Here is where you will find resources for first grade classrooms.

Moving into "Big Fat Chapter Books": Conferring with Elyse (VIDEO) In this conference with seven-year-old Elyse, Joan Moser helps her set a reading goal that will help her move into "big fat chapter books." In the debrief with Gail Boushey, Joan talks about the importance of knowing a reader's history and how teachers can use that to motivate the child. . . . more Quick Take: Awkward Beginnings with English Language Learners (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury In this short video, Ruth Shagoury gives two pieces of advice to teachers who feel awkward as they are trying to communicate with young English language learners. . . . more Reorganizing the Guided Reading Supply Area (VIDEO) Gail Boushey and Joan Moser In this video from a first-grade classroom, Joan Moser and Gail Boushey ("The Sisters") help Kelly Yahr reorganize the books and materials in her guided reading instruction area. . . . more Tips for Displaying Student Work (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this six-minute video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help a colleague dress up her displays of student work. The common mistake made by teachers is to display work with standard-size borders, all lined up in a row. Joan and Gail demonstrate how teachers can use techniques that mix up the images visually, promoting more of an art gallery look and feel to wall displays. . . . more Primary Series Study (Part 1) Katie DiCesare One of my first goals at the beginning of the year for my first and second graders is to help them find and choose books to fill their book bins. With such young readers, I know I can best support this goal by reading aloud many books that I know they will love. Last fall after a month of introducing routines, assessment, and inviting kids to think about what we love about reading, I introduced a series study with a few specific goals in mind. . . . more 1st Grade Room Tour (VIDEO) In this four-minute video, Kelly Yahr introduces viewers to her 1st grade classroom. Kelly emphasizes how much ownership students have of wall displays and the library, especially through their writing and lettering of materials. . . . more The Book Matchmaker: Texts to Inspire Our Youngest Readers and Writers Franki Sibberson In this installment of the "Book Matchmaker" series with Franki Sibberson, Franki helps first-grade teacher Danielle think through what books might spark better writing in her young students who are mostly interested in toys and video games. . . . more Drawing to Words: Conferring with Luis (VIDEO) In this four-minute video, Andie Cunningham confers with Luis during writing workshop. Luis is a six-year-old English language learner whose passion is drawing. . . . more Digging Deeper with Rereading (VIDEO) In this video from Katie DiCesare's first-grade classroom, Katie uses the strategy of rereading to help students look more closely at words - in this case, rhymes. . . . more Conferring in First Grade (VIDEO) Katie DiCesare This nine-minute video from Katie DiCesare's first-grade classroom demonstrates a range of conferring in the midst of writing workshop - from quick on the fly conferences, to small group brainstorming of ideas, to more sustained instruction of individual letter sounds and concepts. . . . more Purposeful First Grade Reading Share Sessions (VIDEO) This video is from Katie DiCesare's first-grade classroom. Katie prompts her students during the reading share time at the end of workshop to make connections between the strategies they use during independent reading time and the day's minilessons. . . . more Community Language Board: Building Vocabulary All Year Long (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) The Community Language Board is where the class shares interesting new words from read alouds, sight words, and alternatives to common words in writing. In this video tour, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk about how the board changes and evolves over the year, building a sense of community and shared literacy. . . . more Assessment Beyond Levels: The Reading Grid Cathy Mere Assessment systems that work are difficult to find. I've been teaching for just over 20 years now, and I'm quite sure I've tried nearly that many systems for organizing assessment information. I've tried mailing labels, note cards, file folders, and post-its (that was a mess!). I've created charts, templates, grids and checklists. I'm fascinated to see how other teachers collect information in their classrooms, and until a few years ago was always looking for a system that worked for me. I think that's the key: finding a system that works in YOUR classroom. About five years ago I tried to find a system that allowed me to keep individual conference notes over time in one handy place. Using a spiral notebook, I divided the pages so each child had 3-5 pages, and kept notes on reading and writing conferences. . . . more Conferring with a Child in the "Silent Period" (VIDEO) Larisa is a six-year-old who speaks Russian at home, and is in the "silent period" in school. In this conference, Ruth Shagoury demonstrates different strategies for eliciting responses from Larisa. . . . more Tracking Young Children's Writing Growth and Development in Writing Workshops Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury It's important to us to be aware of each child's writing growth as they progress through the year. Knowing what a child is attempting, experimenting with, and mastering helps us plan appropriate instruction. Understanding what they are writing helps us build on children's needs and celebrate their strengths. Here are the assessment tools we use regularly... . . . more Books We Love: Building a Reading Community Katie DiCesare As the year comes to an end it feels natural to celebrate the books we've loved. In previous years, I have invited my students to list their favorite books on a form. They fill the page pretty easily just writing down names of titles that were on the shelf that day or ones that I had recently read. It started to bother me that this "list" turned out feeling like a worksheet they just wanted to finish. This year I tried some new strategies that I felt would help my readers spend time with the books they have loved and think about why they loved these books. . . . more Getting the Most Out of New Picture Books Katie DiCesare Most of the books I read aloud to my students are books that I know they will pick up and want to read on their own. I often feel like a book salesperson - finding, marketing and selling books I know will fit their reading needs. The Pigeon books are an easy sell because the author uses about 10 words or less on each page, focuses on repetition and high frequency words, and sprinkles humor throughout. Willems also incorporates various types of punctuation in his books (which is great for fluency practice). These characteristics allow younger readers to have success reading and rereading something other than a guided reading book independently. . . . more 1st Grade Room Tour Part II (VIDEO) Katie DiCesare In Part II of her classroom video tour, Katie DiCesare presents more of the book arrangements and wall displays in her 1st grade classroom that support literacy learning. . . . more Multicultural Books for Beginning Readers Shari Frost "Why isn't there an African American Henry and Mudge?" asked a teacher in the audience of a session on multicultural children's literature. I reminded her of a previous slide stating that only .03% of all of children's books published during the previous year featured African Americans. She retorted, "Well, at least 50 of them should have been the 'Henry-and-Mudge-Frog-and-Toad' kind of books. Children who are just starting to read need to have books about their own kind of experiences. . . . more The Tell-Tale Text: A Teacher's Fantasy in the Voice of Edgar Allan Poe Tonia Boyer What first brought my attention to the stack of photocopied decodable texts, ready and waiting to fill first-grade backpacks for the homeward journey, I cannot exactly say. They sat, bound together with multi-colored rubber-bands, seemingly innocent and innocuous on the counter under the droning hum of the florescent lights. . . . more First Grade Guided Writing Group: Targeting Common Spelling Needs (VIDEO) Katie DiCesare In this video of a first-grade guided writing group, Katie DiCesare works with three girls on spelling confusions that have emerged in their writing. By grouping the students together, she is able to use her time well in addressing common needs among students. . . . more Moving into "Big Fat Chapter Books": Conferring with Elyse (VIDEO) In this conference with seven-year-old Elyse, Joan Moser helps her set a reading goal that will help her move into "big fat picture books." In the debrief with Gail Boushey, Joan talks about the importance of knowing a reader's history and how teachers can use that to motivate the child. . . . more Assessing Spelling in Writing Workshops Part 1: Thinking through the Assessment Katie DiCesare My mind has been circling the issue of spelling and word study this year. Specifically, I wonder how I can look at my students' writing to help me further their learning of words? How can I assess what high frequency words they are spelling correctly? How can I monitor where to go next with looking at word parts and sounds in words? After lugging home 22 bright red and overflowing writing workshop folders with two months' worth of student writing in them over holiday break, the folders just sat in a pile. Instead of diving in their stories, I knew I needed to have some organizational tool that could help me record and look back at individual spelling successes and confusions. . . . more Rethinking Writing Centers - Winter Follow-Up Shari Frost 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 Whatever Happened to Mrs. Wishy Washy? Shari Frost I noticed a basket in an isolated corner of the primary wing in a school. I wondered what was inside of it. When I got close enough to get a good look, I couldn't believe my eyes. The basket was filled with abandoned big books in various stages of disrepair. As I knelt down to get a better look at the basket's contents, I tried to recall the last time I had seen a teacher engage a class in the shared reading of a big book. Had it been weeks? Had it possibly even been months? . . . more Conferring with Leonela: A Two-Day Progression (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Leonela is a six-year-old student whose first language is Spanish. In these videos of conferences with Ruth Shagoury filmed over two days, she makes connections between her drawing, writing, and experiences at home and in Mexico. . . . more Picture Books About Books: Young Learners and Reading Identity Katie DiCesare In the first few weeks of school, I am attempting to understand a whole new class as individual readers (yikes!). I am trying to discover where, when, why, and what they like to read. Even more importantly, I want them to begin to think about and recognize their interests, wants, and desires as readers. . . . more Helping Classroom Volunteers Become Better Listeners Andie Cunningham In my school, asking students questions when the answer is already known by the questioner was a common practice. Frustrated by these conversations, I decided to see what might happen if I brought some of what I learned as a Courage to Teach facilitator into my classroom. . . . more Bookroom Tours Part II (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this three-minute video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) continue their tours of school bookrooms. The focus in this presentation is on the checkout system used to keep track of where sets of books are in different classrooms. . . . more Bookroom Tours - Part I (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this three-minute video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) take viewers on a tour of an elementary bookroom. The books are arranged by levels, with Joan and Gail sharing simple strategies for checkout and updating bins as new titles are added. . . . more Rethinking Centers Katie DiCesare I hope this article makes you think, but that doesn't mean you'll discover you need to change your centers program. As a teacher, I make decisions about my classroom, yet kids are the classroom. This space may be assigned to me, but it is their thinking, questioning, and inquiring that keeps our classroom alive. Implementing reading and writing workshop has allowed my students to have more of a voice in our classroom. While it's led me away from centers, it may lead you to use them in thoughtful, interesting ways. . . . more Rethinking Writing Centers Shari Frost Every classroom has one. The children absolutely love them. The teachers invest considerable thought, effort, and resources into outfitting and organizing them. There was only one problem. No one was actually writing in the writing centers. It was driving me crazy! . . . more The Difference Between Conferring and "Touching Base" Debbie Miller Sometimes when I talk with teachers about creating "the luscious feeling of endless time," they look at me like I've lost my mind. They tell me they love the idea, but with all they have to teach and all their kids need to learn, "There's no way," they say. Luscious feeling? Endless time? Come on girlfriend, get real!" . . . more Important Book, Important Notes: Guiding Young Students Through Notetaking Suzy Kaback Since my experiment with Lindsay, I have shared The Important Thing About... data chart with several elementary-grade teachers. They recognized the promise of using this organizer as a notetaking tool for research papers, but they also saw potential for using the chart in more informal ways. One fourth-grade teacher said she would use the chart to help students "hold their thinking" about reading in social studies. She scribbled on the side of her paper a possible beginning entry to prompt students to think more deeply about American history: "The important thing about the Civil War is slavery was not the main reason it was fought." . . . more Personal Touches Early in the Year - Classroom Design Photo Essay Series The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) Early in the year, many of the walls in our classroom are bare, as we wait to fill them up with our learning - our new words, books we've read together, literacy goals, math graphs, anchor charts. Yet our goal is still that our students can quickly see their place in this community. We want the classroom to feel like home to them, with those personal touches that connect home to school, and students to each other. Here are four quick art/design projects you can complete in the first weeks of school that personalize the classroom for students . . . more Meeting Area Makeover (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) Meeting areas in classrooms serve many purposes - they are gathering places for students and teachers, and they also are key storage areas on the perimeter for student work, materials, and literacy supports like big books or chart stands. In this two-part video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help first-year teacher Christine reorganize her meeting area so that it is less cluttered and easier for students to access the materials they need...without disrupting lessons. . . . more Releasing Responsibility Debbie Miller There are lots of ways to release responsibility to children and move them forward. I want to notice and name some of the supports in place in classrooms that encourage and guide children toward independence. . . . more Organizing Reading Area Supplies (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) We design our rooms to support students as they work independently. Often this means areas throughout the room house supplies for literacy - books for independent reading, guided reading, notebooks, and storage bins for students. This time-lapse video provides some tips for reorganizing a small-group reading area that receives a lot of traffic from students. . . . more First Day of School Read-Alouds with Global and Multicultural Perspectives Mary Ann Reilly These are good picks for first day of school read-alouds with multicultural, global perspectives. . . . more Decluttering a Storage Area (VIDEO) The Sisters In this time-lapse video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help second-year teacher Carrie declutter a storage area at the end of the year, talking through decisions of what to keep, what to throw away, and simple tricks for dressing up shelves. The video is divided into two parts for ease of viewing, and is approximately ten minutes long. . . . more Reorganizing the Classroom Library (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) 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 Organizing Book Bins: Letting Kids Help and Plan Katie DiCesare I happily spend my days with first graders . . . I love to guide them as they discover, read, and tell stories. I am curious about kids. What does reading look like in the classroom? What motivates kids to read? What kinds of books support kids learning to read? I feel an overwhelming responsibility to meet the needs of first grade readers. I want them to have success reading words, understanding their reading, and linking it to their lives. But most of all, I want them to love reading. Here are some of the ways I organize books, and have my students help me organize books, in order to promote that love of reading. . . . more Community Language Board: Building Vocabulary All Year Long (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) The Community Language Board is where the class shares interesting new words from read alouds, sight words, and alternatives to common words in writing. In this video tour, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk about how the board changes and evolves over the year, building a sense of community and shared literacy. . . . more Multicultural Picture Books for Young Children Ruth Shagoury There is a growing list of multicultural children's books that combine the delight in playful oral language with striking images to enhance the experience. As an added bonus, you can use federal funds to purchase these texts; according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, these are the perfect books for an early--and contextual--exposure to phonemic awareness. . . . more Putting Ourselves in Our Teaching Debbie Miller It's important to know that even if you don't think of yourself as a particularly reflective person, or someone who naturally puts your thinking on display, it doesn't mean that it's not within you. I know, because I remember a time when I didn't think about myself that way either. It was as if I was so busy doing the stuff of teaching that I didn't have time to be thoughtful and reflective. I kept my kids busy too. If you'd have peeked into my room back then, you'd have probably thought all was well. You'd have seen children doing lots and lots of stuff. (Isn't it amazing how much alike my students and I were?) But had you looked more closely at what children were doing, you might have wondered what this busyness was really all about. . . . more Giving New Readers a Diet of More Than Leveled Books Franki Sibberson I am going on another diet. Not one of my favorite things, but something I have to do. I know that for the diet to last through all of the weight I need to lose, I need a little variety. I can't eat lettuce, grilled chicken and oatmeal for months at a time. When I have gone on diets without variety, I have always ended up deciding that I'd rather just be a little plump. It isn't really worth it. I am wondering if this is the same thing that our youngest readers feel when they are given only a diet of leveled books. I wonder if after months and months of leveled books as their only independent reading material, they feel as we chronic dieters do. Do they watch other students in the room reading "real books" in the same way that we watch size 5 colleagues in the lounge eating brownies? Do they think maybe they'd just rather not be readers? . . . more Student Storage Areas: Tips for Reorganizing (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk with Kelly about strategies for reorganizing student storage areas, considering access, group supplies, and how the materials are used. . . . more Desk Area Reorganization (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this brief time-lapse video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) help Carrie reorganize her desk and rug area for better access to literacy materials and teaching supplies. . . . more Conferring with Children The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) One of the hardest things for us to learn in improving our conferring skills to truly get up, move about, and start conferring with children one-on-one. We were accustomed to guided reading groups - staying in one area, and having the children come to us. Getting up and moving to confer with students can be a little scary at first, but once you begin, it's exciting. The first concern we had, and many teachers share, is about time. How long will each of these conferences take? How can we stay focused, given that there is so much we might tackle with each child? And what exactly is my role in the conference? . . . more Noticing Words to Expand Vocabulary: Conferring with Mariah (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this conference with six-year-old Mariah, Joan Moser of "The Sisters" has chosen to focus on expanding vocabulary. Joan uses the charts in the classroom linked to read-alouds to anchor Mariah's learning to shared reading experiences. After the conference Joan talks with Gail Boushey about strategies for vocabulary instruction with young children. . . . more Small Group on Fluency: Leading Groups Based on Needs, Not Levels (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this small group targeting fluency, all students are reading different books. Many have experiences with small group reading in the past, so Joan spends less time on norms and there is no common text. . . . more Flexible Groups: Moving Beyond Levels to Assess Reading Needs (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In the past, flexible groups really weren't that flexible in our classrooms, especially when we based the groups on students' reading levels. For years we said, "Yes, of course we do flexible groups!" But the truth was we didn't really know what that meant, and we certainly had no idea of how to manage those groups. Once we started slotting kids into groups based on needing to know something more about specific reading strategies or skills like inferring or fluency, it moved us beyond levels... . . . more Learning to Cross-Check: Conferring with Hailey (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this conference, Joan Moser confers with five-year-old Hailey and helps her set a reading goal. Hailey reads a text, and Joan helps her see how cross-checking is a useful strategy for readers in decoding and comprehending text... . . . more Moving Beyond the Basics: Teaching Inferring to a Fluent Young Reader (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this conference, Gail Boushey (of "The Sisters") confers with Brandon, a reader who is becoming fluent in his skills. Gail helps him understand the concept of inferring, and Brandon sets a goal to post on the CAFE (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary) board for future reference. Part II of the video also includes a debrief with Joan Moser about the conference and how to teach inference. . . . more Alphabet Books for English Language Learners Ruth Shagoury Young English language learners benefit from seeing different alphabet books, scripts, and logograph-based writing systems as part of their classroom library. While it has become fairly easy to find good bilingual alphabet books for Spanish speakers, other languages can present more of a challenge. Below is a beginning recommended list of books that will invite young writers to delight in the variety of languages and scripts from their own home language and those of their classmates... . . . more CAFE and Small Groups: Moving from Guided Reading to Flexible Grouping (AUDIO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this second part of an interview introducing the CAFE Assessment system, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) talk about about the system has moved them away from guided reading to a more flexible model for small-group instruction. . . . more Helping Young Readers Understand the Middle East: A Booklist of the Best Fiction Picture Books Ruth Shagoury I still remember the first time I read The Day of Ahmed's Secret. I showed the book to colleagues and friends, telling them, "He looks just like my uncle Girgi! " or "Those clothes are like my Sitti wore." It was the first time I saw illustrations of people who looked like my family. As an Arab-American, I grew up as part of a large extended family, with eleven Syrian aunts and uncles who called me "habibi," or little darling. But the images in the media about Arabs didn't match my warm and caring family. The lack of Arab or Arab-American characters in children's books adds to misconceptions about those of Middle Eastern heritage. . . . more My Son Clark Kent Lisa Koch As educators we know kids need "just-right" texts in order to scaffold their literacy skills. We are all familiar with the work of Fountas and Pinnell and their system for teaching with leveled books. I agree that kids need time with just-right books or books they can read independently...Did I miss the seminar that instructed us to run out and get bins labeled from A-Z so students could blindly (or with glasses it seems) make their way dutifully to the end of each bin? . . . more Planning for K-3 Author Studies (eGUIDE) Gayle Brand "Planning for K-3 Author Studies" is an eGuide designed for use by teachers working alone or with partners. The guide includes grids for monthly and year-long plans, suggested authors and activities, and strategies for collaborating with colleagues during author studies... . . . more Ready for Choice: Katie Wood Ray Interview Part II Katie Wood Ray's new book, Study Driven, already is claiming its place as the definitive guide to designing writing units of study on many teachers' bookshelves. Warm, wise, and witty, the book honors teachers by challenging them to trust their own knowledge and instincts when it comes to writing curriculum design. For all the practical resources Katie has provided to teachers, it could be her uniquely respectful voice that is her greatest gift to our profession... . . . more In the Zone: Conferring with a Young English Language Learner (VIDEO) The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a concept developed by the Russian language researcher Lev Vygotsky nearly a century ago. The theory simply stated is there is a learning "zone" each child . . . more The Other Buddy: How Partnership Programs Help Older Readers Shari Frost "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 Creating Anchor Charts with Sticky Note Responses from Young Readers (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Learners who focus on comprehension strategies rely on different tools. One of the most popular is the three by three inch sticky note. High school teachers like Cris Tovani and primary teachers such as Debbie Miller write about how they use these little notes in their comprehension work with students. But what adaptions do pre-school and kindergarten teachers need to make in order to use these tools as successfully as teachers who work with older students? . . . more Beyond Electronic Worksheets Shari Frost 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 Reading Comprehension Posters: What, Where, and Why (PHOTO ESSAY) Andie Cunningham Several years ago, I started creating permanent posters to use in my reading comprehension strategy work. My hope for the large posters was two-pronged. I wanted the posters to serve as a visual reference, a way for us to all narrow our focus over and over again when we turned to strategy work. The second hope was to show the children (and classroom visitors) how important the strategies were to all of our classwork... . . . more Webbing to Learn: A Writing Strategy to Chart Thinking with Young Learners (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury Teachers and teacher educators used to think that a web structure was too advanced for our youngest school learners, and reserved this work for more academically experienced students. A couple of years ago, we decided to see what would happen when primary grade students are invited to use webs to document their new understanding of texts. What we discovered was that webs can play a crucial role in comprehension work even with five- and six-year-olds... . . . more The Sisters Redesign a New Teacher's Storage Area (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) The Sisters help a new teacher, Amy, sort through junk she inherited from previous occupants of her classroom. They use the "piles" method to sort through materials, separating books and supplies into four stacks. The video uses time-lapse technology to show an amazing transformation in six minutes flat... . . . more Spacing Words: A Mini-Lesson with Young Writers (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham In this two-minute video, Andie Cunningham reinforces the concept of spacing words with her kindergartners using her own writing and a brainstorming web. . . . more Inviting Students to Organize Books and Materials Debbie Miller Involving kids in the organization and placement of books and materials is a smart thing for us to consider. Kids will learn a thing or two about thoughtful organization, and because they've been part of the placement process, they'll know firsthand where things are kept, why it makes sense to keep them there, and where to put things back... . . . more Every Language Counts: Adding Multilingual Counting Activities to Morning Meeting (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Every year I have children who come from homes with many different first languages. In the past year alone, first languages included English, Spanish, Hmong, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Russian. One way I help welcome these different languages and cultures into our classroom community is by counting in different languages during the morning meeting. . . . more Family Dichos: Bringing the Language of Home into the Classroom Ruth Shagoury We started to wonder how we could discover favorite family sayings in an attempt to create bridges from home to school. In order to bring the words of the children's families into the class, Andie wrote a letter to parents asking them to send in the sayings or proverbs - what the Mexican families call dichos - to hang in the room. She specifically requested "sayings of respect" to post in our classroom community. . . . more Planning for a Year of Author Studies (TEMPLATE) Gayle Brand It's important to me that the author studies include meaningful reading, writing, and discussion activities. Anyone who knows me knows I avoid the cutesy author studies art activities that can be fun, but have little or no connection to the books. I haven't found that random craft projects deepen students' awareness of reading and writing. Instead, we take the time to write and talk about text features, the author's writing craft, and themes in the book in ways that help students understand their own emerging skills as readers and writers. . . . more Mini-Lessons to Start Conversations with Students About Books Franki Sibberson When I think about my role in a new school, I am thinking about my first days with kids in classrooms K-5. How do I want students to see me? My first step will be to start conversations with students about who they are as readers and/or who I am as a reader. If I can begin my work by talking to the students in the school about our lives as readers, the conversation will continue as the year goes on... . . . more Conferring with Anna (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing. . . . more Time for Reading Shari Frost 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 Planning for Author Studies (AUDIO) Gayle Brand In this interview, Gayle Brand talks about how she works with her first- and second-grade colleagues to plan author studies. She explains the criteria for selecting the authors, how she plans author studies across the entire year, and which authors work well at different times in the school year. . . . more Conferring with a Child in the "Silent Period" (VIDEO) Larisa is a six-year-old who speaks Russian at home, and is in the "silent period" in school. In this conference, Ruth Shagoury demonstrates different strategies for eliciting responses from Larisa. . . . more The Lines are to Write My Words: Phonics in Context Ruth Shagoury Educators who work with young children often wonder how to teach "phonics in context." Fifteen minutes in Andie's writing workshop shows the hard, intentional work that the children are engaged in as they develop their written language skills... . . . more Mix It Up: Helping Young Writers Learn to Confer with Peers and Teachers Ruth Shagoury Many kindergarten, first-, and second-grade teachers struggle with a tension in their writing workshops: How do you introduce the notion of conferencing to young writers, many of whom do not yet "read"? Andie Cunningham and I decide to introduce conferences with her five- and six-year-old authors by modeling with our own writing. . . . more Honor Books: Helping Children and Families Build Bridges Between Home and School Andie Cunningham The students I teach come from home environments of limited resources, but their years of family and life experiences are rich. Many of these families only recently immigrated to America, so there is a wealth of languages and cultures to tap in these homes. . . . more Shopping With Ana: Expanding Our Definition of "Just Right" Books in Grades K-2 Ana's shopping taught me so much about emerging readers and their choices of books. As teachers, we don't ever have the luxury of spending the amount of time I did with Ana in the bookstore, choosing two books. We don't often get to see the thinking that is behind the choice. . . . more The Art of Listening in Writing Conferences with English Language Learners Ruth Shagoury and Andie Cunningham Listening to individual children in active writers' workshops is especially challenging, and understanding the words of students who speak a different first language than yours can be downright daunting. Here are some tips for mastering the art of listening in conferences with English language learners... . . . more Reading Comprehension Posters: What, Where, and Why Andie Cunningham Several years ago, I started creating permanent posters to use in my reading comprehension strategy work. My hope for the large posters was two-pronged. I wanted the posters to serve as a visual reference, a way for us to all narrow our focus over and over again when we turned to strategy work. The second hope was to show the children (and classroom visitors) how important the strategies were to all of our classwork... . . . more Chapter Book Read Alouds in the Primary Classroom Shari Frost Some of my all-time favorite books are picture books. However, I learned from many years of teaching first grade that something magical takes place when a class shares the experience of journeying through a chapter book together. How could I convince this group of urban teachers to surrender some of their read-aloud time to a chapter book? . . . more