Teaching Tips
1 year 15 weeks ago
from Patrick Graham
When we last checked in with Forrest Elementary, the school had completed a couple of months of Being a Writer instruction in every grade from kindergarten through sixth. The writing instruction has progressed even better than we had hoped!
First grade teacher Christine Dreele is finding that her students are able to come up with more detail than in previous years.
Kindergarten...
1 year 16 weeks ago
from Megan Green
The great folks at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America have learned so much from implementing the AfterSchool KidzLit program that they wrote a guide on best practices for their sites. They shared this guide with us and we want to share it with you; there is a lot to be learned here, and I hope you find this helpful. Thank you to the National Boys and Girls Clubs of America for allowing us...
1 year 17 weeks ago
from Eben Montaquila
Looking back on how little my teammates and I knew about lesson study, I am in awe of how much my teammates and I have been able to grow since we started our journey in October of 2010.
As a rookie teacher, I loved the idea of actually having a structured time and format to sit with my teammates and discuss the planning and teaching of a lesson in detail. Recalling what I actually thought I...
(2) 1 year 18 weeks ago
from Bill Goldsmith
[Editorial note: we love that Bill was inspired to extend the strategy instruction in the Making Meaning program. We wanted to note that he teaches these lessons in a small group setting and Making Meaning, as written, is typically taught using whole class instruction.]
As the year progresses it is my goal that students begin to take more ownership of each strategy that I’ve taught...
1 year 23 weeks ago
from Ann H. Leon
The past six months have brought about a series of "ah-ha" moments for me as a DSC consultant, literacy educator, and adult learner in ways that are beyond measure. My understanding of the DSC Way has shifted in subtle yet exponential measures in my work as I continue to learn to communicate clearly in supporting teachers and students.
One change is that I have learned to present...
(1) 1 year 23 weeks ago
from Melissa Broiles
My class is thoroughly enjoying the Being a Writer writing program. We are currently working on the Personal Narrative unit. The children are very motivated to write, and some of them are even taking it upon themselves to write at home, even though I haven't asked them to do so. They come to school and are very excited to share their work with me. I see impressive changes in my students...
(1) 1 year 23 weeks ago
from Kathleen Morris
My students are continuing to make progress with their writing. Now I am focusing on not only the ideas (content) that they have written, but also the conventions domain of the Pennsylvania rubric. As many of us do, we read what we think we wrote. I had taken notice when students originally came to me for a mini conference that they often experienced that dilemma. Now I have each student read...
1 year 23 weeks ago
from Kathy Solimeo
Our class read the book Fortunately and then created our own book modeled after it. This book was read in Being a Writer Unit 1, Week 4, "Getting Ideas from Pattern Books." The students were to listen to and discuss a text that uses patterns. In this case it was the repeated words "Fortunately, Unfortunately". My class loved this book and I read it several times to...
(1) 1 year 24 weeks ago
from Annie Alcott
Harry Potter Is Not a Second-grade Text
Unless you’ve been living under a rock on an alien planet, you know that the Harry Potter series is probably the most appealing book series of this generation. Its allure in the classroom is bright, shining and, well, magical to children and teachers alike. But there is another thing to know about the series—Harry Potter is not a second-grade...
1 year 25 weeks ago
from Jane McCann
This week all teachers at my school, grades K–5, are excitedly making home visits…something that I love and that has been a practice at my school for years! These visits represent the very first classroom community connection for both the students and the teachers. As soon as we get our class lists, we begin calling. As a teacher, I will call every student's parent(s) in my class...
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