Good news! The "Reading Wars" are over - or at least they are at Choice Literacy. We'd prefer to teach rather than fight, so we've filled this department with loads of suggestions, tools, and tips for using engaging books throughout the curriculum to hook kids on reading. Think of us as the Switzerland of reading resources - a neutral zone with innovative ideas for inspiring readers of all ages. To get started, click on any of our latest articles below.

Common Core Conversations: Text Complexity Amanda Adrian and Heather Rader When you hear the word "complex" what comes to mind? Complicated? Difficult? Many parts? More challenging? We had these associations as we began our inquiry into the Common Core shift of putting more emphasis on text complexity in teaching and learning. . . . more Conferring About Rereading Strategies (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner In this conference with a fourth grader, Aimee Buckner guides a child to think more deeply and critically about a book being read to the whole class, Goblins in the Castle. Rereading is a powerful strategy for helping students refine and expand their comprehension of texts, especially children who tend to focus on literal or surface elements of plots. . . . more Adventures with Author Skyping: Nuts and Bolts from My Fourth Grade Classroom Colby Sharp When I was in elementary school my favorite time of day was read aloud. Yet I never thought about the authors of those books. As far as I was concerned they were not real people. Books just sort of showed up in our school library. . . . more Character Traits in Literature This cluster will help teachers think about how to teach students about character development in literature. . . . more Learning from Master Teachers: It's the Process, Not the Content (Part I) Franki Sibberson Every time I watched these teachers in action, I was inspired by what I saw. Students were reading independently. They could talk to each other about books in sophisticated ways. They had favorite authors and genres. The students seemed to own their reading lives and it was this ownership that allowed them to access the curriculum successfully. Watching master teachers work alongside students has provided some of my most powerful learning. These teachers helped me create a vision for my teaching. . . . more The Art of Slow Reading: A Conversation with Tom Newkirk (PODCAST) Tom Newkirk chats with Brenda Power about his book The Art of Slow Reading. Newkirk is a professor at the University of New Hampshire, and the author of many acclaimed books for teachers. . . . more Learning from Master Teachers: Final Lessons in the Cycle (Part II) Franki Sibberson This is the second installment in my two-part lesson series on teaching students how to record and share their thinking in whole-class, small-group, and one-on-one conversations. This is a cycle of lessons that I usually do early in the year, but it can be attempted or revisited any time you want to deepen the quality of conversations around texts. . . . more Current and Cocoa: Mixing Social Studies and Literacy Heather Rader While student teaching, I was invited to a teacher's classroom on a Thursday for "Current and Cocoa." Next to a hot pot was a big bucket of dry cocoa mix, which kids scooped into their personal mugs, added hot water and then meandered to the carpet with scraps of news. The teacher read for a short time from a news article she'd clipped and then shared her thoughts. Any kids who chose the same article could read a different section and respond with their thinking. We heard about car accidents, politics, celebrity news, and sports that day. . . . more Teaching Inferring with Picture Books Part III: Whole-Class Debrief (VIDEO) When my students are given the opportunity to share their thinking after a read aloud it does several things for their learning. First and foremost, kids listen to each other. They would much rather hear the opinions of their friends and peers than those of their teacher! Allowing them time to chit chat about their thinking and share their own ideas, and yes, sometimes stories, allows them to open up and form a real community of learners. . . . more Reading Interviews This cluster is designed to help teachers get the most out of student reading interviews. . . . more Guided Reading Tips and Tools This cluster is designed to support teachers in making the most of their guided reading time. . . . more Sorting Students for Flexible Groups Across Classrooms Jennifer Jones Recently the teachers in my building learned that after receiving district funds for the past five years to support our intervention efforts for struggling students, the funds would be eliminated. All interventions this year fall on the shoulders of our individual school budgets (which are not hearty). This left us with a need for creative solutions. Before thinking outside the box, we experienced a bout of panic, fear, and skepticism for how we would accomplish the daunting task of providing academic and behavior interventions without a funding source. . . . more Book Matchmaker: 5th Grade English Language Learners (VIDEO) Robin Heist is an elementary ELL teacher. She is thinking about her older English language learners who are reading below grade-level expectations. She is hoping to find books that are sophisticated enough to engage them, but are close to their independent reading level. To help Robin, I tried to find books in a few different categories. Nonfiction is always a good choice in this situation, since it is sometimes easier to find nonfiction topics of interest that are engaging. Short chapter books that are easy to read but that are sophisticated enough to engage older readers are also important. . . . more When You Hate the Book Clare Landrigan Many students have to read books that are not their first choice in genre or topic. They may also resent having to spend their time forcing their way through a text. There are times in our lives when we need to do this - coursework, assigned text, tests - and it is helpful to have some strategies to help get through it. Giving myself a purpose and understanding why that purpose was meaningful helped me stay the course. It is important that we also give our students an understanding of the purpose of the work they are doing and how this work will help them as readers. . . . more Main Ideas in Nonfiction (VIDEO) Karen Terlecky In this whole-class lesson, fifth-grade teacher Karen Terlecky and her students consider how main ideas work in nonfiction texts. The lesson includes reading and discussion of a short text from National Geographic for Kids. . . . more Improving Poetry's Rap Katie Baydo-Reed The groans of the naysayers drown out the timid cheers of the few poetry lovers in my class. I have just announced that it's time for "Poetry Friday." My students either love it or hate it. . . . more Matching Books and Boys The purpose of this cluster is to help teachers find ways to support boys in their classrooms who may be reluctant or struggling readers. . . . more Using Foam Boards in Writer's Workshop (VIDEO) Franki Sibberson Foam boards are an inspiration that came from my friend Ann Marie Corgill. She shared this idea with me when she was working at the Manhattan New School in New York City. I've always used a lot of wall space for writer's workshop, and have even gone beyond that to cover closet doors and the door going into the classroom with student work, ideas, and resources. There is never enough room to display or post everything we are working on and everything that might help build the writing community. The foam boards are a way to extend the display space flexibly all year long, and what's great about them is that they are so portable - each one becomes a moving, changing bulletin board tied to literacy topics we are studying and discussing together. . . . more Common Core Conversations: Reading in the Disciplines Amanda Adrian and Heather Rader It's our job as leaders to be a step or page ahead of what is happening in our district. Even though we aren't fully operational using and assessing the Common Core Standards in our state, there are many things we can do to prepare for the inevitable transition. . . . more Fact of the Day Andrea Smith Children, crows, and chipmunks are collectors. Chipmunks are driven by instinct to find and store food for the cold winter months. Crows hoard stolen items thieved from humans like pirates protecting a treasure chest. And children? Both practical and fanciful, some children love to gather facts. Unlike their furry and feathered counterparts, children like to share their treasures. . . . more Georgia Heard on the Common Core (PODCAST) In this podcast, Franki Sibberson chats with Georgia Heard about the surprising connections between the Common Core and poetry. . . . more Assessing Gifted Readers Michelle Kelly In my classroom of gifted learners, I'm required to collect baseline data on my third- and fourth-grade students' reading abilities in order to set measurable learning goals for the year. Unlike most teachers, however, I'm faced with a dilemma to which few can relate: virtually all of my students have already exceeded the grade level standards in reading. . . . more Guiding a Struggling Middle School Book Club (VIDEO) What do you do about those book clubs that just don't gel in your middle school classroom? Katie Doherty demonstrates how she guides a struggling group of sixth graders, helping them reflect and converse together. . . . more Making Kids Aware of Their Thinking Jennifer McDonough Read aloud time is my favorite time during our school day. I love gathering the kids close on the rug, sharing a good book together and digging in to talk about what we read. Modeling and practicing comprehension strategies is so important to young readers, and I want to make sure my students are thinking and wondering every time they read. . . . more Helping Students Set Nonfiction Reading Goals (VIDEO) Franki Sibberson For years, no matter how hard I tried, fiction seemed to take over the reading workshop time of my students. I realized that with only one block of time to read, students hated to give up the great novels they were reading in order to read nonfiction. . . . more "And Then and Then and Then": Moving Students from Retelling to Thoughtful Response (VIDEO) Katie Doherty confers with sixth-grader Kristina during reading workshop. Kristina is new to the classroom, and Katie demonstrates how to gently move a student from retelling to more thoughtful response to literature through a few simple and carefully worded questions. . . . more Inferring and Synthesis: Conferring Over Series Books (VIDEO) Beth Lawson shows how to get the most from a conference about series books. Inferring and synthesis are discussed, as well as the use of written notes for making meaning from texts. . . . more Mentor Texts to Help Students Monitor Their Actions Mandy Robek Thoughtful planning, experience, and visualization were not enough to help me at the beginning of the school year two years ago in kindergarten. After spending five years with third graders I forgot how much guidance and mentoring was needed for our youngest learners. One day I happened upon something by chance and it stayed with me for some time. . . . more Books Struggling Readers Can and Will Want to Read: Building the Classroom Library Cathy Mere Cleaning up the room after school, I noticed Sammy's reading bag under the table. I've been finding his reading intervention bag left on his hook lately, and have been wondering if it is intentional. Since I see it under the table, I'm pretty sure it is. . . . more The Power of Checklists in Primary Literacy Workshops (TEMPLATES) Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We had the pleasure of hearing Atul Gawande speak recently at a local event. He is a bestselling author and surgeon who writes about how to get things right. He explained how our biggest problem today is not due to a lack of knowledge; in fact it is exactly the opposite. "Know-how and sophistication have increased remarkably across almost all our realms of endeavor, and as a result so has our struggle to deliver on them." He points out that a good proportion of our errors are no longer due to lack of knowledge, but rather due to knowledge being applied inaccurately. He attributes the reason to the fact that "the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly or reliably." His solution is to use a strategy that makes up for our inevitable human inadequacies -- a checklist. . . . more Motive, Means, and Opportunity Ellie Gilbert I'm on trial for my latest offense. I'll confess - I did it. And I'll do it again and again - even if I get caught. I can't stop myself. I'm a repeat offender: I bought another book (make that one book and two magazines) today. I did it despite the fact that there appears to be no more room on any my bookshelves. I know better though - I know all about Newton's fourth law of motion, Bookshelfious Expansimous, which states: "a bookshelf will always expand to accommodate just one more book." . . . more Big Ideas: Balancing Plans with Authentic Response Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan The expression "from the mouths of babes" never holds more true than when you are teaching kindergartners! Last fall, a group of kindergarten students taught me a lesson that is still pushing my thinking as a teacher and a coach. . . . more Planning Small Groups to Teach Phonetic Skills Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan As we work with teachers and students in classrooms to plan small-group lessons for at-risk readers, we notice a recurring pattern. Many students can say a particular phonetic rule like silent e makes the vowel say the long vowel sound, yet when the teacher analyzes the student's running records or listens to the child read, the student does not consistently apply these phonetic rules when reading unfamiliar text. . . . more Caught in the Middle: Tween Books to Excite Readers Teri Lesesne When my youngest was 10, she would disappear into her closet after a shower and not emerge for about an hour. I asked her once what she was doing for such an extended period of time. She replied that she was allowing her skin to dry naturally (she had read somewhere this was healthier than drying with a towel). While she waited for her skin to dry (not an easy feat in Houston heat and humidity), she was reading naked. I was intrigued by the idea that, for her, reading while her skin air dried seemed a natural thing to do. . . . more Connecting Yoga and Character Traits in Literature Study Ann Williams "Sat Nam!" the voices shouted at 8:15 a.m. right before they headed down the hall on their way to start their day at school. I had just finished my Monday morning yoga class with 18 grades 3-5 students before starting my day as a 4th grade teacher. Sat Nam means: Truth is my identity and I call upon the eternal Truth that resides in all of us. It is the way we end all of our yoga classes together. . . . more New Nonfiction Favorites for Boys (BOOKLIST) Tony Keefer Since I am a ten-year-old trapped in a grown man's body, the new books I read for kids seem to be targeted for prepubescent males. You know the type - books with covers that use aggressive fonts or pictures that seem to jump right off the cover. Books that are filled with more action than character development (though I do really enjoy complicated characters if they can also escape across rooftops in the middle of the night). Books packed with information - the grosser the better. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Texts for 5th Grade English Language Learners Kelly is a fifth-grade teacher with two English language learners in her class who have trouble finding books. These students are reading at a level 16 independently, and have definite reading preferences. Kelly wanted some new ideas. . . . more Ubiquitous Venns, Watch Fors, and Leverage Points: Coaching for Depth Heather Rader Ubiquitous Venns - you see them everywhere. Those friendly overlapping circles. Some are hand-drawn and look more elliptical than circular, and the intersection is never large enough for all the shared attributes to fit. . . . more Books, Books, Books Trish Prentice It is a sad day when a bookstore closes. I have fond memories of many Friday night dinner "dates" with my husband that ended with a trip to our local bookstore. He would head to the motorcycle magazines, while I raced to the children's book section. For years I would leaf through book after book to find just the right read-alouds for my classroom. While my bank account dwindled, my classroom library grew. Recently we've had the largest bookstore near us close, and that's made me realize my role in the classroom is more important than ever in connecting books and children. In my community, families simply can't browse books on their own in local stores as easily as they could even a few years ago. . . . more Fluency in Focus: Conferring with Jake (VIDEO) Gail Boushey confers with Jake, a seven-year-old who is setting a reading goal of developing fluency. After the conference, she debriefs with Joan Moser. . . . more The Sponge Summary Lesson (Part 5) In this sequence of videos, Heather teaches a fourth-grade class, using the analogy of a sponge to explain how summaries work. In this fifth video, Heather and students shift from "I do" to "we do" as students try test their summary writing skills with partners . . . more Ways to Collaborate With Your School Librarian Franki Sibberson In my 24 years of teaching, I have held many teaching roles in the elementary school setting. Although most of my work has been as a classroom teacher at various grade levels, I have also worked as a Reading Intervention Specialist, Curricular Support Teacher, and Teacher on Special Assignment at the district level. I am currently in my third year as an elementary librarian. . . . more High School Students Take on a Reader's Bill of Rights Ellie Gilbert I've got the best job in the world; I get paid to talk about books and maps and history and philosophy and yes, even grammar and punctuation. Now, lest you write me off as one of those jerks who claim to have found a way to "get paid doing what I love," let me reveal to you the downside of my job. I have to talk about books and maps and history and philosophy and yes, even grammar and punctuation, with a group of people who divide their time between texting, eating, and being/trying to appear bored. . . . more Readers' Theater Revisited Katie DiCesare Years ago, my students and I spent about a month in the spring writing plays in small groups, creating costumes, practicing parts and performing for parents. I felt the need to tie in life science concepts, and "we" created literary nonfiction based performances. . . . more Rethinking Mentor Texts This cluster is designed to help teachers think about the ways that they choose mentor texts for literacy lessons. . . . more The Sponge Summary Lesson (Part 3) This is a companion video series to Heather Rader's article "A Sponge is a Summary." In this third video, Heather and students cull down a text into the important points needed for a summary. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Characters Across the Grades Jennifer Allen is looking for a new set of books to use with her teachers in her role as a literacy coach. She said, "I am working to differentiate the resources that I use with teachers in my study groups." . . . more One Book/Four Hands: Mentoring Younger Readers Using Picture Books Paul Hankins The idea of pairing older and younger readers is certainly not new. My fourth-grade son Noah has a first-grade reading buddy. Watching Noah carefully select the perfect book to share with his younger friend and thinking about my own high school students, I wondered, "What would it look like if my students were paired with younger readers?" . . . more Supporting Struggling Readers This cluster will help teachers think through how to help struggling readers. . . . more Ready for Guided Reading? A Second Look Sharon Frost Once you've written something, it is out there - forever. Thankfully, we keep growing and changing. We gain more insights, experience, and knowledge. But sometimes this makes us wish that there was a way to retract or modify parts of our earlier writings. . . . more Patrick Carman Podcast on Books and Multimedia In this podcast, Franki Sibberson chats with Patrick Carman about multimedia books and the challenges of teaching and learning in an age with so many media distractions. . . . more Spring Slump Audrey Alexander >Here we are in the longest stretch of no-breaks in the school year, and I feel as though I have hit a brick wall. I teach in a special education resource room for kindergartners through fifth graders, and my students are acting like they have never been in a school setting before. They are either worst enemies with everyone, or best friends with everyone. This creates a one-of-a-kind classroom setting. I either spend my time (for a lack of better words) getting my students to shut up, or I spend my time as their personal counselor -- resolving all recess, cafeteria, bus or classroom drama. Is any learning happening in these six weeks between Presidents Weekend and Spring Break? To help me climb over this wall instead of banging my head against it, I selected two students to take a closer look into their reading since the beginning of the school year. Ashley and Robert are both 4th graders who are in our special education program. . . . more Poetry Possibilities Shari Frost April is National Poetry Month! It's time to put the poetry books front and center in the class library. I think that National Poetry Month is a bit of a double-edged sword. While it ensures that poetry will get some attention at least once a year, it also implicitly gives teachers permission to ignore it for the rest of the year. Poetry may be the most neglected genre in literacy instruction. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Helping a Struggling Reader in 5th Grade (VIDEO) Deb is a teacher who works with struggling readers in grades 3-5. She is particularly interested in finding books for one of her 5th graders who is reading at a DRA level 20-24. He is very self-conscious about what he reads, and wants books that seem more like what his classmates are reading. . . . more Tuesday Trading Post: Involving the Whole School in a Book Exchange Andrea Smith What's in place in your classroom or school to encourage readers to share their favorite resources every day? Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) created a new, schoolwide ritual this year called "The Tuesday Trading Post." The purpose of the Trading Post is to help children find a variety of books for home reading and independent reading during reading workshop. . . . more Sharon Taberski on Book Choice (PODCAST) In this podcast, Sharon Taberski talks with Franki Sibberson about how she selects books for instruction, as well as how she assists students as they make choices for independent reading. Sharon also shares some of her favorite books for instruction and independent reading. A full transcript is available below the player. . . . more Tuesday Trades: A New Literacy Ritual in My Classroom Andrea Smith Every Tuesday, students unveil reading recommendations in a self-selected format. My kids borrowed the name from our school's "Trading Post." Each Tuesday during the lunch hour, volunteer parents host a book swap in the cafeteria. You trade your books from home for new books. The event has been a great hit with the students, so they revised the "Trading Post" idea to fit our needs in the classroom. . . . more Book Matchmaker: "Cool" Books for a Struggling Second Grader (VIDEO) Franki Sibberson Peggy asked me to help her find books for a second grader. The student is struggling, but still wants to read the kinds of books her friends are reading. Books for early and transitional readers are sometimes the most difficult to find. These readers are at a critical point in their development, and they need books that are just right for them. But they are also beginning to get excited about reading "chapter books" and want to fit in with their peers. Since they are developing their identities as readers, I think it is important that they read a variety of books at this stage. Different books will support them in different ways. . . . more Digital Reading: Another Facet of a Classroom Library Andrea Smith My students enjoy a variety of digital resources in their learning lives, and are exploring digital books and resources for reading workshop and independent reading at home. As we looked at a variety of resources on the web, my students realized that they were maturing into selective and even picky readers. Many of the digital books available on the web or through purchased software don't meet their critical expectations for high quality writing, unique illustrations or authentic photography. I am pleased that they expect publishers to deliver quality texts, and I am impressed that my students will not settle for mediocre digital books. As a class, we set expectations for digital resources we would adopt for our classroom using the following questions . . . more Lifting the Quality of Student Reading Logs with Quotes (VIDEO) If you're looking for a way to perk up student reading journals, try a lesson on adding quotes. Katie Doherty demonstrates for her middle school students how quotes can lift the quality of writing, using student and literary examples in this 11 minute video. . . . more Newbery Club Wrap-Up Bill Prosser and Maria Caplin We had our final Newbery Club last week after the award was announced, and the students were very excited . . . more Rethinking Mentor Texts Shari Frost I know. That title kind of makes your heart skip a beat, doesn't it? Imagine how I felt when I read it in the 2010 NCTE conference program book, describing a session given by Ralph Fletcher. I went to the session filled with tremendous trepidation. I was so afraid that Ralph would say that we should not use mentor texts anymore. The good news is that he didn't. The bad news is that he said maybe we shouldn't be doing this: . . . more Building Classroom Communities with Young Adult Readers: A Conversation Between Donalyn Miller and Paul W. Hankins Donalyn Miller and Paul W. Hankins Passing titles back and forth, debating characters' actions, analyzing plot resolutions -- a reading community comes alive when readers have time to share and discuss books. For many of our students, it is this community, this need to connect with others, which motivates them to read. This book buzz sparks students' interest, and builds reader-to-reader relationships between them. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Point of View Franki Sibberson Jennifer Allen is looking for a new set of books to use with her teachers in her role as literacy coach. She said, "I am working to differentiate the resources that I use with teachers in my study groups.I fear kids will get a similar lesson multiple times. What I would like to do is explore a similar topic with teachers but provide them with different mentor texts. We will soon be focusing in on character development. Can you help me find some mentor texts appropriate for teachers working with intermediate students in grades three through five around the topic of point of view? . . . more Young Learners and Martin Luther King Day (BOOKLIST) Mandy Robek I never met this parent, but her concerns in a letter to the editor stayed with me for years. The parent was very upset that her kindergarten daughter came home and shared that Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. . . . more Old Elm Speaks Conclusion: Connecting Poetry, Observation, and Reading (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner In this final installment of a three-part video series, Aimee Buckner shows how observation skills, poetry, and reading instruction come together with the mentor text Old Elm Speaks by Kristin O'Connell George. In this excerpt, students share what they read and wrote after reading the book and completing some observations. This is an excellent back-to-school literacy sequence, since the observation element of the instruction is a terrific excuse to take the class outdoors for writing sketches. . . . more Social Justice Picture Books Ruth Shagoury Many wonderful new resources exist to introduce issues of social justice to even very young children. There are a wealth of picture books that can help us educate students, their parents, and ourselves to be socially responsible in our communities. Teachers can call attention to the ways in which people are different, and the ways that people are the same -- honoring individual and group identity. Here are some of my favorite new books. . . . more Launching the Newbery Club Maria Caplin and Bill Prosser The students arrived at 8:00 in the morning for the first Newbery Club meeting, and it was exciting to see them carrying their books. . . . more Previewing Before Read Alouds (VIDEO) In this video, Franki Sibberson leads an extended preview of the book Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor with her third and fourth grade students. She also talks about the value of previewing in teaching students inferring and book choice skills. . . . more Characters I Know Too Well Andie Cunningham A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of spending time with Chris Crutcher at a workshop in Portland, Oregon. While there, he told me about his many school visits across the country and the youths who regularly ask how he knows their story. While I sat listening to Chris talk that day, I realized again that I was not the only one to seek out these stories for truth telling to help me make sense of what can never truly make sense. I have seen many students seek out books that seemed out of the ordinary for their lives, but the better I came to know them as learners, the more I appreciated the logic of their book choices. Like many of the readers I know, I have found quiet strength and camaraderie in a variety of reading material, some of it connecting with painful experiences in my past. . . . more Starting a Newbery Club with Students Bill Prosser and Maria Caplin The Newbery Award has long stood for excellence in children's literature. About five years ago we started reading potential nominees and trying to predict the winner before it was announced. We used potential Newbery winners as models for our students when we team taught fifth grade. We provided time for frequent book talks about potential Newbery winners, and discussed blogs that predicted the winners. We began brewing an idea to start a Newbery Club that would have the members of the club read the books prior to the Newbery Award announcement in January, making informed predictions for the winner of this prestigious award. . . . more Building the Reading Community Among Teachers Jennifer Allen 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 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 Book Matchmaker: Short Vowel Practice with Older Students Franki Sibberson Ellen is a school volunteer working with a group of students who are not reading at grade level in third grade. She is concerned about their understanding of short vowel sounds, but knows taking them back to skill and drill practice with vowels is not the answer. She was looking for some books that might help. . . . more Clearing Up Confusion Katie Doherty Brian needed a change. He had been voraciously reading graphic novels since school began two months ago, and I had been wondering when to start nudging him to change it up a bit. Brian is a 6th grader who caught my eye almost immediately: he asked me if he could take home one of my giant yellow literature anthologies. You know the ones: the ones that are virtually unused -- save for a great story or two. The ones that sit on the bottom shelf of a catch-all bookcase. . . . more Uncovering Reading Behaviors Ruth Shagoury It's "Reading Opportunity" time in Katie Doherty's sixth-grade classroom. As resident researcher, I'm still getting to know the kids, the routines, and the special culture of the school and classroom. I find myself paying attention to the subtleties that creates the reading community I see forming. . . . more Next Steps: Thinking about Retelling During Reading Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan After the teachers had taught previewing for several days, they noticed that many students were previewing texts independently during reader's workshop. Now we knew it was time to teach the students a strategy for remembering what happened while they were reading. Here is a sample lesson we tried in the classroom. In this lesson we decided to use a text that we had already used to model previewing to help students understand how previewing can now help us remember during reading. . . . more Teaching Students Retelling Strategies (Part 1) Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan As we meet with teachers around New England to analyze various assessment data (Dynamic Reading Assessments, conference notes, running records, and informal retellings), we notice a pattern -- retelling the important parts of a story is difficult for many elementary students. We have the privilege of working in many districts, and find it interesting when there are common patterns and concerns about student learning across districts. . . . more Grades K-2 Fluency Lesson (VIDEO) In this video from a K-2 multiage classroom, Joan Moser and Gail Boushey ("The Sisters") present a fluency lesson to the whole class. . . . more Save the Picture Books! Shari Frost I got the bad news from my friend. I opened an email from her and it contained a New York Times article. The reporters note a dramatic drop in publication and sales of picture books. Part of the problem is the poor economy, but trends also show parents of youngsters pushing their children into chapter books - even in the preschool years. . . . more Family History Inquiry Project: Integrating Technology with Social Studies in First Grade Julie Johnson Our first-grade curriculum calls for comparing the past and present. I wanted my students to do more than compare their lives to abstract figures from the past. I wanted them to make personal connections and be engaged in the process of finding out what life really was like in the past, as well as find similarities to their own lives. Because I had a guest researcher in my room that year, students were accustomed to investigating questions and engaging in thought provoking discussions about their results. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Texts to Build Stamina Franki Sibberson In this installment of Book Matchmaker, Franki Sibberson has suggestions for books to build reading stamina in students. . . . more Book Club Meetings Beth Lawson When I began planning for book clubs in my classroom, I knew that the readers in our class needed to keep their read-to-self time as a sacred time for them to read, confer and work on their reading strategies. To protect this time, we added a separate 20 minute session for students to meet in their clubs after read-to-self. . . . more Book Clubs: Setting the Stage with Conferring Beth Lawson While reading conferences were thriving, small groups just didn't seem to have the same magic they once had. After I did my conferring rounds, I would begin to invite students over for small groups, often hearing a hushed groan or the slightest look of frustration for having been pulled away from their sacred read-to-self time. Small group conversations seemed to be forced and guided mostly by me. I could tell the students liked belonging to a group of readers, but the format of reading the same book and having a teacher-directed conversation just wasn't working anymore. . . . more The Parent/Teacher Literacy Committee Year 2 (Building a Reading Culture Series) Ellen McEvoy Last September, I had a vision: The local school where I volunteer needed to focus attention on literacy. Not on instruction, but on outlook and participation. The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) agreed to form a Literacy Committee, and since it was my idea, they made me the chair. . . . more Reorganizing Books in the Reading Support Classroom Katie DiCesare You could say teaching is in my blood. . .literally. There is a long line of teachers in my family. My mom is a reading support teacher, and I have a sister who is an art teacher. Another sister is halfway through the process of becoming a middle school teacher. I also have seven aunts with teaching experiences that include elementary, high school math, technology, English language learners and curriculum support. Maybe we were influenced by both of my grandmothers, one who taught kindergarten and the other biology. . . . more Guiding Readers in Kindergarten: A Planning and Assessment Template Mandy Robek Last year when I moved from teaching third grade to kindergarten I was nervous about teaching emergent readers again. I spent the last five years learning about and teaching transitional readers, so the move to kindergarten was a big one. I had books in my classroom to use for guided reading and as I set up my classroom library I put them in a special area of the room. I began looking through them, noticing how they were structured for beginning readers. The pictures provide a strong support system. The print directly matches the pictures, and there are few words on each page, often one line of text. . . . more Book Matchmaker: New Books for Intermediate Readers Franki Sibberson Lori Sabo, a first-grade teacher, asked me to suggest some books that she could recommend to former students who still ask her advice about books. She wanted a stack of new books to read and have available for students who might ask for suggestions on what to read next. . . . more Matching Student Interests and Books: Conferring in 4th Grade (VIDEO) Andrea Smith In this video from Andrea Smith's fourth-grade classroom, Andrea helps a student organize and plan reading around a topic of interest - immigration. . . . 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 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 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 Book Matchmaker: Texts for "Outdoorsy" Boys Franki Sibberson I received this request from Carolyn: "Can we tackle the age-old problem of books that get ten-year-old boys jazzed about reading? I had many boys this past year that just didn't get drawn into a book. The boys in my school are outdoors guys. Many hike, hunt, fish, and ride their all-terrain vehicles." . . . more Choosing 5th Grade Read Alouds for the New Year Karen Terlecky It's that time of year when I gather together all the books I think would be good to read aloud and share with my 5th grade students for this year. The pile has been growing high on my living room floor all summer. As I look at the pile, I realize that most of these books were published in the past two years. I know I also want to weave in some great books that are less recent, but for this article, I'm going to focus on the books that are more current. . . . more Seedfolks: Connecting Community and Literature Katie Doherty The first few weeks of school at any grade level should be jam packed with "get to know you" activities. There are so many great ways to share bits of information about ourselves with our students, and many of those are done in those first few weeks of school. Games like "I'm Cool Because", Three-Ball Toss, and Snowball are favorites in my classroom. These are relatively quick to organize and play, and they help kids to get to know names and laugh a bit with each other right off the bat. . . . more "The Wrath of Guess Jeans": Reading, Writing, and Cliques in Middle School (VIDEO) In this first video in a three-part series, Katie Doherty leads her sixth graders through a response activity. The text they are reading was written by a middle school student over a decade ago, and its themes of popularity and belonging still ring true for students. . . . more Reflections on a Year of Read Alouds Karen Terlecky Last summer at about this time, I started to gather books I loved and thought my fifth grade students would also enjoy. My goal was to make a list of which ones I would read aloud throughout the year. I ended up with a list of nine books. . . . more Creating a Kindergarten Classroom Library Mandy Robek Overwhelming. This is the only word I could use for many months as I thought about the transition from my third grade to a kindergarten classroom library. The first step was easy - pack away my chapter books. I could do that at the end of the school year. I kept my nonfiction, biographies, and poetry texts for the initial move because I knew I wanted to include those genres. But I wasn't sure what would be appropriate for these younger students. . . . 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 Keeping "House" in a Literacy-Rich Classroom Ann Williams Housecleaning is not one of my favorite chores, but it is necessary for my life to be organized (and for me to have some sense of sanity considering the pace of my life). Like my home, my classroom also needs to be organized. It is the key to my success as a teacher. I clearly remember my supervising teacher during student teaching tell me that "Organization is the key to success in this job," and though I didn't think much of it at the time, truer words were never spoken. Not everyone needs the same amount of structure, or organization to be successful, or even comfortable in their classroom, but I think that many teachers would agree that some amount of organization is vital. I have learned to take my skills as a good organizer and turn them into a very structured and literacy filled activity called "Housekeeping." . . . more