Developing Writerly Voices, 5 Minutes a Day As a new teacher, I was stumped when it came to writing instruction. I had interesting prompts, visuals of the recursive writing process, graphic organizers, rubrics and mini-lessons to support students’ understanding of all of these important instructional tools. We wrote every day – we wrote in…
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” the song declares triumphantly through speakers, yet here I am, probably like you with a long list of to-do’s not yet completed feeling more pressure than purpose as the year rapidly comes to a close. The wonder of this season and the wonder of the school…
We all want our students to make meaningful growth in their reading and writing. But too often we get stuck with supporting our students and our feedback is generic rather than specific. By using a student facing tool like a microprogression we can show our students exactly what we hope they will apply in their…
In our last blog, we covered what a “Pandemic Journal” is and why it is a powerful tool for processing experiences and emotions during this time. Now we want to share with you some ideas for getting started. How does one get started? How does one get started? Easy! Just three simple steps. STEP 1:…
There are moments when you know you are living through history in the making. Those of us old enough can re-live where we were when Neil Armstrong took his “small step for man and giant leap for mankind.” We remember what the morning of Sept. 11th, 2001 looked like and felt like. We can describe…
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…
Knee-deep in the fall of the school year, you take stock of your current successes. Maybe your launch of Readers’ Workshop is growing avid bibliophiles. Perhaps an intervention strategy is yielding gains among your most vulnerable students. Maybe you finally carved out time to enjoy your lunch at 4:00PM on the ride home. While the…