Do you guide teachers, specialists, and literacy coaches? Here are tools, advice, and strategies school leaders need for their daily work in staff meetings, study groups, and one-on-one discussions with colleagues.

From Teacher to Coach: Building Community in the Early Days Melanie Quinn It's late August and next week I start my position as Instructional Coach. I am not new to working with teachers. I spent six years in higher education working with student teachers before they were certified. The difference was they were new at this job and they trusted my experience meant something - it was something they didn't have yet. It's a different kind of pressure working with veteran teachers who might not be as confident they have something to learn from me. . . . more Literacy Room for Teachers Tour (VIDEO) Jennifer Allen 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 Conferring Notebook for Coaches (VIDEO with TEMPLATE) Gail Boushey 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 Reading Without Pizza? Well, Almost . . . Ellen McEvoy I had such high hopes that our attempts at building a stronger reading culture would not include a pizza reward. But the day before we began the winter reading challenge, a sixth-grade class bushwhacked the volunteer sent in to explain the upcoming program and motivate the kids. "What's in it for us if we do win?" they wanted to know. The intended answer was "more credits for the book swap." What slipped out was one fatal word: pizza . . . more Supporting Successful First-Year Coaches Heather Rader It's Friday, a little after noon, and Cristina Charney, Heather Sisson, Becky Lee and I are tucked around the small circle table with our lunches in my office. We are talking about where we've been and where we are going. Cristina and Becky work as district-based coaches, and Heather works as a site-based coach at a brand new elementary school. What an adventure this year has been. . . . more Returning to Our Creation Chambers: Supporting Experienced Teachers Jennifer Allen Isn't a lifetime of experimenting with one's craft what teaching and learning is all about? This year I am working with a group of veteran teachers who like Gorky have chosen a return to their "creation chamber" late in their careers. The group meets monthly to reflect, refine, and play with new thinking. These teachers wanted the chance to collaborate with other teachers and share thinking as they worked to build off best practices and push through new walls of thinking and learning. . . . more Great Little Books for Professional Book Clubs Sharon Frost What made this book club such a success? Was it the steaming cups of gourmet coffee? The fresh bagels? Tracie's warm and friendly smile? While these all may have been contributing factors, I think the key to this book club's success was the book selection. . . . more Portable Anchor Charts for Literacy Coaches After watching a video clip of Franki Sibberson share her use of foam boards, I was intrigued with how I could use this idea in my own work as a literacy coach. I am always moving around the building, going into different classrooms. I thought foam boards would great for creating durable anchor charts - lists that I could build with students, and that would help me model for teachers the power of these visual aids. . . . more Establishing Common Ground, Benchmarks, and Standards with Colleagues The purpose of this cluster is to invite teachers to think about the importance of working with colleagues to establish common ground in their teaching . . . more Four Essentials in Designing Professional Development for Literacy Leaders Jill Reinhart 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 Talking About Synthesis: Metaphors from 2nd Graders (VIDEO) Karen Szymusiak and Lauren Scott In this six-minute video, Lauren Scott's 2nd graders brainstorm different metaphors for the synthesis process in reading while their principal, Karen Szymusiak, listens and responds. After the students leave, Lauren and Karen chat about how the classroom environment supports sophisticated discussions of learning. . . . more Teacher/Principal Conferring: Reflecting on Readers' Notebooks (VIDEO) Karen Szymusiak 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 Music for Literacy Leaders It's remarkable what music can do to lift the mood in a professional development workshop, get kids happily moving between activities in a classroom, or spark reflection among colleagues. Once you begin to listen to songs with an ear toward professional uses, you'll soon see surprising connections everywhere. . . . 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 Literacy Chats: An Open Discussion Format (VIDEO) Pam Hahlen In my school, the teachers have monthly literacy chats to discuss current trends and issues that arise in our classrooms. These are informal discussions designed to help us build a supportive community as we all work to improve the ways we teach reading and writing. Our focus for this school year for all groups was to look at the workshop model in our literacy programs, with an emphasis on reading workshop. . . . more Read Our Walls: Bridging Professional Development and Student Achievement Jennifer Allen 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 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 Root Metaphors for Teaching: Learning from Our Passions Ruth Shagoury To me, "breaking bread" together is the essence of community. The genuine conversations, the fond chat, the playful banter, that occur as people talk and eat seem to create different bonds. I love the word "companion" because it derives from the phrase "com pan" or "with bread," reflecting how we become friends as we share simple food together. When I'm baking bread or cooking for my students or family, I purposely slow down, and I'm very mindful and intentional about my creations. But until now, I haven't used the baking itself as a metaphor for my teaching. What skills and insights can I bring to my teaching that derive from the world of cooking? . . . 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 Team Sharing of Writing Curriculum Innovations (TEMPLATE) Ruth Shagoury 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 I Believe . . . Some Thoughts on Marathons and Sustained Professional Development in Schools Jennifer Allen I believe that professional learning communities such as teacher study groups are the key to sustainable instructional change. When teachers are given on-going opportunities over time to explore new ideas and time to process thinking among supportive colleagues sustainable change will occur. . . . more Collecting Literacy Stories Icebreaker (PRINT DOWNLOAD) Cindy Hatt 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 Creating Structures to Sustain Our Work Jennifer Allen I wish I could bottle the inspiration I felt after listening to Bruce Morgan, Debbie Miller, and Ellin Keene at a recent NCTE presentation. They spoke about professional learning experiences that are successful and promote sustainability. Bruce and Debbie agreed that in their experience as classroom teachers, the most powerful professional development experiences were those in which they have had opportunities to reflect on and talk about their instructional practices with colleagues. Ellin Keene shared that the professional learning experiences that are most successful have a "spirit of experimentation." . . . 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 Franki Sibberson 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) Gail Boushey 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) Gail Boushey 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 How I Flunked Literacy Leadership 101 Jennifer Jones 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 Karen Szymusiak 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) Gail Boushey 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) Katie Doherty 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 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 In Praise of Handwritten Notes Brenda Power 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 Got Space? Jennifer Allen Upon my return to school this year, I was determined to create a resource space for the third grade teachers. As I looked around the closet space, I couldn't find any empty space except for behind the door. So the door it was! I created a Literacy News Resource Board on the back of the closet door in the 3rd grade book closet. . . . more The Books We Can't Live Without in Our Teaching: Resource Round-Up Brenda Power 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 Easing into Fall Literacy Coaching: Exploring Quotes on Reading Comprehension Ruth Shagoury 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 Writing Workshop Teacherisms Jennifer Jones With the beginning of a new school year fast approaching many classroom teachers find themselves reflecting on what worked and didn't work when launching the previous year's writing workshop. Everything I have ever read about writing workshop emphasizes the need to invest the time those first four to six weeks establishing routines and to stick with all of those procedural mini-lessons. I'd like to share with you what I refer to as writing workshop teacherisms to keep tucked in the back of your mind as you launch this year's workshop. These teacherisms will help you establish some common language during your workshop, and by introducing them from the start they can become a natural part of your workshop. . . . more Classroom Tours: Learning from Colleagues Barbara Coleman The viewpoint of an outsider was helpful as we set goals and determined next steps for improving the literacy and learning environment throughout the school. We decide to devote a staff meeting to the issue of classroom environments, and we wanted to come up with a format that wouldn't be threatening to the staff, but at the same time would get everyone thinking about ways they might change their classroom libraries and other learning spaces. . . . more Things May Not Be As They Appear Jan Miller Burkins My eleven-year-old twin sons do not brush their teeth. We have to ride, remind, monitor, and penalize. Perhaps their evolving interest in girls will soon motivate them. The challenge has, however, motivated my husband and I to explore various dental care tools. We have the blue liquid indicator they can swish to see the plaque on their teeth. We were certain that this exercise would catapult them into compulsive brushing, but they were uninspired. We buy them electric toothbrushes, flossing tools, glow-in-the-dark toothpaste. I'm sure we spend more than the national average on dental hygiene. . . . more I Think, I Wonder, I Understand: Making Sense of the Work of Literacy Coaches Jan Miller Burkins 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) Gail Boushey 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 Mentor Interviews - A Protocol of Questions This is the time of year when many new teachers are hired, and not long after that they are assigned mentors. But what do the mentors expect from this partnership? And how might their expectations differ from those of the novice teacher? This series of interview questions can be adapted to many different purposes. . . . more Memorable Students, Memorable Teachers: A Quick-Write Icebreaker for Teacher Workshops "Memorable Teachers, Memorable Students" is a simple quick-write reflective activity that is especially appropriate for summer or "getting to know you" events early in the year with study groups, teacher mentor programs, or back-to-school gatherings. We've used this activity as an ice-breaker, and because the writing demands are minimal, even colleagues who are reluctant writers are often happy to participate. . . . more The Anticipation Guide: A Tool for Study Group Leaders Suzy Kaback 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 Looking Back to Move Forward: The Plan Book Scavenger Hunt for Literacy Leaders Jennifer Jones 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 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 Memorable Moments: Two Quick-Write Closure Activities for End-of-the-Year Study Groups and Staff Meetings (TEMPLATES) Every teacher's path in improving 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 New Teacher Conversations: Breaking Through Roadblocks and Sustaining Support by Melanie Quinn and Ruth Shagoury 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 "Hard" Reading Workshop: Understanding How Proficient Readers Comprehend Difficult Text This workshop activity is useful for a study group, staff meeting, or mentor meeting where the topic is reading instruction. Over the past two decades, comprehension research has focused on analyzing how proficient readers make sense of difficult text, and how we might teach those strategies to students. . . . more On Board with Literacy Leadership By Jennifer Jones and Charity Meyer It all started last summer when we read Jennifer Allen's book Becoming a Literacy Leader. We wanted to move from our current roles of reading specialists in the direction of literacy coaching. We decided to test out the use of "Literacy News" boards for teachers in our school. . . . more Making the Rounds: Visiting Everyone Jan Miller Burkins 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 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 Alert the Media: Publicizing Literacy Events at Your School Brenda Power Local media love literacy events at schools -- who doesn't enjoy images of happy children reading and writing? But haven't we had enough stories about principals kissing pigs on rooftops? Here are some tips for contacting media to attend your events and bring positive publicity to your literacy programs that are ongoing and innovative, rather than one-time stunts... . . . more Time-Saving Tips and Free Web Tools for Designing Literacy Newsletters Brenda Power Newsletters are like bulletin boards -- they can trumpet some of the liveliest work of the year for a larger audience...and they can also become the bane of a literacy leader's existence. But like bulletin boards, newsletters are often worth the time and effort it takes to create them. Brief, well-designed newsletters will be read by colleagues, students, and parents -- there are few better vehicles for getting anyone's attention. The good news is that there are many time-savers available to help educators create newsletters in a fraction of the time it took in years past... . . . 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 We Are All Shamu: What Literacy Leaders Can Learn from Exotic Animal Trainers Brenda Power 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 Reflective Observation: Helping Teachers Observe, Analyze, and Guide (TEMPLATE) Jennifer Allen 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 Pam Hahlen and Erin Marr 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 Letters from Home: Letting Families and Friends Teach Us Ruth Shagoury and Brenda Power We've found one of the most enjoyable ways to get to know others around us is the "Letters from Home" assignment. The task couldn't be simpler - we solicit letters from family members or friends of those in our school community, asking them to help us understand the personality, quirks, and learning histories of their loved ones. . . . more Charting the Course: A Yearlong Professional Development Plan for New Teachers (SCHEDULE) Jennifer Allen My first task in thinking through how to work with new teachers was to design a professional development plan for the entire year. Only then could I be sure the group would receive both the content . . . 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 On Kidney Tables: Small Changes for Big Effects Karen Szymusiak Near the end of the school year, I participated in a parent conference. The parents and I sat on the outside of the kidney table and the teacher sat in the cutout section on the other side of the table. The teacher was delightful and professional. We had a productive conversation about supporting a child who was struggling, but it felt uncomfortable to me. It was the message represented by the position of the teacher at the head of the table. . . . more Sample Schedules for Curriculum Support Teachers Jill Reinhart The Curriculum Support Teachers model is used by the Dublin, Ohio school district. Two teachers share a class of students, each responsible for a half-day of instruction. The other half of the day i . . . more Making Partnerships Work: A Checklist for Mentors How do you know if your partnership is working? Mentors and apprentices can use the attached checklist to hone in on what they are doing best in their partnership, and where they might improve their collaboration... . . . more Curricular Support Teachers: A New Professional Development Model for Collaboration and Change Jill Reinhart 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 The Dog Ate My Study Group Plans! Four Instant (and Fun and Reflective) No-Prep Teacher Workshops (E-GUIDE) If you're leading a workshop today and you've got nothing prepared, here are some activities guaranteed to interest virtually any group of colleagues and spark some lively discussion. These are the ones we pull out in those rare situations when (for whatever reason) we haven't had time to prepare anything... . . . 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) Jennifer Allen 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 Jennifer Allen 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 Creative Literacy Events for Families Brenda Power If your program for families has been centered on a few tried and true events you rarely vary over the years, you might want to mix it up with a new event or two this year to see how it changes your attendance and outreach. Traditions are wonderful, and I'm not knocking them - I know I look forward as a parent to the fall Open House, the winter concert, and the spring book sale. But a new format can lead to something so successful it sparks a new tradition in your classroom or school, and builds a stronger home-school connection. . . . more