Catching Readers Before They Fall

Many teachers use some form of literature circles or book clubs, but many others do not and are even afraid to get them started. Literature circles are “small, peer-led discussion groups whose members have chosen to read the same story, poem, article, or book” (Daniels, 2002.) Some teachers worry that the kids will just fool [...]

Read Full Post »

In the past few weeks I’ve seen a poster appear several times on Facebook that says “Earth without art is just eh.”  I love that!  I’ve also heard and read a lot about teachers saying that the pressures of the testing craze have caused them to cut back on art time (whether forced or by [...]

Read Full Post »

In the fifth grade class I visit once a week, the students are busy learning with the teacher about different text structures.  The teacher began with compare/contrast articles.  Together they found signal words that would hint at this type of structure (see chart.) On other days they did some articles on the SmartBoard that were [...]

Read Full Post »

Well, it’s not the best book I ever read, but I gave it a try when my book group recommended it.   And, among other reflections, I started thinking some things that relate to teaching and teachers, though it is NOT a professional book for teachers. Gretchen Rubin writes about her 12 month project to feel [...]

Read Full Post »

A few weeks ago I wrote about using readers’ statements as a way to focus your teaching, as well as give kids some language to help them as they are learning a strategy or behavior. For the past week and a half, I’ve been using the readers’ statement, “Readers look for words they know.” I [...]

Read Full Post »