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Franki Sibberson
Franki Sibberson has worked for nineteen years as an educator in many different roles - teaching children in a variety of elementary grades, assisting struggling readers in an intervention position, guiding literacy programs K - 12 in the central district office, and leading workshops for teachers at the state, regional, and national level. This year she has taken on a new role as a Curriculum Support Teacher in Dublin, Ohio, splitting her days between a grades 3/4 multiage classroom she shares with a colleague, and classroom visits and discussions with colleagues focused around literacy issues. Her writing for Choice Literacy will explore this new work and the reflections on learning and literacy it provokes. Franki is the co-author with Karen Szymusiak of many books and videos on teaching reading in the intermediate grades, including Beyond Leveled Books, Still Learning to Read, Bringing Reading to Life, and Making the Most of News Magazines.
Franki also writes regularly in the blog she shares with Mary Lee Hahn, "A Year of Reading." You can access the blog at: http://readingyear.blogspot.com/
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Nonfiction Word Hunt Part II (VIDEO)
Franki Sibberson
Finding new words to follow is always a fun part of our word wall routine. Students love to go back into text to find words that they are curious about. The problem is always that we find so, so many and it is hard to think about more than a handful, as a class. As the routine evolves, students begin to take this on in their personal lives--finding their own words to think about and listen for. But for this routine, we are looking for the best words to think about as a class. . . .
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Helping Young Readers Become Independent:
The "Next-Read" Stack and Peer Groups (VIDEOS)
Franki Sibberson
I find next-read book stacks to be critical for students in the transitional years of reading. Many young readers are just beginning to read books that take longer than one sitting to complete. The choice becomes overwhelming. I have used Ziploc bags, boxes and other containers to help students be intentional about their next-read stacks. I find when students have a place to stack those books that they want to read in the future, they spend less time wandering around the bookshelves. They begin to live their daily lives as readers, always looking for new books to read in the future. . . .
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When Does Level Matter?
Being Efficient with Small Group Instruction
Franki Sibberson
I find my flexibility as a teacher is both challenged and validated when I group students for instruction. When I think about the wide range of needs in my classroom and then about the wide range of levels, it feels nearly impossible to do all the teaching that needs to be done. When I group students by level, within each leveled group are many different needs. Just because students' reading levels are the same, their needs aren't necessarily aligned. Students may read independently at the same level -- yet some may need support at predicting, while others need support with determining the meaning of unknown words. Still others may struggle with engagement. . . .
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Previewing New Books with Students (VIDEO)
Franki Sibberson
Book choice is something that we talk about all year long. Years ago, I did several minilessons on book choice early in the year and assumed that once my students knew how to choose books, they would be set. But I soon realized that book choice changes as readers change. The advice that helps students choose good books at one point in their reading lives, doesn't help when they are at a different place as readers. Now, I include minilessons throughout the year that focus on students book choice. . . .
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Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom
Volume 2 Number 3 November 28, 2009
Welcome to the latest Teaching Beyond Reading Levels Digest! Comics and graphic novels have never been more popular among tweens and teens. I've found thinking through how to match kids to these texts is one of the best ways to get out of the rut of over-emphasizing book levels in teaching. The web is a wonderful source for reviews and teaching ideas to use with comics and graphic novels. . . .
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Using Student Conferences to Build Book Choice Skills
Franki Sibberson
I went through a phase last January where I just couldn't find a book that I loved. I started lots of books, but didn't finish any of them. I tried to continue my usual routine of reading at bedtime, but I'd fall asleep. This had never happened to me - I was in a reading rut and I couldn't get out of it. It took a spring break vacation on the beach before I finally found some books that I loved and was able to enjoy my bedtime reading. Those few months of non-reading at night reminded me that these ruts happen for all readers, no matter how ingrained the routines are and how much they cherish reading time. . . .
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Setting Up the Classroom for Teaching Beyond Levels
Volume 2 Number 1 October 31, 2009
Welcome to the new Teaching Beyond Reading Levels Digest! This topic has been a focus of mine for years. Early in the school year, much of my time goes into setting up the classroom and library for instruction, as well as getting to know students as learners, not numbers from an assessment grid. I hope you enjoy these new features and old favorites from the Choice Literacy Archives. . . .
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What Messages Do We Give Students with Our Classroom Library Design?
Franki Sibberson
The design of our classroom library gives a message to anyone who walks into our classroom. But most importantly, the way that it is organized gives big messages to our students about the things we value about their reading lives. The students know what is valued when they look at the way that reading materials are organized. . . .
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Using Picture Books to Teach Theme in Grades 3-6
Franki Sibberson
Theme is one of the most difficult things for students in grades 3-6 to understand. For students to understand theme and then discover themes in the books that they read, they need to synthesize the ideas across a book. This is often very difficult to do with the novels that they are reading independently. Yet when we scaffold their learning by using picture books with easily accessible themes and build on conversations from one book to another, our students can begin to understand theme and find theme in the books that they are reading independently. . . .
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Setting Reading Goals (VIDEO)
Franki Sibberson
I find it's important for students to set long-term goals periodically throughout the year. In this video, students are thinking about their long-term nonfiction reading goals. We do this at the end of a whole-class share session, so students can hear the thinking of their peers. . . .
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The Human Face of the 21st Century Literacy: Favorite Technology Blogs (BEYOND GADGETS SERIES)
Franki Sibberson
Over the past few years, I have been trying to understand the concept of 21st Century Literacy. I am interested in technology, but adamant in my belief that any tool must be used in authentic ways. To use technology for the sake of technology serves no purpose for our students. I am working to understand how new technological tools might impact our classrooms, especially in the area of literacy. . . .
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Books That Invite Conversations About Perspective (BOOKLIST)
Franki Sibberson
I have recently found several books that invite conversations on perspective - books that for some reason or another, help you look at something from someone else's point of view. I have found this is not only an important life skill, but something that helps readers think about characters in new ways. If we want students to think deeply about character, to understand conflict in text, and to read critically thinking about perspective is critical. . . .
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Rethinking the Study of Nonfiction in the 21st Century
(BEYOND GADGETS SERIES)
Franki Sibberson
Years ago, I attended a workshop in which Regie Routman asked us to list all of the reading that we did over the last week. As we all worked and then reflected, we realized that most of the reading that we did on a day-to-day basis was nonfiction. So much of what was read in the classroom at that time was fiction. The workshop was powerful, and made me realize how much nonfiction reading mattered. . . .
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Not Available in a Six-Pack: Books to Place Alongside Leveled Texts for Our Youngest Readers
Franki Sibberson
Some of my favorite days in teaching have been when a new reader insists on reading a book aloud to me (and everyone they meet that day) because they've discovered, "I can read this book all by myself!" There is nothing like the face of a new reader who happens upon a text that they can read on their own. Often these children have lots of "little books" or leveled books that they can read. But to choose a book that is not one of the leveled books that they've been introduced to by a teacher, and then to discover that they can read it without any support, is definitely a thrill. . . .
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