September 29, 2014 Grades 3-5 Poetry

Possibilities of PLC's. Courtesy of ASCD SmartBrief.

Superintendent shares PLC success story
City of Fairfax Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan rolled out professional learning communities in his district and credits the collaboration between administrators and educators with his district's academic gains. In this Q&A, he describes his district's PLC journey and offers tips for implementation. District Administration magazine online (9/24)

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Finding Writing Topics is one of the biggest challenges in the classroom. Here are some great articles on the topic. Enjoy! Courtesy of Choice Literacy

September 13, 2014 - Issue #399 If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, click here for a Web-based version.   Extra or Unexpected?      Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.                                            Boris Pasternak                                            My colleague Jeff was worried. We were both professors at a large state university, working with juniors and seniors in literacy methods courses. One of his students, Amanda, had recently lost her mother to cancer, and now she'd missed the last two classes in his secondary English methods class. He'd called her repeatedly and talked with her roommate but couldn't reach Amanda. Finally the roommate told him Amanda was at soccer practice and would be there for another hour.  Jeff hung up the phone (because this was back in the days when phones had cords and you actually hung them up), put on his jacket, and walked 10 minutes across campus to the sports fields, where he found Amanda and told her he was worried about her. She cried a little, promised to come to the next class, and didn't skip class again for the rest of the semester. When Jeff told me this story, I was astonished. I rarely called students when they missed class, and certainly never visited them personally at a sports practice. We talk a lot about doing "extra" as educators, but Jeff made me realize that the unexpected is what has the biggest impact. Og Mandino once wrote, "The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be." Joe Clark explains the way "more and better" works for administrators: "People expect school administrators to be at the Friday night football game. They don't expect them to bring Popsicles to band camp. Or go to the bowling team's match or the Mock Trial team's performance." We do a lot of the "extra," but maybe we need more of the unexpected. Most of us don't have more to give. Maybe it's a matter of surprising people with the unexpected in a way that truly makes them rethink their relationship with us, and our commitment to their work. This week we look at finding writing topics. Plus more as always -- enjoy!   Brenda Power Founder, Choice Literacy     Free for All   [For sneak peeks at our upcoming features, quotes and extra links,  follow Choice Literacy on Twitter: @ChoiceLiteracy or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChoiceLiteracy or Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/]     Here are two different takes from the archives on helping students write.    Gifted students can struggle to write, if only because their skills can get in the way. Michelle Kelly has advice for working with writers who are perfectionists and verbally skilled:   http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1545     In The Pause That Refreshes, Suzy Kaback advises teachers to stop and encourage students to write when the conversation gets hot:   http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1921     What is the value in taking a break from writing? In On Not Writing, Bill Hayes shares what he learned as a professional writer who abandoned the craft for years before finally returning to it:   http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/23/on-not-writing/     Join Franki Sibberson for The Tech-Savvy Literacy Teacher online course October 1-12.  The class includes three on-demand webinars, the Right Book at the Right Time DVD, Franki's book The Joy of Planning, and personal response from Franki tailored to your needs on the class discussion board. Click on the link below for more details:   http://www.choiceliteracy.com/workshops-detail.php?id=62      Inspiring learning, fabulous presenters, unique materials, and delicious food, all on the ocean at the beautiful Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine. What's not to like? Join us October 18-19 for Coaching the Common Core. Details and a brochure with a full description are available at this link:   http://www.choiceliteracy.com/workshops-detail.php?id=57

Here are some great ideas on writing for the new school year. Courtesy of Choice Literacy.

July 26, 2014 - Issue #392 If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, click here for a Web-based version. Beautiful Questions    always the more beautiful answer, who asks a more beautiful question . . .                                                             e. e. cummings I picked the theme of "renewal" for a series of writing retreats this year. What I quickly discovered is that it wasn't easy to find readings connected to the topic. As I searched with the usual tools in the usual places, most of what came up was religious -- which makes sense, because people who are soul weary are often looking for spiritual renewal. But I didn't think starting out our revision and response sessions with "Let us pray" would go over well at these secular writing retreats. The books that weren't religious often focused on time management or had gimmicky leadership tips.  I was close to giving up when I stumbled on A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger. The book includes the sobering finding of researchers that children are taught to squelch their natural tendency to ask profound and creative questions at an early age (and schools are a big part of that). A More Beautiful Question looks at case studies from many fields of visionaries who broke through with ideas that upended the status quo by asking better questions. These questions are sometimes jolting, sometimes elegant, but always at their heart renewing, because they push the questioner to look harder and deeper at an issue vexing everyone in their field. As I read the book, I realized stress is nothing more than the questions we pester ourselves with continually. These "stress" questions may vary, but just contemplating the answers is a dull scrape to the spirit we give ourselves again and again: How can I quit this job I hate and still pay the mortgage? How much worse is my mom's Alzheimer's going to get? What can I do to get the kids' test scores up? You're going to ask yourself questions all day long - it's what humans do. So why not make them beautiful? If you're looking for renewal, stress reduction, balance, or a peaceful heart this summer (whatever you want to call it), maybe it begins with a bold, specific, and joyful question. A more beautiful question is one you can ask yourself about work every day that makes you want to jump out of bed and start thinking. What's the most joyful thing that will happen in my class this morning? How will my students take charge of their learning today? Who supports my learning and growth most in the school, and how can I reciprocate and support them more? I'm working on my big beautiful question for the school year right now. What might yours be? This week we look at student writers. Plus more as always -- enjoy! Brenda Power Founder, Choice Literacy Free for All [For sneak peeks at our upcoming features, quotes and extra links,  follow Choice Literacy on Twitter: @ChoiceLiteracy or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChoiceLiteracy or Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/]   Here are two articles from the archives to help make your writing workshops stronger than ever. Ruth Shagoury finds even five- and six-year-olds can develop independent conferring skills in Mix It Up: Helping Young Writers Learn to Confer with Peers and Teachers: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=61 We all experience slumps. Clare Landrigan has one in her fitness routine and uses the learning from it to develop principles for helping student writers overcome slumps: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=526 Are you looking for some fun mentor texts for discussions with young learners about the writing process? The LitforKids blog has compiled an annotated list of Picture Books for Young Writers: http://litforkids.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/picture-books-for-writers/ Ralph Fletcher shares his writing habits in this three-minute video. This is a good conversation starter for a professional development workshop on routines: http://asuonline.wistia.com/medias/8edcvoppew Have you visited Lead Literacy yet? It's our subscription membership site designed specifically for the needs of literacy coaches. You can view sample content at this link: http://www.leadliteracy.com/it-list/4

As you begin the school year, here are some ideas about the lay out in your rooms. Courtesy of Choice Literacy.

August 9, 2014 - Issue #394 If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, click here for a Web-based version.   Home   I would really rather feel bad in Maine than feel good anywhere else.                                                                    E.B. White   Last January I visited Keri Archer's kindergarten classroom in the teeth of flu season. Almost half the children were absent, and Keri and the weary remainder were all coughing and sniffling. It was one of those days when as a class visitor I would casually wander over to the sink and do a whole-body spritz with the hand sanitizer every five minutes. And yet, I looked around at the bright hand-painted tables, the cozy pillows, the charmingly mismatched but oh-so-carefully selected chairs that seemed to whisper "come and sit a spell." I realized Keri had created one of those places where you'd rather be there feeling a mite poorly than almost anywhere else feeling well. The classroom felt like home, no small feat for any teacher trying to navigate draconian fire codes, lice-resistant seating, and the requirements to post sterile standards prominently. What are you planning for your classroom this fall to make it feel more like home for your students? Favorite family photographs they bring in for you to frame and scatter among the shelves? Self-portrait craft projects or sketches of favorite fiction characters from years past? What will give a sense of welcome, warm as a hearth, when children return to school? This week we look at classroom design. Plus more as always -- enjoy!     Brenda Power Founder, Choice Literacy     Free for All   [For sneak peeks at our upcoming features, quotes and extra links,  follow Choice Literacy on Twitter: @ChoiceLiteracy or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChoiceLiteracy or Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/]     Here are two features from the archives to help you make classroom design changes to support literacy.   Ann Marie Corgill writes about the beginning point for classroom design in Starting with Why:   http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1637     Katie Doherty finds out a lot about her middle school students as readers when she spends the first week letting them define and design her classroom library:   http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=442     Katherine Sokolowski does a video blog post on how design possibilities opened up in her classroom once she got rid of her teacher desk:   http://goo.gl/kYwCZI     The Choice Literacy Pinterest board Take a Seat highlights creative classroom seating options from our contributors:   http://www.pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/take-a-seat/     We've posted our fall online course roster, with offerings from Jennifer Allen, Katie DiCesare, Franki Sibberson, Clare Landrigan, and Tammy Mulligan. Topics include assessment, the Common Core and writing, technology, literacy coaching basics, and coaching writing workshops. Choice Literacy members receive a $50 discount off the $295 fee for each course. For detailed descriptions and to download a color brochure, click on this link:   http://www.choiceliteracy.com/workshops.php   Have you visited Lead Literacy yet? It's our subscription membership site designed specifically for the needs of literacy coaches. You can view sample content at this link:   http://www.leadliteracy.com/it-list/4

Instructional coaches are a great resource. Here is an article that addresses some of the positive impact they can have. Courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief.

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Instructional coaches as wellsprings of innovation
"Instructional coaches, who work closely with classroom teachers to improve their practice, are an important source of school leadership, but teachers often don't know how to capitalize on this relatively new position in education," writes educator Daniel Grejda. In his recent ASCD Express article, Grejda explains how instructional coaches can act as ambassadors for positive change. Read on.

Here is another great collection of articles, etc. from Choice Literacy. They include professional reading for organizing reading workshops. Enjoy!

July 5, 2014 - Issue #389 If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, click here for a Web-based version. Cucumber in a Tomato Cage  A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them                                                           Liberty Hyde Bailey                                                               I have two 4'x8' raised beds in my garden for all of my herbs and vegetables. Tomatoes and basil are non-negotiables, as are chives and parsley and rosemary. This year, on a whim, I bought a cucumber plant for the first time. It was so cute, and the possibility of fresh cucumbers from my own garden made me drool in anticipation. I didn't think through the space issues, though. Cucumbers vine, and I don't have horizontal space in my tiny garden, only vertical space. So I'm growing a cucumber in a tomato cage, and it's mostly working according to my plan: a large part of the plant is growing the way I want it to grow (up). But I have had to come to terms with the stems that cannot be convinced to stay in the cage and are instead sneaking between the flat leaf and curly parsley and heading across the bed to hang out with the basil. This cucumber in its tomato cage has me thinking about all of the supports our students need to grow successfully. We can plan for behavioral supports - a calm, quiet voice, refusal to engage in power plays, alternative spaces to work alone. We can plan for academic supports - alternative texts, small-group instruction, extra time, and multiple attempts. We can plan for social supports - careful composition of work groups, time spent with the guidance counselor, informal lunch bunches Yet invariably, some of our students will need supports that do not come from our toolbox of tried-and-true strategies. For some of our students, we will need to invent the right support for one particular child and for the conditions at hand. It's this "cucumber in a tomato cage" mentality that I need in my classroom as I support my students in a variety of ways. Most will grow predictably, and will respond to the supports I provide from my toolbox of reliable strategies. But I need to be ready to improvise now and then, creatively supporting a child for the most success possible while relaxing my expectations about the direction of each child's growth. This week we feature books for launching reading workshops. Plus more as always -- enjoy! Mary Lee Hahn Contributor, Choice Literacy Mary Lee Hahn has been teaching 4th or 5th graders for more than 20 years. She is the author of Reconsidering Read-Aloud (Stenhouse Publishers). Mary Lee and her colleague in the Dublin City Schools, Franki Sibberson, blog about their reading and teaching lives at A Year of Reading. Free for All [For sneak peeks at our upcoming features, quotes and extra links,  follow Choice Literacy on Twitter: @ChoiceLiteracy or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChoiceLiteracy or Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/]   Here are two booklists from the archives to help you think through how to launch your reading workshops. What are the best books for the visual learners in your classroom? Carol Wilcox draws on her experience as a mom to two boys who do not love her "world of words" in coming up with suggestions: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=321 Jan Miller Burkins highlights books for launching the school year with intention, confidence, and community in mind: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1032 Cathy Mere has terrific advice for launching primary reading workshops at her Refine and Reflect blog: http://bit.ly/TJlDW9 Will you be working with students on the autism spectrum next year? Aaron Lanou explains how you can adapt morning meetings to suit their needs: http://bit.ly/1mzFBcs Join us in July for a live workshop or online course. We have two online offerings, Text Complexity in Grades 3-5 with Franki Sibberson (July 9-20), and Literacy Coach Jumpstart with Jennifer Allen (July 19-30). Our live event is Coaching the Common Core in Wrentham, Massachusetts July 16-17. For more details on costs and registration, click on this link: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/workshops.php