"Toddlers squeal with delight when they knock over a stack of blocks, push a ball, or squash a cupcake on their foreheads. Why? Because they did it, that's why. The room is different because I was in it. The fact is that human beings come into the world with a passion for control, they go out of the world the same way, and research suggests that if they lose their ability to control things at any point between their entrance and their exit, they become unhappy, helpless, hopeless, and depressed."

Daniel Gilbert, in Stumbling on Happiness

What a roller coaster this time of year can be for literacy leaders - moving from joy in documenting all that has been accomplished, to despair at low test scores, to amazement at how quickly the year has flown by. If the close of your school year seems to be careening out of control, we've got a terrific feature for you. In "Read Our Walls," Jennifer Allen shows how one school community reclaimed control of defining their literacy achievements not through test scores, but through displays of writing on the walls at the end of the year. The beauty of the event is that it can take place any time - if you're mapping out plans this summer for schoolwide events throughout next year, you might want to keep it in mind.

We've also posted an original poem from Shirley McPhillips that will leave you feeling renewed, and more as always. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

Free for All

Jennifer Allen and her colleagues knew test scores weren't the only way of defining their students' achievements and the value of their professional development program. "Read Our Walls" is an easy but powerful way to celebrate writing from the entire school community:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/606.cfm

If you're in the midst of designing a summer literacy enrichment program at your school, the Northwest Regional Lab and Bank Street School have created a planning guide which includes links to over a dozen high-quality resources on the web. "Beyond Fun and Games: Tips and Resources for Summer Programs" provides sample schedules, activities, and guidelines for tutors or volunteers. Warning for those on dial-up connections - this is an eleven page PDF file:

http://tinyurl.com/6xd3c6

Literacy Coach Jumpstart is our popular one-day summer workshop for literacy coaches. The fast-paced session with Jennifer Allen includes tips on mentoring new teachers, designing study groups, focusing classroom observations, and leading whole staff literacy initiatives. All participants receive a copy of the Layered Coaching DVD for review and use in workshops back home:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/383.cfm

For Members Only

"What Happens Next" from Shirley McPhillips is a new poem celebrating the renewal that comes when spring finally arrives - a perfect metaphor for the different seasons of the school year:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/605.cfm

If you are a fan of Mo Willems' picture books (and who isn't?), you'll enjoy Katie DiCesare's ideas for integrating his popular stories throughout the literacy curriculum. From read-alouds to mentor texts, these books are wonderful tools for engaging students:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/607.cfm

Finally, from the Choice Literacy Archives, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help a teacher prep her walls for literacy displays in this week's video. If you are clearing bulletin boards and thinking about next year's designs, their suggestions can help you come up with strategies for a consistent, clean, and pulled together look for boards across your classroom or the school:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/408.cfm

That's all for this week!