Content Category: Lead Literacy
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Tracking Characters in Fourth Grade
Kathy Provost leads a demonstration lesson on tracking characters with fourth graders. The lesson includes prebrief and debrief sessions with their teacher Jaime Leger.
After the Demonstration: Modeling Healthy, Sustainable Reflection
The older my children get, the more intentional I am about making the most of the smallest snippets of time we have together. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the 10...
The Habit of Reflection
In this quick video excerpt from a teacher meeting on peer observations, the participants talk about why developing the habit of reflection after instruction (either alone or with colleagues) is...
New Year Resolutions
Are you idealistic like me and pledge to do your job SO much better at the beginning of every year? Perhaps you’ve just finished an “off” year . . ....
Making Classroom Visits a Habit
In a previous article for Lead Literacy, I outlined my plan for becoming more organized and intentional as a school principal. I will check email only at certain times of...
Erasing the Lines in the Sand
Social media is a place of strong opinions. Political. Lifestyle. Educational. In one recent Facebook conversation, a young teacher sought clarification on the difference between book clubs and literature circles....
First Days of Reading Support
The first weeks of school set the tone for the entire year. In these beginning days, teachers and students start to build connections that will carry them through the year....
Helping Struggling Writers in Second Grade
Melanie Meehan chats with second-grade teacher Nadia Egan about creative strategies for helping struggling writers.
Making Coaching Meaningful: Establishing Goals and Roles
When I first became a coach, I made some big stumbles. Full disclosure: I still do. They’re just new ones. More than once, these stumbles were caused by a failure...
Planning a Coaching Cycle
Kathy Provost works with a third-grade teacher to plan long-term and daily goals in a coaching cycle.
Defining Your Role as a Coach
After eight years, my husband and I have settled into our marriage. Balancing the demands of our relationship, our full-time jobs, our two children, and everything else means we have...
Learning from a Lesson Study
In this video excerpt from a lesson study group, Jason DiCarlo leads a group of third-grade teachers in a discussion of changes they have made to their teaching based on...
Getting PD Feedback
Theoretically, I knew feedback was important. But in reality, I struggled with feedback. How does a coach even begin planning professional development sessions based on feedback? How could I synthesize...
Using Wait Time in Professional Development
We have gathered for our weekly staff meeting in the media center. The topic is student engagement, and I have just asked a rather thought-provoking question: How can you tell...
Every Classroom, Every Day
In an article for Educational Leadership titled “Every Child, Every Day,” Richard Allington and Rachael Gabriel offer six essentials every student should experience in his or her classroom on a...
Dear Coach
Dear Coach, Two years ago I found out that elementary teachers across our school district would have the opportunity to work with literacy coaches. Knowing that our district valued literacy...
Coaching a Shift to a New Writing Unit
Melanie Meehan coaches a third-grade teacher who is transitioning between information- and opinion-writing units, emphasizing how charts might be used in the class effectively.
Being Present
“Look at me. Hey. Hey! Mom! Look. At. Me!” I glanced up from my phone and met my daughter’s narrowed, brown-eyed stare. Her face barely peeked over the counter, but...
Video for Reflection in a Book Club
In this demonstration small group, Tammy Mulligan uses video to help sixth graders self-assess their performance in a book club. The lesson includes a prebrief and debrief with the classroom...
“Got a Minute?”: Rethinking My Schedule and Priorities
I was in a second-grade classroom, observing students and the teacher working on personal narratives, when I got a call from the office. “Matt, a parent is here and would...
Getting Out of the Tater Tot Office: The Importance of Visibility
In my role as a literacy coach, I’ve shared a lot of spaces with a lot of people and a lot of “stuff”: spaces with walls of computer equipment, stuffed...
