Dusk comes early this time of year in Maine - by 3 p.m. the sun is starting to set, and it's full dark long before dinner. I envy our newsletter readers in the southern hemisphere, who are enjoying high summer with its long, light days.

We spend so much time in our classrooms rearranging libraries, seating areas, and book displays to entice children to read more. I wonder if we spend enough time thinking about lighting? It's not just a question of whether or not students can see the words in front of them, which seems to be the single criteria for lighting design in many schools. Many of the principles of lighting from home decor can be used to highlight and enhance literacy areas in classrooms, building interest and use among students. And there is plenty of research that shows more light of the right kind can elevate mood considerably.

As the quality of light changes outside with the winter sun, maybe it's a good time to rethink lighting in our classrooms. The glow from a cozy fire and a low lamp can make me want to read an extra chapter or two on a cold winter's night. Adding a couple of lamps to your classroom, varying their heights, and spotlighting book displays may be more powerful than you think in lifting your energy and that of students during the long dark months ahead.

This week we've got a couple features on lighting, and a new room tour of a gorgeous second grade classroom. Plus more as always. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

Free for All

From the Choice Literacy Archives, The Sisters help their colleague Ahnsaly redesign the lighting in her meeting area in this time-lapse video, demonstrating basic principles of lighting design:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/209.cfm

From the Design Share website, a resource on design for learning, this article on lighting and color in classrooms includes the 7 Biggest Myths about Classroom Color and Light:

http://www.designshare.com/articles/1/133/fielding_light-learn-color .pdf

The light is always great on a Florida beach in January. Join Choice Literacy for our Winter Workshops at the Sand Key Resort in Clearwater, Florida on January 27th, 2008. Workshop topics include literacy coaching and reading assessment:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/454.cfm

For Members Only

Who doesn't enjoy a video room tour? Aimee Buckner leads a tour of Cheryl Cole's second grade classroom in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Cheryl has filled her room with beautiful literacy displays, and she has an ingenious solution for getting rid of the coats, boots, and backpack clutter so common in classrooms during the winter months. You might like her idea for reusing those twinkle lights after the holiday is over, too:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/491.cfm

It's hard to measure the insidious effects of the testing/failure/more testing/more failure cycle on students who don't perform well on standardized tests. Erin Ocon confronts one of her seventh graders who is goofing off in class, and gets a lesson herself on breaking the failure cycle in her inspiring essay, "Helping Aaron Find His Voice as a Writer":

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/485.cfm

Finally, a few more suggestions and quick tips for a lighting redesign from The Sisters (Joan Moser and Gail Boushey) in their brief photo essay, "Warm It Up":

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/492.cfm

That's all for this week!