort than it...
School Leaders and Written Communication
For several years now, I have taught a graduate class for aspiring school leaders. My students are practicing teachers and counselors who have their eye on being principals someday. As...
Paraphrasing to Let Teachers Lead
There was a diamond in the rough in the teacher’s lesson. Overall, it was a good lesson. She had provided choice in how students could respond to the whole-class reading...
You Say Tornado . . .
Whatever the weather served, that was what they ate. But it never rained rain. It never snowed snow. And it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and...
The Power of a Plastic Frame
When we were clearing out my grandmother’s house, she had hundreds of plastic frames—the ones you buy in a drugstore for about a dollar each. As I sorted through the...
First-Grade Engagement: Debrief
Heather Fisher and a young first-grade teacher debrief after a demonstration lesson for a partner group on engagement. This is the final video in a three-part series.
Literacy and Last Days: Keeping It Simple
“I’m not doing a bouncy house.” That was my initial response when I heard that as principal of our school, I am tasked with coming up with the last-day activity...
Dealing with Side Conversations
It happens almost every time. Someone (maybe it's you?) is leading a professional development session for teachers, and a side conversation is happening at one of the tables. The presenter...
First-Grade Engagement: Demonstration Lesson
Heather Fisher and a young first-grade teacher lead a demonstration lesson for a partner group on engagement. This is the second video in a three-part series.
The Thin Line Between Mentoring and Coaching
The teacher came in to see me, disappointed in his midyear results. “My students aren’t progressing like I thought they would.” His goal: provide more authentic literacy instruction so students...
Rocking the Boat
When I was in high school, I attended ARC camp. The acronym stood for Advanced River Challenge. It was a weeklong canoeing adventure camp. I had never canoed before. It...
First-Grade Engagement: Planning the Lesson
Heather Fisher meets with a young first-grade teacher to plan a demonstration lesson for a partner group on engagement. This is the first video in a three-part series.
Improving Professional Learning for All
In my early days as a school leader, I could count on one hand the number of times a staff member personally told me how much they enjoyed the professional...
Assessing First-Grade Learning
Jason DiCarlo leads a first-grade study group as they discuss different options for young learners to demonstrate understanding beyond written responses.
Choice Professional Development Sessions
Back in August, our district offered K-3 teachers a selection of workshops. The language arts consultants, reading specialists, and I (the writing coordinator) put together a collection of offerings that...
Looking Back and Planning Forward
When I was a classroom teacher, I had two things on my mind when the calendar turned to spring: a strong finish with my students and the changes I wanted...
Case Studies All Year Long
Kathy Provost and Heather Fisher talk with reading specialists about the value of following a case study over an entire year.
Building Self-Evaluation Skills: What’s Your Signature Move?
Flowers are blooming, temperatures are rising, and school calendars are ticking toward closure. Although this means many things for schools, it also means one significantly noneducational thing in particular: it’s...
