Reading
A Boy and the Library
From the desk of Alice… Let me introduce you to Miller: He is 6. He is a boy. His favorite time of day at school is on the playground because he is “fast”. He likes to be right. All the time. He has a sharp sense of humor and understands sarcasm. He enjoys math because…
Read MoreOne Little Way to Enlarge Your Child's World
From the desk of Leigh Ann… “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Research has shown that one of the most important things a parent can do to help instill a love of learning in their child is to read to…
Read MoreClassroom Libraries
From the desk of Carol C… Every classroom needs a library. It’s easy to say but hard to do. I remember collecting books for my first classroom library and then trying to keep it current. Here’s what I did. When I first began to teach I didn’t have a strong grasp on how to motivate…
Read MoreRead. Analyze. Emulate.
From the desk of Alice… In case you missed it, Kelly Gallagher was in town this week and did a workshop related to reading and writing. I love it when we are able to bring high quality educators and authors to the area so I can learn from them. Kelly had many useful tips for…
Read MoreTeaching the Reader
From the desk of Karen… Educators talk a lot about shifts these days: changing outdated teaching habits, aligning our work with brain research, learning to make our teaching stronger. Well, this is a major, earthquake-shattering shift for many. “I am not simply teaching the reading; I am teaching the reader.” ~Kelly Gallagher Teaching the reading…
Read MoreHelp! My Child Reads Above Grade Level
From the desk of Alice… I recently had a conversation with a friend who told me her first grader had scored well above average on his reading test and she wanted some suggestions for summer reading. She clarified her child’s test results indicated that he was reading on a 5th grade level at the end…
Read MoreGetting Your Child to Read During Summer Vacation
From the desk of Carol C… Last weekend I asked several parents what they did to encourage their children to read outside of school, especially during the summer. Some told me their children were always engaged with reading. Others gave me some practical ideas that worked for them. Here are the tips that brought the…
Read MoreFluency
From the desk of Carol C… Fluency is coming to the forefront again. Schools, school districts, and states have bought kits, systems, and reading passages to assess students’ fluency rates. The problem? By the time professional development is offered to teachers the message is akin to what is heard at the end of a “Whispered…
Read MoreRaising the Levels of Questioning
From the desk of Carol C… Teachers have always asked questions. It is a natural part of any lesson, but questioning in 2013 must be different. Today in order to meet the rigorous demands of the Common Core Standards we must approach questioning from a different perspective. Now questions must be preplanned and deliberate just…
Read MoreStrategy v. Skills
From the Desk of Hope… This strategy and that strategy. What makes this one better than the next? Strategy. Skill. I need clarification. As I am out in schools coaching teachers with literacy instruction, I am often approached about confusions with the difference between teaching reading skills and reading strategies. P. David Pearson writes about…
Read More