One of the best ways to keep the home-school connection going is through writing. Learn a few practical tips that will encourage children to create a special place to write at home, as well as suggestions for the types of writing that will keep that learning alive. This video shares ideas for writing in many…
Parents at home, and teachers in classrooms, virtual or physical, have long asked us to help them create a list of some tips for conferring, or talking to children about the books they are reading, without having to have read every book. These tips will help you have conversations that are powerful and productive and…
Our own Lynn Schade, Executive Director, and Stephanie Maze-Hsu, Project Manager, collaborated with two other leaders in the field of educational literacy to write a chapter in the newly released book: “Best Practices of Literacy Leaders: Keys to School Improvement” edited by Allison Swan Dagen and Rita M. Bean. Lynn and Stephanie’s chapter, “Sustaining Literacy…
The first time I heard Rena Finder, a tiny, 91-year-old Holocaust survivor with a slight lilt in her voice, speak, was mere weeks after the 2017 March in Charlottesville that left our nation reeling that such hatred and anger could be happening in the United States of America. Rena was speaking at an annual event…
This is a unique time of year to pause and reflect on what we are grateful for. With time scarcity and many competing priorities as educators, we don’t want to forsake the practice of gratitude. In fact, the act of giving thanks changes our brains and makes us happier, healthier people which in turn helps…
Hello readers! It’s one of those lovely summer shower mornings. The birds are still chirping and some are even bathing in the puddles created. The steady drum of the rain is soothing and bringing respite from the humidity of the day past. It’s a perfect moment to curl up with a good book and read,…
As March nears its end, ask yourself, how far have your readers come? Are you still wondering how to satiate your advanced readers? Do you still have readers who are “faking” it? Are students cringing through informational text with milk of magnesia-like reticence? Do some of your students still demonstrate significant deficits in vocabulary or…
Whether you are acing common core shifts or cursing them, there are resolutions to be made by all of us as we head seven years deep into the post-common core era. Find a leverage point in the New Year and give yourself time to build toward success. Try these common core “shifter” resolutions on for…
Autumn brings tidings of celebration, unless you’re a Red Sox or Trump fan. Classrooms are reveling in seasonal themes such as democracy, suffrage, harvest bounty, family, and giving to those in need. All the while, exhausted educators are searching Pinterest for candy corn martini recipes (yes, it is a thing) and strategies for ramping up…