Today I’m continuing the Professional Development series about how principals, school leaders, and teachers can implement thinking routines in schools. This article outlines...
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...
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...
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...
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...
"Teachers make a difference." When I see or hear that statement, I feel proud to be an educator, because I believe teachers do make a difference. To non-educators, it refers...
If you have never completed a reading engagement inventory on your students, do it... I bet you will find the results fascinating! An engagement inventory is an observational...
To ensure that thinking and understanding are taking place both during and after reading, a conversation about the book is critical. Conversations about books should be...
A top priority in reading for my primary grade-level readers is to be able to retell a story and state its most important details. The details that I want my students to be...
The start of the school year means 'Open House' is right around the corner. For me, that 45 minute time period always flew by as I tried to summarize everything we would be...
Every year I try to find the best way for my students to organize their reading material. I have tried folders, binders, multiple journals for different purposes, single...
If you are looking for a good historical fiction novel, set in Ireland, to use during the month of March, Nory Ryan’s Song, by Patricia Reilly Giff is a great choice. This is...