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Lead Literacy Articles & Videos (formerly leadliteracy.com)

Our lounge is your home for exploring hundreds of articles and videos for literacy coaches and school leaders. Our contributors share their best advice for working one-on-one with teachers in coaching cycles, hosting professional development sessions, and designing demonstration lessons and study groups.

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Developing a Principal and Coach Partnership

Matt Renwick explains how he works as a principal to build a relationship with the school's literacy coach, including scheduling weekly meetings and sharing responsibilities in whole-staff meetings.

Coaching in Proximity: The Sherpa Mind-Set

David Pittman finds that a sherpa analogy helps him adjust his role as a coach—moving closer to teachers without taking over instruction.

A Change in the Weather: Moving from Teacher to Coach

Ruth Ayres finds that coaches can't help but feel a little ambivalent about losing their teaching role, but it's important to embrace the changes in responsibilities if you want to coach well.

Demonstration Lesson: Quotes in Writing

Tammy Mulligan leads a demonstration small group with fifth-grade girls on using quotes in their writing. The session includes a prebrief and debrief with the girls' teacher.

Breakthroughs and Barriers: Going Schoolwide with a Literacy Initiative

What’s going well with literacy in your teaching community? What’s getting in the way? Matt Renwick considers breakthroughs and barriers in making literacy instruction more of a priority in his school.

The Coconut Wireless

Suzy Kaback finds that a novel take on community communication changes her outlook on how to reach teachers through informal networks.

When Email Isn’t Enough

Jennifer Schwanke finds that sometimes email can't take the place of face-to-face interactions. She explains why she doesn't let a quest to save time override consideration of when meetings are needed.

Embedding Reading into Staff Meetings

Matt Renwick shares how he elevates routine meetings by embedding discussion of professional reading into them.

Team Meeting: Next Steps

Kathy Provost closes a third-grade team meeting with a discussion of next steps, ensuring everyone is on the same page with plans before the next month's meeting.

Going Google as a Literacy Leader

Matt Renwick combines principles for productivity with Google tools to organize his work.

Next-Thing Thinking and Google Keep

Stephanie Affinito has learned to focus closely on one task at a time and use technology to keep track of all the other things on the horizon.

First-Grade Demonstration Small Group: Reading Engagement

Clare Landrigan leads a demonstration small group with first-grade readers who struggle with engagement and stamina. The lesson includes a prebrief and debrief with their teacher.

A Book Tasting for Teachers

Stephanie Affinito shares the steps for hosting a book tasting for teachers, with everything from creating a splashy invitation to fostering a fun atmosphere included.

Story Play with The Grouchy Ladybug

In this demonstration small group, Clare Landrigan leads kindergartners in a story play session featuring The Grouchy Ladybug. The lesson includes a prebrief and debrief with the classroom teacher.

Professional Learning Beyond PLCs

Matt Renwick shares three alternatives to PLCs that are less time intensive and can be integrated into existing meetings and routines.

Third-Grade Demonstration Group on Citing Evidence

Kathy Provost works with a third-grade teacher to lead a demonstration small group on citing evidence. This is the second video in a three-part series.

Debrief of Third-Grade Demonstration Group on Citing Evidence

Kathy Provost and a third-grade teacher debrief after a demonstration small group on citing evidence. This is the third video in a three-part series.

Learning and Leading Through Teaching

If you want to understand the real concerns of teachers, you have to teach children. Not only in demonstrations, and not only collaboratively, but solo with the constraints any teacher faces. Matt Renwick explains how these experiences are invaluable for his work as a literacy leader.

Settling In

Dana Murphy shares one of her favorite classroom coaching tips: explaining the value of settling-in time at the start of literacy workshops.

Not All Superheroes Wear Capes

Stephanie Affinito shares a professional development activity to celebrate teaching strengths and help teachers through the doldrums of this time of year.

Never Too Late to Get to Know You

Melanie Quinn shares two rituals for staff meetings to build camaraderie and community.

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