A simple question - who will coach the coaches? If you're a literacy coach, you already know there is no job more amazing...or overwhelming in a school. You need tools for your work that acknowledge the complexity and joy of this work.

Because our materials are developed by literacy coaches working full-time in schools, they are a mix of the practical and inspiring that you can't find elsewhere on the web.

We provide print downloads and workshop guides ready to use in your next professional development offering - whether that's a study group for colleagues, a mentoring session with new teachers, or collaborative teaching and observation in a classroom. We specialize in short readings designed to be copied and used in workshop settings by literacy leaders, as well as multimedia presentations of nationally-known teachers and coaches at work. And our members find the dozens of professional videos available on our site invaluable for analyzing and promoting best literacy practices in schools.

We also have a number of e-Guides designed specifically with coaches in mind. You can access those by clicking here.

Teacher/Principal Conferring: Reflecting on Readers' Notebooks (VIDEO) In this conference, Principal Karen Szymusiak and 5th Grade Teacher Liz Cramer discuss the ways Liz uses readers' notebooks in her classroom. Before the conference, Karen spends an evening reading through the student notebooks, looking for patterns of response. Her role in the conference is primarily one of asking questions, helping Liz make sense of the ways the notebooks support students in their growth as readers and writers. . . . more Resource Round-Up: Tips for Saving Time From many tasks accomplished, we asked our Choice Literacy contributors to share just one - the way they were able to save time this year. What follows is a compilation of their best advice in different realms of literacy leadership. Perhaps there is a nugget in here that will help you prioritize and plan in the coming months.< . . . more Read Our Walls: Bridging Professional Development and Student Achievement How do we connect professional development to student learning? Does it really matter that teachers change instructional practices if we can't demonstrate student achievement? These questions have been haunting me all year. . . . more Inspiration from Author Visits: Tips and Web Resources The fifth and sixth grade students at my school were fortunate to be visited by author Stacy Hillmer. Stacy is the author of five published stories and one book, An Armadillo on My Pillow. What makes this book and Stacy so special is that Stacy is a product of our school district, and she used the talents of students from her elementary school for the illustrations. . . . more Coaching in Kindergarten: Conferring (VIDEO) What's in a name? For kindergartner Maria, it's the start of learning how letters and sounds work. In this coaching session, Joan Moser of "The Sisters" helps Daniel understand how to use a child's name as a beginning point for teaching letters and sounds. . . . more Middle School Literacy (RESOURCE ROUND-UP) We've recently increased our offerings for middle school coaches, specialists, and teachers at Choice Literacy, and we have many more in the pipeline. This resource round-up includes many of the features already posted geared to middle school educators. We'll be posting more in the coming months. . . . more Chatting About Coaching Collaboration (VIDEO) Janet Scott and Gail Boushey discuss how they collaborate as coaches, sharing strategies and common goals across the classrooms they work in. . . . more Literacy Coach Confidential: My Colleague Talks Too Much! I lead professional development workshops and study groups at my school, and we have a new faculty member who is such a talker -- she's pleasant and bright, but so dominant I've begun to dread our faculty meetings. Attendance is down this year at study groups (they are voluntary, not required), and I know the lack of balance in conversations is a big part of it. Do you have any tactful suggestions of ways to get her to listen more and talk less? . . . more Rethinking Writing Centers - Winter Follow-Up During the 2006-2007 school year, I began a conversation with the literacy coaches in our network about classroom writing centers. I had noticed that most students were distracted by all of the "cool tools" in the writing centers and were doing very little, if any, actual writing. After a couple of brainstorming sessions with the coaches, we settled upon a two-pronged approach. . . . more Team Sharing of Writing Curriculum Innovations (TEMPLATE) Literacy coaches know that the most successful staff development provides lots of time for colleagues to share their teaching stories, questions, and ideas. Hearing what is happening in the classrooms down the hall or across town is generative--and prompts creative leaps to enliven our own inquiries and curricula. The January doldrums can be swept aside for fresh ideas. . . . more Collecting Literacy Stories Icebreaker (PRINT DOWNLOAD) Our literacy teachers have responsibilities for small-group literacy intervention as well as support to teachers through in-class co-teaching/modeling lessons and monthly professional development meetings. You will see that the prompts are structured to touch on many aspects of the role. You can download the template for the activity at this link . . . more Assessing Our Work as Literacy Coaches RESOURCE ROUND-UP What are some useful tools for literacy coaches who are trying to assess what's going well and what's not by late fall? . . . more Sales Clerks and Literacy Leaders As a literacy leader I run the risk of being too much like the hovering saleswoman or the missing saleswoman. Knowing the level of support that each colleague needs and wants at any given moment is an important part of my work with them. It's recognizing what a teacher needs that will make us the most effective. . . . more Collaborative Team Meeting: Assessing and Planning Part II (VIDEO) We continue to share resources we've developed together - in this part of the meeting, we distribute copies of the "Strategies Group" template. This is a tool that can be used to cluster students in reading groups around common needs. . . . more Collaborative Team Meeting: Assessing and Planning Together (VIDEO) Collaborative team meetings take place every 9-10 days in our schools. In these meetings, teachers from one grade level, literacy coaches, and our principal meet together to discuss individual students, the curriculum, and goals. I want to share video from one team meeting early in the year. In September, three 4th grade teachers, a literacy coach, the principal and I sat down together in a collaborative team meeting to pore over the assessments of students from the previous year, comparing these notes to our ongoing fall assessments of individual students. . . . more State Assessment Tests: Warm-Ups for Wandering Minds It's that time of year in Wisconsin. The leaves have almost all fallen off the trees, the winds have picked up and are whipping and howling. Most homeowners have succumbed to the chilly temperatures and cranked on the furnace. Store shelves are overrun with holiday greeting cards, and I have even seen some yards with Christmas lights strewn about. All of this indicates one thing; it's time for state standardized assessments. My role as a literacy leader often turns to assessment administrator this time of year, and I recently made an interesting observation. . . . more How I Flunked Literacy Leadership 101 Year four in my role as a literacy leader, and I thought that by now I might have most of the job figured out. I knew going into this year that I would be working with a number of new teachers in my buildings. "New" doesn't always mean brand-new to the profession - some of these colleagues have been out of the classroom serving the field of education in other capacities. . . . more The Conversations Inspired by the Questions We Ask The most effective way to develop a common understanding of classroom practice may be the questions we choose to ask. As literacy leaders it is often difficult to express clear expectations for classroom practice because behind every effective instructional decision we make is a depth of understanding that comes from years of practice and reflection. . . . more Conferring Notebook for Coaches (VIDEO with TEMPLATE) I am always on the hunt for new ways to reorganize the records I keep as a literacy coach. I want to be sure I have good records of encounters with colleagues, but I don't want to spend more time taking notes than I do collaborating with teachers. Recently I revised my coaching conferring notebook to mirror the notebooks I encourage teachers to use in their own classrooms as they keep track of conferences with students. The video below explains the components of the notebook . . . more Fostering More Curricular Collaboration in Teams: The Meeting Notes Form (TEMPLATE) It's hard to be a team leader as well as the youngest teacher on my team. It can be awkward attempting to implement new ways of doing things when everyone else has been teaching longer and has their own systems established. I felt surprisingly nervous! But as we sat together at our first staff meeting of the school year, I realized how silly I was being. . . . more From Compliments to Naming the Craft: 5th Grade Writing Workshop Share Session (VIDEO) This whole-class share session in Lesley Fowler's 5th grade classroom is the culmination of a nonfiction writing unit. Over the course of the year, we moved from having students compliment their classmates during these share sessions, to writing down specific aspects of the piece they enjoyed or had questions about during the reading. We found adding this brief writing element to the share sessions has made all the difference in helping students connect their writing and that of their peers to the lessons on craft we present throughout the year. . . . more Recordkeeping Forms for Literacy Coaches: Resource Round-Up This week, Choice Literacy Member Denise Trainor writes: Reality has set in! We are beginning our adventure as literacy coaches and are stumped as to how to keep track of our work with the teachers. Do you have any suggestions? Any templates? A number of our contributors have posted recordkeeping materials for coaches over the past year. Though these coaches work in a range of schools throughout the country, what the forms have in common is simplicity. . . . more In Praise of Handwritten Notes When I receive a handwritten note from someone, I know that they were moved enough by something I said or did to make an effort to express themselves, well beyond the energy it takes to dash off an email. And when I take the time to write a brief note to anyone, I am trying to do the same. . . . more The Books We Can't Live Without in Our Teaching: Resource Round-Up I thought about all the young teachers out there, and those of us who aren't so young. How easy it is to have gaps in our reading of professional books. Think of how busy you were in your first year or two of teaching - how much time did you have to devour new professional books? It would be strange for anyone not to have a few lean years in their professional reading - those early years of teaching, raising families, and just figuring out the culture of a school community are packed. . . . more The Art of Coaching (From the "Connections" Photo Essay Series) My neighbor says, "Art is hard. It is personal and evaluating it is subjective." Similarly, coaching the art of teaching, encouraging independence, supporting rather than critiquing, and aligning our actions with our beliefs, can also be a challenge. While there are often times when a coach will serve as a more knowledgeable support and will capitalize on the teaching opportunities inherent in coaching, it is critical for us to recognize a teacher's ownership of his or her instructional compositions. . . . more Easing into Fall Literacy Coaching: Exploring Quotes on Reading Comprehension In September, I'll be starting work weekly with a group of high school teachers across many disciplines who are all choosing to explore reading comprehension with their adolescent students. I decided to start to prepare mentally by creating an "Opinion Exchange" around reading comprehension quotes. This way, I can both share a range of thoughts about what it means to understand what we read. I'll also learn more about the stories, histories, and attitudes this diverse group of teachers will bring to our work together this fall. . . . more Activities Linking Books and Visual Learners for Early in the Year I can't wait for the first day of school, but I also dread the first day of school. I dread it because my own sons, Isaiah and Kadeem, are not card-carrying members of the school literacy club. I imagine our conversations that first week of school. I will ask about school. My boys, the same kids who have read books, magazines, the newspaper, catalogues, and articles on the internet, and have chattered excitedly about basketball games and Madden 2007 tournaments and sleep overs all summer, will give me descriptive one word responses like ok, good, and fine. When I ask what they did, they will respond, "Nothing." . . . more My Summer Book Bag: New Books that Invite Conversations with Colleagues Many teachers love to catch up on their reading during the summer months. With the extra time, it is nice to catch up on our own personal reading and to find new books that we might use with our students once the school year begins. One of the things I love to do to support teachers is to share new books with them. Last year, during the first month of school I invited teachers to my office to see the new books I had added to my collection over the summer. We had donuts and coffee and the new books were displayed around the room. . . . more "What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?"(Connections Photo Essay Series) Most of us have professional and personal goals; we look for ways to contribute and to grow, to leave our mark on the world. Perhaps this evidence of anticipated motion is our evidence of being alive. What would it mean if we didn't have goals, if we weren't anticipating our own progress? I was quite pleased that I was, in the opinion of this little girl, still growing. That I still had places to go, that I was still young enough to be at a point of just deciding what I was going to do with my life. . . . more I Think, I Wonder, I Understand: Making Sense of the Work of Literacy Coaches The "I Think I Wonder I Know" protocol was completed with colleagues at the beginning and end of a semester-long course on literacy coaching. It is a variation on KWLs that I created; it is a little more "open" than KWL - I prefer the language of it. The chart doesn't read across with parallel concepts. It is more of a snapshot of the thinking of my students at the beginning and the end of the class. The first two columns were completed in early January and the last column was completed in late May. . . . more Literacy Coaching Interview Rubric The "Literacy Coaching Interview Rubric" was designed collaboratively with colleagues who are preparing to become literacy coaches. We talked through the different philosophies in school communities about the purposes and roles of literacy coaches, and how we could assess those differences in an interview situation. The rubric is designed not only for interview contexts, but for any situation where teachers, coaches, and administrators are working together to define relationships and roles with literacy coaches. We hope it sparks some in-depth conversations in your school. . . . more The Literacy Coach Work Area: Arranging Materials in Cramped Spaces (VIDEO) Many literacy specialists and coaches find themselves in cramped work spaces when it comes to their desks, storage areas for materials, and meeting rooms for conferring with colleagues. In this four-minute video, Literacy Coach Gail Boushey talks about how she arranges her materials in a limited space, and the benefits of sharing work space with colleagues. . . . more The Anticipation Guide: A Tool for Study Group Leaders When I was a fifth grade teacher, a typical day ended with a hundred and one important details that needed my attention - planning for the next day's classes, calling parents to talk about a struggling student, gathering books from the library for our new inquiry project-the list seemed endless. Among these preoccupations, faculty meetings and workshops were near the bottom. On an afternoon when I was expected at a grade-level meeting to review benchmark papers, for example, I usually arrived distracted, disorganized, and, therefore, minimally involved in the process. What I needed was the professional development equivalent of that fabled black dress that took a woman from the office to a cocktail party without missing a beat... . . . more Letting Go and Holding On: Evaluating Our Work as Literacy Coaches As a literacy coach, I am very interested in the progress of our students and value that data as an indicator of the success of my work. I also solicit more direct and specific information about how the teachers felt about the job I am doing as their literacy coach. So, I developed a feedback form for teachers to complete and return to me anonymously. You can access it at this link . . . more Numbering and Arranging Classroom Library Bins (VIDEO) In this video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help experienced teacher Kelly create a numbering system for her classroom library. They talk together about strategies for teaching children to become more independent in finding books and maintaining the library. . . . more Looking Back to Move Forward: The Plan Book Scavenger Hunt for Literacy Leaders I don't know about the rest of you out there, but scheduling my time as a literacy coach is not easy. As Jennifer Allen puts it, we are in "no-man's land." We're not classroom teachers, we're not administrators, and people want to know what we are doing with our time. There are a few things that I implemented this spring to help me with planning and scheduling for next year that you might want to consider . . . more Reorganizing the Classroom Library (VIDEO) In this brief time-lapse video, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser help Carrie, a second-year teacher, begin to organize her classroom library according to themes and traffic patterns in the classroom. . . . more Last Words and Next Steps: Closure Activities for Study Groups and Mentoring Programs The final moments of any professional development activity or school community can be among the most memorable of the year. We like final discussions and reflections to feel authentic and natural. We're not big fans of passing out sheets of toilet paper or rationing M&Ms or distributing wiki sticks so colleagues can meter out their words. Instead, we find all most teachers need is a quiet place away from the bustle of the end of the year, a bit of food and drink, and some sort of simple catalyst to think through and chat about what they will carry away from the year. Here are some easy, natural prompts to use to begin those final discussions . . . more Playing with Group Observations: Reflections on Learning with New Teachers The new teacher group is winding down. Our next and last meeting will be in June. Leslie Lloyd, the group's co-leader and I find ourselves constantly reflecting and refining the group as we go along. I find each month we approach some aspect of the group from a slightly different angle. This month Leslie and I played around with the classroom observations. Each month participants talk about the value of being able to observe other teachers and the time taken to debrief as a group. This month we had new teachers Jeni and Jess observe together. . . . more Memorable Moments: Two Quick-Write Closure Activities for End-of-the-Year Study Groups and Staff Meetings (TEMPLATES) Every teacher's path in improving the way their instruction is paved with individual milestones. In the rush of end of the year activities, it's sometimes hard to take time to notice and celebrate those milestones. These two quick-write activities are ideal for the start of a final study group, mentor meeting, or faculty discussion about plans for next year. . . . more Concepts of Print: Conferring with a Kindergartner (VIDEO) In this conference with five-year-old Mariano, Joan Moser (of "The Sisters") assesses his understanding of reading, print, and books at the start of the school year. After the conference, Joan debriefs with Gail Boushey about appropriate next steps for this kindergartner. . . . more Building the Reading Community Among Teachers The starting point for teaching reading is always our own lives as readers - tuning in to our processes as proficient readers, and then tapping that knowledge to help the children in our care develop new skills and strategies. One of the most important things I strive to do as a literacy coach is build self-awareness in my colleagues of their reading. . . . more New Teacher Conversations: Breaking Through Roadblocks and Sustaining Support At our final New Teacher Conversations meeting, we wanted to celebrate with the first-year teachers as well as look ahead to their second year. Knowing this was the last scheduled New Teacher Conversation meeting, we felt the need to equip them with strategies for issues that might crop up in their work and with confidence in the knowledge base that they already possess. . . . more Reading Workshop for Teachers: Understanding Our Own Learning (VIDEO) In this four-minute video from a monthly study group meeting of new teachers, Jennifer Allen and Leslie Lloyd take the group through a book preview and reading activity as part of the workshop. The discussion after the activity highlights the importance of becoming aware of our own processes as readers in order to understand the literacy of students. . . . more Notetaking Series, Part IV: What Counts and Writing the Unwritable Most teachers seem to follow that Midwestern principle of better living in their notetaking--if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. But the most interesting and useful information in your classroom or school may make you blush. Give yourself permission to write the most inconsequential garbage in the world. You're trying to see students in new ways, and that requires really being open to what you're seeing around you. . . . more The Power of Layered Coaching I have to admit I did not anticipate the power of these peer observations. Each month the new teachers enthusiastically return to the group eager to share new ideas gathered from their classroom observations in hopes of implementing them in their own rooms. Many of the new teachers have stated that the time given to observe other teachers is truly a gift. Others have said that the built-in time to observe is one of the best components of the new teacher support system. . . . more Notetaking Series Part III: "Raw" and "Cooked" Notes Sometimes I learn the most when I am uncomfortable, unsure, and attempting new things. As you use new tools to observe and note events in your classroom, you may gain new learning and insights. But your first days and hours of taking notes may cause moments of discomfort and uncertainty. In fact, if your notes are to improve, chances are you have to seek out that discomfort by pushing yourself to reconsider what you write about. . . . more Portable Anchor Charts for Literacy Coaches I have to admit I have gone a little foam board crazy. I started with a foam board on revision strategies, and now we have moved to boards that include our strategies for alternative leads - leads for narratives, leads for nonfiction animal books, and also leads for biographies. Foam boards are durable, easy to store, and perfect for displaying ideas. . . . more Notetaking Strategies Part I: "In the Midst" and "After the Fact" Notes Regardless of how you will use your notes, there are two times observational notes can be taken: "in the midst" and "after the fact." It's helpful if you think about and test out each way of taking notes as you begin to get into a rhythm and routine of observing. You need to figure out when notetaking makes the most sense, fitting both your goals and the needs of the students and colleagues you work with. . . . more Making the Rounds: Visiting Everyone Developing systems to prevent leaving something or someone out is insurance against our natural inclination to work in patterns. For example, I have a plan for getting around to all the classrooms in my school. In the past, I have made detailed schedules to make sure I get into every classroom to see every component of the literacy framework. However, this year I have used a much simpler system. I just have a form with teacher names on the top and framework elements down the side, as illustrated in the attached form. Then I simply write the date in the box when I observe a particular instructional model in a classroom. . . . more Writing Grants to Support Literacy Programs The good news is that there is money available to support literacy programs. The not-so-good news is that the programs often involve one-time-only funding, or are so poorly publicized that schools only hear about them after the money has been awarded. Here are some strategies to increase your chances of gaining funds through any grant competition. . . . more Books That Touch the Heart The literacy coaches began talking all at once about the books that always make them cry. So I began making a list. The list contains "all of the usual suspects" and some surprising choices. The coaches all agreed that they were going to go into classrooms the following week and model that it is okay to cry while reading aloud to a class. Here is our list of tearjerkers. Get an extra box of tissue and enjoy... . . . more Two or Three Things I Know for Sure: A Teacher Workshop Activity The title of this teacher workshop activity comes from Dorothy Alison's memoir Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, and the quote from Alison about her Aunt Dot that inspired the title: "Lord, girl, there's only two or three things I know for sure." She put her head back, grinned, and made a small impatient noise. Her eyes glittered as bright as a sun reflecting off the scales of a cottonmouth's back. She spat once and shrugged. "Only two or three things. That's right," she said. "Of course it's never the same things, and I'm never as sure as I'd like to be." . . . more The Language of Coaching Part II: The Leading Edge Peter Johnston has written an entire book about the subtleties of our communications. In Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning (Stenhouse, 2004), Johnston explores the places where work is partially correct. He writes, "This leading edge is where the student has reached beyond herself, stretching what she knows just beyond its limit, producing something that is partly correct. This is the launching pad for new learning" (p. 13). . . . more The Language of Coaching Part I: Word Choices Giving written and spoken feedback is an opportunity to be very thoughtful about the words literacy coaches choose in communicating with teachers. This is a challenge. There are nuances to our word choices that we don't always catch because we are looking through a different lens than the teacher... . . . more New Teacher Conversations: Management Stories from the Classroom Classroom management was on the new teachers' minds at our last meeting of 2006 when we asked them what they would like from us for resources and discussion in January. What they wished we had for them was a list of sure-fire tricks that would guarantee smoothly running classrooms; or if not a list, then surely some proven strategies that would iron out the ups and downs of their daily struggles... . . . more Watching Teachers Teach: An Observation Form for Literacy Coaches Early in my first year as a literacy coach, I tried to go into classrooms to watch teachers teach. I wanted to know what was happening in classrooms, and I was receiving a fair amount of encouragement from the administration to do so. However, I was not always sure how to most appropriately share feedback with teachers. They inevitably wanted to know if they had "done it right." I wanted to give them written feedback, and I wanted to meet with them individually. However, I was not sure how to structure either of these contexts... . . . more Linda Christensen on Coaching (AUDIO) In this interview, Linda Christensen talks about her goals and beliefs as a literacy coach working with high school teachers. A transcript follows the interview. . . . more January New Teacher Group Update: When Life Happens It was noontime when I received a call from my daycare provider, Sandy. She told me that my daughter, Samantha was coughing a lot. I had an important meeting scheduled for the afternoon with several district principals, literacy specialists and the superintendent. I decided that I would still go to my meeting and just put a call in to my doctor. . . . . . more Collaborative Teaching: Finding Common Ground First (CHECKLIST) The questions on this checklist are designed to be used by teachers, coaches, or mentors working as partners in co-teaching or demonstration teaching situations. Ideally, the partners should get together for an informal discussion of the questions before work begins. Addressing these issues in advance helps ensure good communication and shared understanding of goals and work styles throughout the collaboration... . . . more Literacy Room for Teachers Tour (VIDEO) In this four-minute video tour, Jennifer Allen describes how she arranges and displays materials in the "literacy room," the space she has created in her grades 3-5 school as a hub for her professional development work with colleagues... . . . more The Other Buddy: How Partnership Programs Help Older Readers "Hey! Watch where you're going!" shouted a well-groomed, confident-looking boy. "Sorry," muttered his assailant. The third graders were entering the classroom to read with their first-grade reading buddies. The "assailant" was a disheveled boy. He was one of the shortest students in the class. His clothes were rumpled, and he needed a haircut. He bumped into his classmate because he was deeply engrossed in the book that he had selected to read to his buddy. He hadn't noticed that the line had momentarily paused... . . . more We Are All Shamu: What Literacy Leaders Can Learn from Exotic Animal Trainers I am ambivalent about the word training, no matter the negative history in education. Ballerinas aren't "facilitated" -- they train. Those exquisite leaps come from intense hours of sweat on the barre. Likewise the regimens of endurance athletes -- they don't just prepare, they train, with all the focus and commitment the word implies... . . . more The Power of Observation This month we incorporated peer observations into our regular morning agenda of the new teacher group. The new teachers enthusiastically embraced the time given to observe other teachers. I am confident this will be time well-spent each month for participants. Everyone felt that observing other teachers in the school was a valuable part of their day. . . . . . more Beyond Electronic Worksheets Gail, a first-grade teacher, was not satisfied with her use of the classroom computers. She said, "So many people worked hard to get those computers into our classrooms and keep them updated. After all those bake sales and silent auctions, I know that I have to use them. I really want to use them - but how? My use of the classroom computers is absolutely the worst part of my instructional program." Gail had been using the computers as a literacy center choice. . . . more Launching Teacher Study Groups: Guidelines and Resources Teacher study groups are becoming more popular in schools, fueled in part by the surge of interest in adult book clubs in the U.S. over the last decade. In study groups, teachers typically work together with a facilitator to explore a topic of interest in-depth -- reading and discussing a book about the issue, trying out new practices in classrooms, and returning each week or month for more conversation... . . . more Launching Literature Circles: Coaching, Collaborating and Reflecting (VIDEO) In this eight-minute video, literacy specialist Jennifer Allen and fourth-grade teacher Carolyn Bridges launch literature circles for the first time in Carolyn's fourth-grade classroom. Jessica, a new teacher, observes in preparation for launching literature circles with her own students. Jessica uses an observation form designed by Jennifer. . . . more Assessment and Curriculum Mapping (VIDEO) In this three-part video from a new teacher study group for grades 3-5 teachers, Jennifer Allen demonstrates how teachers can use assessment data to develop instructional plans for individual students and create curriculum maps for an entire class of students at the same time. . . . more Over, Under, and Beyond Words: Alternative Strategies for Observing Talk in Classrooms (E-GUIDE) In the book Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning, Peter Johnston writes about the importance of teacher talk with students. He notes, "Teachers have very different ways of . . . more Letting Children Guide Us: Thoughts on Observing, Demonstrating, and Coaching (AUDIO) When we talked early in the fall, Debbie Miller was just back from a stint of observing, guiding, and leading demonstration lessons in classrooms throughout the country at the start of the school year. In this six-minute interview excerpt, Debbie talks about how she initiates conversations with teachers when she is first invited as a guest in their classrooms. . . . . . more Reflective Observation: Helping Teachers Observe, Analyze, and Guide (TEMPLATE) Our new teacher support group includes monthly observations of peers, with time scheduled following the observations for group discussion and analysis of what everyone saw. I wanted to develop some observation tools the teachers could use that wouldn't intimidate the observer OR the teacher being observed... . . . more The Curricular Support Menu: A Collaborative Tool for Assisting Colleagues We work as curricular support teachers in the Dublin, Ohio school district. We share a classroom, and each of us spends half the day supporting our colleagues throughout the building. We developed the attached menu to help our peers understand our role, and possibilities for how we could collaborate with them. . . . more Conferring with Yourself: A Tool for Anticipating Response (TEMPLATE) Teachers thinking about making big changes to their literacy programs need a few good voices in their heads. Not the kind that lead to extended stays in padded rooms, but the kind that help you plan for how stakeholders will respond to the change, and adjust your plans accordingly. "Conferring with Yourself" is a simple tool that can help you anticipate response. The one-page template is a quick writing activity which helps teachers think through questions, concerns, or criticisms. . . . . . more Just Because They Can Doesn't Mean They Should: Choosing Age-Appropriate Books for Literature Circles "Whatever you are doing tomorrow, cancel it! You have got to come and see Jan's literature circles." That was the message that Patty, a literacy coach, left on my voicemail. She had been working with Jan, a third-grade teacher, for about six weeks to help her get literature circles started in her class. Intrigued, I rearranged my morning appointments so I could be in Jan's classroom the next day... . . . more The Dark Side of Girl Talk: How Female Conversation Patterns Can Inhibit School Change Much of our talk in schools with female colleagues is rooted in playground lessons from girlhood. How we do (and don't) create environments where female teachers can learn and grow together has a direct effect on the ways we think about gender and learning in our own classrooms. . . . more Above the Fold: Creating Individual Professional Development Plans (E-GUIDE) This eGuide includes a six-step process for creating individual professional development plans. The process can be completed by teachers or administrators working alone to devise these plans. But ideally, the steps should be completed with a partner or group of colleagues. The more everyone in the school community knows about the learning agenda of their peers, the better. . . . more Four Essentials in Designing Professional Development for Literacy Leaders It is summer and I am preparing for a new year of conducting professional development sessions for a new group of building-based literacy leaders. How can I help these colleagues become even more competent and sensitive to the needs of building staff? As I reflect on this question, I realize that they need four essential things from me: time, a safe ear, an opportunity to experience literacy learning as a participant, and personal reflection... . . . more Professional Development Needs Assessment Inventory As part of my work as a literacy coach, I distribute a Professional Development Needs Assessment to every classroom teacher. My hope in giving out this inventory is to see where teachers need help and plan professional development accordingly. . . . more Literacy Coach Confidential: Some Study Group Participants Aren't Reading the Book There is a term that was recently coined to describe what your group is experiencing. Welcome to the world of bullcrit -- where people feel free to critique movies they haven't viewed, albums they haven't heard...and books they haven't read. . . . more Three Little Phrases No Literacy Coach Can Live Without If there are three skills any literacy coach needs, they are the ability to engage with colleagues, diffuse hostile situations, and connect with people who have a different world view. Engage, diffuse, connect. Three powerful verbs to live by. But there are moments in my professional life when the best word to describe my stance at that moment might be disengaged. Or (emotionally) charged. Or disconnected... . . . more Night Terrors: Let the Coaching Begin! What educator is not nervous about the start of the school year? I know my own nervous energy starts to kick in by the beginning of August... . . . more Time for Reading How much time do your students spend actually reading text during the literacy block? This question came up during a meeting of elementary classroom teachers. These teachers are required to provide 2-3 hours of literacy instruction each day. Some teachers thought their students were reading for 45 minutes. Some teachers thought their students were reading for an hour! Eventually, they admitted that they just didn't know... . . . more Curricular Support Teachers: A New Professional Development Model for Collaboration and Change The district where I work has always been committed to high quality professional development. So why did we still have teachers that did not have productive reading/writing workshops in their classrooms? Why were we still getting requests from some teachers to purchase packaged reading programs, including prescribed worksheets? . . . more Under, Over and Beyond Words: Strategies for Observing Talk in Classrooms Talk is the engine that drives learning in virtually any classroom. By focusing on conversation, colleagues and coaches can assist their peers by teasing out some of those patterns that are most helpful to (or most inhibit) the growth of the learning community... . . . more Puzzle Kids: Observing and Analyzing Challenging Students (E-GUIDE) Puzzle kids. Students on the bubble. Children in danger of falling through the cracks. Every teacher can instantly think of students who fit these terms, and can just as quickly identify one or two or three in his or her classroom. They are the students we worry and wonder about, and never seem to have enough time to ponder... . . . more Organizing a Literacy Resource Room for Teachers (PHOTO ESSAY) When I moved from a position as a classroom teacher to a new role as a literacy specialist and coach, the one thing I asked for above all else was a room of my own for collaborating with colleagues, displaying resources, and leading study groups. There wasn't much available, so what I had to work with was a large, bare basement room... . . . more Planning a New Teachers' Professional Development Program The monthly professional development days are designed to provide a safe and supportive environment for new teachers to share challenges, ask questions, and look at how the literacy curriculum fits within the big picture of a school year... . . . more Literacy Coach Confidential: What Can I Do About Poor Attendance at My Study Group? I lead a study group once a month for interested colleagues after school, and attendance is pathetic. What am I doing wrong? . . . more Literacy Coach Confidential: Teachers Resent Me - What Can I Do? I was hired at a time when budgets are down. Class size is up, money for everything from field trips to new books is nonexistent. My salary isn't paid from those accounts, but it doesn't seem to matter to my colleagues. How can I gain the teachers' support, so I can help them? . . . more Coaching Moment It may sound like such a minor coaching experience, and yet it was so powerful. I was asked by a second-grade teacher to help reorganize her classroom library, so it would be easier for the teacher and students to use. . . . more Idealism Fades to Reality: Thinking Back to My Days as a New Teacher I still remember picking up the phone in my kitchen and hearing the words, "We would like to offer you a third grade position." . . . more More