When I was a classroom teacher, I tried to make my lesson plans and units cross-curricular whenever possible. I found that my students were able to make a more meaningful...
Today I’m continuing the Professional Development series about how principals, school leaders, and teachers can implement thinking routines in schools. This article outlines...
Interactive read alouds are an important component of a balanced literacy classroom. Research proves the value of reading aloud to students of all ages, and shows that...
After spending a school year working passionately on developing your students' writing skills, there is no better way to show off their writing talents than with a showcase....
A unit that focuses on studying characters is one of my favorites. I enjoying teaching characters because it always seems to build my students’ love for reading. This year...
Attention all principals and teachers! Today is the third post in my ongoing professional development series that highlights the 'thinking routines' from the book Making...
Last spring, my students took the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) for the first time. To prepare my students for this rigorous assessment I researched any and...
Interactive read alouds are an important component of a balanced literacy classroom. Research proves the value of reading aloud to students of all ages, and shows that...
As I have mentioned in several posts last month, one of my favorite genres to use with my students is historical fiction. There are many interesting yet informative picture...
In January, I began what will be an ongoing monthly post describing a 'thinking routine' from the book Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding and...
This Critical Thinking Interactive Read Aloud of Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown provides the thought-provoking questions, essential to every...
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin is a great book to use with upper elementary grade-level students. The main character, Pacy, is trying to "find herself." She wants to figure...