Tiffanee Brown, co-author of Concept-Based Literacy Lessons, writes in this blog how, in a Concept-Based Literacy classroom, teaching skills is not the end goal in and of itself. Rather, the skills are taught to exemplify a bigger idea or Understanding about important literacy processes.
Douglas Fisher, co-author of This Is Balanced Literacy, explains how the term "balanced literacy" today is used to describe instructional arrangements. A simple Internet search for “balanced literacy” will result in a wide range of graphics that indicate that whole class and small group instruction must be in balance. But that’s not where the term originally comes from.
"Balanced literacy is more than grouping students. But grouping for instruction is important and, sadly, neglected." Read more from Nancy Frey, co-author of This Is Balanced Literacy, on Corwin Connect.
Read how you can enact a gradual release of responsibilty within your Balanced Literacy groups in this blog post from Nancy Akhavan, co-author of This Is Balanced Literacy.
Maria Walther, author of The Ramped-up Read Aloud, lists her six tips for ramping-up your read aloud experiences to inspire our students and keep them engaged and interested in reading.
In her blog on Corwin Connect, Julie Wright, author of What Are You Grouping For?, provides the answer to how we move toward more individualized learning opportunities within our time constraints: small-group reading experiences.
Read this blog post from Pamela Koutrakos, author of Word Study that Sticks, to learn three ready-to-go ways to infuse word study into the content areas.
What if the key to increasing the long-term impact of our classrooms and schools was doing fewer things much better? Read the full blog from Dave Stuart Jr., author of These 6 Things, to learn more about how to focus your teaching on what actually matters.
Instructional time is a precious commodity, so it’s worth thinking about ways to make transitions as efficient as possible. In this blog post from Every Child Can Write author Melanie Meehan, she explains that, when we teach explicit strategies for transitioning smoothly and efficiently, we unlock more time for instruction.
In this blog post from Pamela Koutrakos, author of Word Study That Sticks and The Word Study That Sticks Companion, she explains that, for word study to be an integral part of your classroom routine, you can't wait until the “perfect time” to get started. Read her tips to going right away.
Teachers can serve as curators of texts in much the same way as museum curators. Julie Wright, author of What Are You Grouping For?, explains how we can make deliberate moves to pique interest, evoke emotion, and urge action in readers. And we can invite our students to be curators, too.
"Whether you are in your first years of teaching (welcome to our rewarding profession!) or, like me, you’re starting the school year for the 34th time, the way you begin matters. We only get one chance to set the tone and establish a shared vision for living and learning together, so let’s make the most of it! With that goal in mind, I’ll offer a few books for read alouds and ideas that you might try as you build relationships on the 'days you begin.'" Read more from The Ramped-Up Read Aloud author Maria Walther on Corwin Connect.