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Write Today Ruth Ayres I believe in being a teacher who writes. Today. And the next day and the one after that. I know there are reasons why this will never work. I've heard most of them, have claimed some of them, and understand, logistically, there just aren't enough minutes in the day. But what if we could become teachers who write? How might it play out in real time? What if instead of listing all of the reasons it's impossible to write daily, we come up with an opposite kind of list, a powerful list of possibility. . . . more Best Practices in Spelling Heather Rader In my work with teachers, I've heard everything from "I do the Monday pre-test and the Friday spelling test. It worked for me and it's what kids today need," to "I don't teach spelling at all because I don't want it to inhibit children's ideas." Yet both groups of teachers will lament, "Their spelling in writing is atrocious!" Why would such a difference in instructional approaches yield the same results? And, more importantly, what does work? . . . more Learning To Write Engaging Nonfiction: A Middle School Partner Writing Study Ann Marie Corgill This year I attempted to do something I had never tried before in my teaching career . . . planning and following through with a partner writing study, a study that I would teach and learn from with 125 sixth graders. In years past I had always supported children in their quest to write "partner books" or work with a partner on a single piece of writing, but I had never intentionally planned a unit where all students would think, talk, and write with a partner for the entire unit of study. . . . more If You Like Junie B. Jones, You Might Like . . . Franki Sibberson As teachers, we love to see our students fall in love with a character and read an entire series. But there comes a time when we want to see our students expand as readers -- to find new characters and authors to fall in love with beyond that one beloved series. . . . more New Year Changes Part 3 (Round-Up) We asked Choice Literacy contributors to share one change they've made this month to their classrooms or schools. This is the final installment in a three-part series. . . . more Linking Morning Message, Poetry, and Word Learning (VIDEO) Linda Karamatic links the morning message with poetry and word learning in her second-grade classroom. . . . more New Year Changes Part 2 (Round-Up) We asked Choice Literacy contributors to share one change they've made this month in their classrooms or schools. This is the second installment in a three-part series. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy February 4, 2012 Acronymia One of the few things I dislike in education is the abundance of acronyms. MCAT, CSAP, ETRs, and SAT-9 are just four of hundreds. Most education acronyms are not real words, and when people use them in conversations they sound stuffy, bureaucratic, and insular. Acronyms can also fuel insecurity among teachers. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy January 28, 2012 Intellect A team of three teachers was considering student writing during a planning session. One teacher, new to the team, was well-known for her enthusiasm. I'll call her Cassie. The other two said things like, "It's not like this student is ever going to meet standard" and "Kids always come from fourth grade ready to write or they can barely put a sentence together, and it never changes much." They collected facts to support their stories about teaching in general and writing in particular. I often heard words like never and always. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy January 14, 2012 Cognitive Indigestion For more than 80 minutes I listened to the company president, also an educator, present his web-based curriculum. The first ten minutes I was engaged. When he kept talking without pause, I wondered about the pattern on his shirt, I studied my hands (boy, did I need lotion) and then I thought about what I might have for dinner. I came in and out of attention throughout the presentation. . . . more A Seating Arrangement that Empowers: The Conversation Circle Ann Marie Corgill How many of you have tried to lead a writing or reading share time with elementary students who'd rather chat with a friend about recess, or hide under the easel to confiscate the new markers, or play jingle bells with the Velcro on the new sneakers? . . . more 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 Book Matchmaker: Picture Book Biographies (VIDEO) Melanie Quinn is an instructional coach is looking for new picture book biographies to share with teachers and students. In the last several years, there are many picture book biographies being published with kids in mind. These are great stories of people from history, written about in ways that will engage children. One of the things I appreciate is the variety of people that are being written about. There are biographies written about famous people from history, as well as biographies about people who are not as well known. I have learned a lot from reading picture book biographies about people who were new to me. . . . more New Year Changes Part I (Round-Up) It is 2012 and according to Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Dragon. Dragons are described as confident, fearless in the face of challenge, and ultimately successful, which reminds us of many teachers we know. For some teachers, the new year is a time to launch new classroom projects or routines. For others, the fresh pages of a new calendar are a needed catalyst for reconsidering a space or procedure that has been challenging. This month we asked Choice Literacy contributors to share some of the changes happening across the country in their classrooms as students return to school after winter break. This article is the first in a three-part series where they share their new initiatives. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy January 7, 2012 Personal Records This is the week where so many of us are tackling resolutions for the new year, focusing on weaknesses and goals that we can document and chart to show improvement. Yet all of us PR often in our schools. Because these moments aren't timed or easily measured, we need to remember to stop and celebrate them. What was a PR for you this fall? . . . more Setting the Stage for Historical Fiction (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner In this demonstration lesson from a fifth-grade classroom, Aimee Buckner works with students to construct an anchor chart for understanding the genre of historical fiction. . . . 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 Student Partnerships: Making Collaboration Work This cluster is designed to help teachers make the most of student partnerships. . . . more Wild Facts Andrea Smith I love discovering high quality digital reading resources for my third and fourth graders to use in our classroom and for home reading. I love it even more when it is my students who discover a unique or useful website and take the time to share it with our classroom community. This unexpected discovery happened just last week, and it made a significant difference in the learning lives of both my students and me. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy December 31, 2011 Savoring A century from now education historians are probably going to look back at this time and wonder how so many of us could have moved so fast and with such purpose without actually getting anywhere. In this season of resolutions, mine for 2012 is pretty simple. I want to slow down and savor the things I love. . . . more Goldilocks and the 3 Writers: 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 issues 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 Finding Time for Your Writing: A Podcast with Ruth Ayres In this podcast, Ruth Ayres chats with Franki Sibberson about why it's so important for teachers to write, and how she finds time in her packed schedule for writing books and blogging. . . . more Status of the Class and Monitoring Behavior (VIDEO) In this early year video from Beth Lawson's second-grade classroom, Beth uses a writing status of the class time to help students monitor their behavior, using peers as role models. . . . more Keeping it Real for Students: Never Underestimate the Power of Reflection Melanie Quinn Katie is a veteran teacher who willingly shares she is learning all the time. Her stance has evolved over time from the traditional preparation she received in her pre-service program to the reflective teacher she is today. The past couple of years have offered her a myriad of opportunities for growth, and it has been an invaluable opportunity for me as her literacy coach to watch this evolution in action. . . . more Creating a Coaching Culture: A Podcast with Jane Kise Jane Kise chats with Heather Rader about creating a coaching culture in schools as part of professional learning communities. . . . more Classroom Changes and Birdhouse Gourds Andrea Smith In the past, kids took great delight in displaying work in progress and put published pieces on our Writers' Board. Each child routinely changed out his or her pieces, selecting writing projects they valued. In recent years, we started posting so many pieces on our blogs or holding them in our digital portfolios on PBWorks. Our Writers' Board seemed forgotten. Here it was December and our current space sat empty. How had I not noticed this? . . . more Three Rules Worthy of Spelling Inquiry Heather Rader Over the last five years, I've dug into teaching conventions with an inquiry-based approach which I define as: using correct text and artful questioning to get students to wonder about words and symbols that convey meaning. . . . more Spelling Rules -- Or Does It? Heather Rader I am a spelling nerd. How nerdy? When I hear a word I don't know, I ask someone, "Can you spell that for me?" Then I air-write it or copy it down in the notebook I keep in my purse. Yep, even at parti . . . 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 Guiding Reading Partners: Work on Accuracy (VIDEO) In this reading conference from a second-grade classroom, Linda Karamatic pairs two children who have similar needs in reading. . . . 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 Katherine Casey on Sharing Blunders with Colleagues (PODCAST) In this podcast, Katherine Casey explains to Heather Rader why it is helpful for coaches to share their teaching blunders with colleagues. Katherine is the author of Literacy Coaching: The Essentials. . . . more Reading Interviews This cluster is designed to help teachers get the most out of student reading interviews. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy December 17, 2011 Beautiful Oops We have opportunities all the time to let students experience beautiful oops. As mentors of colleagues, we also need to decide when to step in and say something, and when to wait when the inevitable mistakes occur. Sometimes stopping ourselves from intervening can be difficult, but crucial . . . 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 Organizing Writing Groups (VIDEO) Franki Sibberson Many times I'll form a writing group based on what I'm noticing as I observe children in writer's workshop. They will tell me what they need in conferences, or I'll see patterns across the class. I might ask kids, "Who's having trouble with their lead?" and pull a group based on student response. I might notice that three children are writing something with a sports theme, so I might pull those students together to look at sports writers. . . . more Pitching My Lesson Plans for a Day of Peace and Poetry Karen Terlecky One beautiful day in October, I arrived at school to see the most amazing work taking place in the side yard. Our art teacher and several parent volunteers were placing hundreds of pinwheels into the outline of a peace symbol. With almost 600 students in our school, all who had contributed pinwheels, the peace symbol was larger than a half basketball court. As I looked down from my second floor window to watch their progress and the multitude of colorful pinwheels moving in the gentle breeze, I knew that what I had thoughtfully planned for writing instruction that day was going to be pitched in an effort to capture the magic of this school-wide endeavor. . . . more Communicating with the Y Chromosome Heather Rader Neuroscience says male and female brains are wired and juiced differently, and social experts like Deborah Tannen concur. In You Just Don't Understand, she noted the report vs. rapport aspect of our talk. Women build relations through talk (rapport), while men negotiate status (report). Men prefer to speak one at a time while women tend to overlap cooperatively in conversation. These have implications for our conversations in the work place. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy December 10, 2011 Unlikely Celebrations As we head into winter school celebrations with families, that move-in experience reminds me that any event is more special when you let those with the most energy and joy get in on the greetings, preferably the moment families arrive on school property. And aren't students almost always the ones with good cheer and energy to spare? . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy December 3, 2011 Pasting During an introduction to writing workshop class for teachers, I show one way to workshop. Not three, and definitely not five. Once they get comfortable, I offer a more advanced course or we work together and I say, "Did you know there's another way to do that?" When they are comfortable, we may shift between two different models because it fits their pedagogy. We might begin integrating writing in new ways into different content areas. Learning to do something in more than one way is the sign of a healthy, active mind -- we just all need to get to those multiple ways in our own way and our own time. . . . more Teaching with Literary Nonfiction This cluster is designed to help teachers think about reading and writing literary nonfiction. . . . more Listen In: Writing in Math Heather Rader and Linda Karamatic "You've gotta see this," are Linda Karamatic's first words when I arrive in her second-grade classroom. On this particular day we marveled on how Maya had decided to make her math homework fun by adding a riddle-like quality to her math. Her "no peekie, peekie" innovation intrigued me. . . . 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 Writing Celebrations: A Podcast with Ruth Ayres In this podcast, Ruth Ayres chats with Franki Sibberson about the importance of writing celebrations in her classroom. . . . more Top 10 Technology Tools for Teachers Scott Sibberson Technology to some teachers means email, grading programs, and school webpages. It may also mean programs that students must use to accomplish skills. Too often that is all technology provides, yet there are many online tools popping up all the time that can help any educator be more creative and productive. . . . more Mentor Texts for Organizing Writing Aimee Buckner Sometimes organizing writing is like organizing coupons. Writers often have a lot of good ideas but they need help organizing them. When readers read our work, they don't want to have to sort through all the boring stuff they don't really need to know. They want to get right to the "good part" - and those good parts vary for every kind of writing. . . . more Trying to Coach Without the Budget in Mind Melanie Quinn With daily headlines keeping alive the reality of a sputtering economy, I fear for my job more than ever. Perhaps it was my sheer naïveté in my first year coaching, but I really paid no attention to budget talks until late last spring when "Reduction In Force" (aka RIF) language was inserted into our contract updates from the union. . . . more 6th Annual Gifts for Literacy Geeks Last year I bought a quilt from a craft consortium on the Web. The package containing the quilt arrived a few days later, with a note from the woman who had made it. In a fine, spidery script, Helen wrote to thank me for the purchase. She explained that her income was limited, and the purchase would allow her to buy medications for her husband . . . 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 Tiger Teams: Mixed Age Student Groups (VIDEO) Karen Szymusiak In this video, Karen Szymusiak (principal at Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Dublin, Ohio) explains how Tiger Teams work. Tiger Teams are mixed age groups of K-5 students who meet regularly to talk about their learning and the school community. At this meeting, students are sharing the books they are reading. . . . more Skype an Author: A Podcast with Kate Messner Kate Messner is one of those amazing women who are capable of handling a few full-time jobs at the same time. She is a middle-school teacher, the author of fine books for children (like Over and Under the Snow) and teens (like Spitfire). She recently published an excellent book for teachers, Real Revision. In her spare time, she has compiled a list of authors willing to Skype with student book clubs and classes at no charge. You can read more about it at her website. . . . more Helping Advanced Readers and Writers This cluster is designed to help teachers be more thoughtful and intentional in the ways they work with advanced readers and writers in their classrooms. . . . 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 The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy November 19, 2011 Building Habits It's true that many successful learners are just "more in the habit" than others, but it doesn't mean that apprentices can't learn those important habits. They might just need another resource, visual or auditory reminders, and other people to help. . . . more Main Ideas, Summaries, and Notes in a Reading Conference (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner In this conference with a 4th grader, Aimee Buckner tackles text choice, notes, and main ideas all in less than five minutes. . . . more Collaborating with School Librarians This cluster is designed to help teachers and school librarians find new ways to collaborate. . . . more Working with Adults: Structuring Effective Conferring Amanda Adrian After reaching the top, it occurred to me that I had been coached. I was soon struck by the connection between the manner in which Andrea had supported my acquisition of the knowledge and skills necessary to run up a hill, and the methods I use to support teachers in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in an effective reading conference with students. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy November 12, 2011 Is That True? I was coaching an intermediate writing teacher who was complaining that her students couldn't put a sentence together. I'd heard her say the same thing in previous years during writing classes she'd attended. "Is that true?" I asked. . . . 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 Rethinking Centers The purpose of this cluster is to help teachers and administrators make test preparation more thoughtful for their students. . . . more Listen In: Strategies for Using Nonfiction Texts in Writing Heather Rader Besides being good friends, Sammi and Alyssa had similar writing folder contents: nonfiction texts that were exact copies of a published book. In academic integrity studies of high school and college campuses, plagiarism was part of 9 out of 10 students' writing processes at some point. Where does that begin? It begins with early attempts to write nonfiction based on resources. Maya Angelou's words via Oprah come to mind, "When we know better, we do better." This conference was about offering a strategy for knowing better for two great second grade writers. . . . more Keeping Students Front and Center Jennifer Allen During the course of the conversation, the professor asked, "What is your biggest fear as a literacy coach?" My immediate response without thinking was "failure." As soon as "failure" popped out of my mouth, I knew that wasn't truly my biggest fear. I am not afraid to fail. I have learned over the year that failure is the place where we learn the most. I realize now that my biggest fear is forgetting to keep students at the heart of our coaching conversations. . . . more 5 Easy Steps to Becoming Active in the Blog Community Mary Lee Hahn and Franki Sibberson If you've started a blog, you're going to want to build a readership larger than just your mother, your husband and your best friend. One of the best ways to do this is to participate in a variety of blogosphere events. Joining in on popular blog events helps you get to know others and get a sense for your new online community. . . . 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 The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy November 5, 2011 Knowing Your Audience Because so much of our district's professional development comes from the inside, led by our own teachers and coaches instead of outside consultants, we've become spoiled. We expect that training will apply to our jobs and connect with district initiatives already in place. Imagine the surprise of our coaching team when a consultant hired by the district began her spiel talking about the ineffectiveness of instructional coaching. Half of the district's coaching team was in attendance, and many of the teachers present had been coached or were currently working with coaches. We looked at each other with wide eyes and a silent question: Does she know who her audience is? . . . more Voila! Best Writing and Entry Slips in Second Grade (VIDEO) Heather Rader The word "voila" in French literally means "see there." Linda Karamatic put time and reflection into creating a binder, or voila book, that will ease the bulging writing workshop folders and preserve the best of students' writing to celebrate their progression as second-grade writers throughout the year. When you hear people pronounce the word "voila" they say it with expression. And if they talk with their hands like I do, they may throw a kiss or make jazz hands - voila! Which is exactly the reason why Mrs. Karamatic and her students chose the name. . . . more Making the Reading-Writing Connection with Genre Studies: The "Must Have" Lesson Aimee Buckner In many classrooms today, teachers use genre studies as a springboard for teaching writing. Depending on the genre being studied, every student has to write a fable or a personal narrative or a nonfiction piece. Minilessons focus on teaching the children about the genre's characteristics. . . . 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 Preserving Student Writing as a Curator Heather Rader It's a Friday afternoon when I sit down with second-grade teacher Linda Karamatic. After teaching many years, she's tried different systems of preserving student writing. She's clear on what she wants: Clearing out the "finished" pocket of the writing folder once-a-month Sharing and celebrating student writing with families Reflecting on finished pieces When I asked her what hasn't worked, she's sure about that too. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy October 29, 2011 The Language of Change Many years ago I was leading a workshop with about 30 teachers on writing assessment. I talked with them about the power of adjectives and phrases in describing students, and claimed almost any negative could be turned into a positive. The teachers took me up on the challenge, throwing out descriptors for students who were vexing them. Someone called out "stubborn," and I replied back instantlywith "persistent." We volleyed back and forth -- "arrogant" became "confident," "always chatting with friends" became "socially skilled. . . . 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 Book Matchmaker: Intermediate Read-Alouds (VIDEO) Melanie Quinn, an instructional coach, is looking for some new read alouds for 4th and 5th grade classes. Read-alouds are important at any grade level,and the books we choose are critical if we are to foster thoughtful conversations. When I read middle grade novels, I am always looking for new titles to add to my list of read-aloud possibilities. I want books that will engage the variety of readers in an intermediate classroom. Here are some of the newer titles I've found that could make great read-alouds for this age group. . . . more Conferring with Parents (Part 2) Here are some suggestions from Choice Literacy Contributors about the best ways to have high quality parent conferences, with everything from pre-conference connections to electronic adaptations. This is the second installment in a two-part series. . . . more Coaching Struggling Teacher Teams Heather Rader It's not that Betty doesn't comprehend the rubric or appreciate her team, she just believes her standards trump the agreed-upon grade level rubric. The way she stays in her comfort zone is to say, "I have high standards." No one can or will argue that point. For teachers that have been isolated for most of our careers during the teaching day, this is an understandable response and researchers have found this to be true as well. . . . more Katherine Casey on Coaching in Classrooms (PODCAST) Katherine Casey shares her latest thinking with Heather Rader on the best ways to mentor teachers in classrooms. Katherine is the author of Literacy Coaching: The Essentials. . . . more Teaching Poetry to Teens with the William Stafford Archives Erin Ocon William Stafford, a white poet born in 1914, might seem like an unlikely candidate to inspire my classroom of diverse 21st century thirteen-year-olds. I'll admit that even I was skeptical at first. However, the universal themes in Stafford's poetry, combined with the magic of modern technology, are able to do just that. . . . more Image of the Week: Building a Classroom Community Through Visual Literacy Andrea Smith A nonfiction routine and ritual that my students love is called "Image of the Week." Each Wednesday, an image of interest is posted in the center of a whiteboard in our classroom. The image might be a photograph, diagram, drawing, or map -- it varies each week. Student interests, topics of study, current events, or unique images are just a few of the reasons images are chosen for "Image of the Week." . . . more Scaring Up Better Narratives Part 3 (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner In this final installment of a three-part series, Aimee Buckner continues to confer with students and shares a great tip for nonfiction research. . . . more Wonder in Classrooms: A Podcast with Georgia Heard In this podcast, Franki Sibberson chats with Georgia Heard about the importance of a sense of wonder and "pondering time" in classrooms. Georgia is a poet and teaching consultant. Her latest books are A Sense of Wonder and Falling Down the Page. . . . more Conferring with Parents (ROUND-UP) arent conferences are a time of preparing, collecting, analyzing, scheduling, and sharing. This fall we asked Choice Literacy contributors to share some of their best tips and reminders for conferring with families. This article is the first in a two-part series. . . . more Conferring with a Child in the Silent Period (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham confers with Vita, an English language learner whose first language is Russian. Vita is in the silent period. Notice how Andie coaxes communication from Vita, and manages to convey a sense of delight at her work, an acknowledgment of Vita's importance in the classroom community, and some guidance for future writing. . . . more Scaring Up Better Narratives Part 2 (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner Just in time for Halloween, Aimee Buckner leads a lesson on brainstorming topics in writer's notebooks using the mentor text Some Things are Scary. In this second installment of a three-part series, Aimee continues to confer with students and helps everyone refine potential writing topics in their notebooks. . . . more Scaring Up Better Narratives Part I (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner Just in time for Halloween, Aimee Buckner leads a lesson on brainstorming topics in writer's notebooks using the mentor text Some Things are Scary. In this first installment of a three-part series, Aimee reads the book and models her own thinking process and use of a writer's notebook. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy October 22, 2011 When Risotto is Ready There seem to be two kinds of people this time of year: ones who abhor the darker days and necessity of layers, and others like me, who welcome the longer nights, sweaters and boots, and comfort food. When barbecued chicken and strawberries fresh from the field are replaced by soups and radiant gold leaves, I am delighted. So when my foodie friend and Choice Literacy contributor, Amanda Adrian, offered to coach me through my first pot of risotto, the ultimate comfort food, I did a little happy dance. . . . more The Super Power of Reflecting Heather Rader When feeling overwhelmed by the number of points to consider in your lessons, workshops and units, it's helpful to set some limits in the beginning. There are five basic elements of instruction that might provoke reflection: planning, the teaching event itself, immediate impressions, longer term analysis, and the changes made. . . . more Invocation at the End of Summer Shirley McPhillips Fall is a rich time of year to venture out, find one thing to gaze upon and gaze long. Then longer. In your notebook, jot what you see. Keep looking, keep jotting. Push to stay longer, to see more, say more. Practice what John Moffitt tells us: to see spring we must be the thing we see, we must "enter into the small silences between the leaves . . ." There, or later, you can stretch what you've written. . . . more Listen In: About the Author Snowy Owls. Polar Bears. Artic Hares. These fine white creatures were all the rage in second grade during the literary nonfiction unit. Linda Karamatic and I co-planned the new writing unit and learned about this special genre that exists in the gray area between fiction and nonfiction as well as literary and informational. We became fans of the prolific author Nicola Davies. . . . more Mentor Texts for a Writing Study in Graphica Franki Sibberson Graphic novels have become part of our students' reading lives. It only makes sense that because of this, they'd want to write graphic novels. I am all for students trying out genres they've read in writing workshop, but I have had trouble supporting students to write quality graphic novels. I have access to several technology tools, such as the Comic Life software that helps students do this type of design on the computer. But whether they are creating comics and graphic novels by hand or on the computer, it is the story that matters. I have struggled with helping students tell a good story in this format for years. I have read countless student comics full of sound effects, but lacking plot. . . . more The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy October 15, 2011 Towel in the Dryer My daughter Ahna and I have a favorite ritual on the mornings she takes a bath.  She bathes in a room we've nicknamed the "Frog" bathroom, and it can be chilly in the morning.  Years ago I started popping a towel in the dryer a few minutes before she got out so it was extra warm . . . more Writing Better First Drafts Aimee Buckner Building the gingerbread house (and rebuilding it) is how some students write. Their first draft is so structurally weak, that the time to spend on revising is actually spent rebuilding the story. As the deadline looms, the student gets more and more frustrated and finally just writes what she has attempted more neatly in a book just to be done. As a teacher of students like this, I'm just as tired and frustrated as they are with the writing. I'm relieved to be done with that piece and move on to another. . . . more Kathy Collins on Literacy Homework (PODCAST) Kathy Collins shares her latest thinking on literacy homework assignments with Franki Sibberson. Kathy's latest book is Reading for Real: Teach Students to Read with Power, Intention, and Joy in K-3 Classrooms. A full transcript is available below the player. . . . more More