Reading
Whole Class Novels
From the desk of Carol C… Read an education journal or a book about teaching reading comprehension (no matter the grade level), you will find a myriad of strategies to use with your students. You’ll, also, find a difference of opinion on whether to teach these strategies using the same novel for your entire class…
Read MoreWhy Picture Books Matter
From the desk of Carol C… Let me start off by saying that I love picture books…not all of them mind you but a vast majority of them. I’ve always loved them, so a few years ago I became concerned after an article in the New York Times reported that the sale of picture books…
Read MoreComprehension Issue or Assignment Issue?
From the desk of Hope… I write this blog as a question hoping to get some interaction and feedback from you. Recently I’ve had three parents approach me about “issues” their children are having with reading comprehension. Before I go into the “issues” I would like to describe these children to you as I know…
Read MoreAn Educational Bargain
From the desk of Alice… I recently wrote a post about the anti-workbook classroom. There is another layer to the story. The teacher I mentioned in the post had chosen not to use the workbooks provided to her in order to teach reading to Kindergarteners. Instead, she chose to use rich literacy instruction that engaged…
Read MoreReading Comprehension Strategies
From the desk of Carol C… Recently I worked with a bright middle school child who needed some support with reading and writing. We were working on what I thought was a difficult poem, but it was a suggested exemplar from the Common Core for the grade below this child’s. At first I thought my…
Read MoreThe Anti-Workbook Classroom
From the desk of Alice… I recently had a conversation with someone about instruction in the elementary school. In that particular school system, a program is in place that requires reading workbooks for Kindergarten students. If this happens to be the case in your school or system, I am so sorry. Having our youngest learners…
Read MoreShouldn't They Already Know How to Read This?
From the desk of Alice… I am fortunate to be able to work in middle and high school classrooms as part of my weekly work. The classes are always full of energy and there is rarely a dull moment. When I am in these classes, my role is to support the literacy development of the…
Read MoreThe Gift of Reading
From the desk of Alice… In this first year of Common Core, I am seeing and hearing many stressed educators trying to make sense of what they need to be doing. Rest assured, one thing we need to continue to do is encourage a love of learning as we dip into this new territory in…
Read MorePublishing
From the desk of Carol C…. Publishing was hard for me for a long time, and I never had it down to a science. I think it had something to do with the way writing was taught when I first started teaching. Assign the topic, students write, students turn in their papers, teachers correct the…
Read MoreGuided Reading by Any Other Name…
From the desk of Carol C…. First let me start with a story that may tell you where I’m coming from on the subject of guided reading. Quite a few years ago I observed a K/1 classroom where the children were learning how to subtract. One child raised her hand to give the answer and…
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