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5 Ways to Make Reading and Writing Workshop
More Learner Driven
If you use the workshop model already, then you know the predictable structure. Yes, parts of reading and writing workshop are learner driven. I used reading and writing workshop for 6 years. And for 8 years I've provided professional development for teachers on how to implement the workshop model. I wish I knew what a learner driven community really was when I first started using the workshop model. I can't wait to share how you can make your workshop classroom even more learner driven.
Peer Learning in the Classroom:
What Should It Look Like?
What if…all students were in charge of their own learning. Instead of ONLY learning from YOU, they taught themselves and learned from their peers. They embraced challenges and saw them as opportunities to grow. What if… you could guide and support your students in becoming curious, independent, lifelong learners. I'm telling you…that would be GLORIOUS! What I love the most about peer learning is that it transforms any literacy classroom into a community of learners.
How Does Student Engagement Impact
the Writing Classroom?
Student engagement can impact learning in the writing classroom. When was the last time, you sat down to write a long piece of writing. A letter to a dear friend, a long email, cover letter for a new job, master or doctoral degree paper. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Was it hard to sit still and get the words on the page? Some of your students may feel this way too when it's time for writing workshop or independent writing time. In order for your students to be successful at writing, it will take a huge amount of mental focus and discipline.
THREE Reading Engagement Tools for the
Conferring Classroom
So how do you know when your students' level of reading engagement is low? This is where the reading engagement tools can come in. It can help track the symptoms of the engagement problem. Maybe the lack of reading comprehension is the cause. Or, ask yourself when is the last time you had the class meet with their partner or club mates? When your students are socially collaborative while reading; that can really help to build reading engagement. Sometimes, you can rule out comprehension as the root of the engagement issue…
Strategies for Book Shopping in the Classroom
When your students go book shopping in the classroom, are they choosing books that are just right for them? You know… ones they are going to enjoy reading? As a literacy teacher one of your top priorities in reading workshop or conferring classroom is building reading engagement. When your students are motivated to read, have and use strategies to comprehend what they read, can construct meaning from the text, and are socially…
What is Engaged Reading in the Conferring Classroom?
You could be the most passionate and enthusiastic teacher, super awesome at conferring with students. But if your students go back to independent reading time and they don't read, they won't make the progress you are hoping for.
Yes, you can learn the most important conferring methods that will help your students make the most growth. But..
4 Key Steps to Scheduling Small Group Instruction
Do you know what makes small group instruction so powerful? It’s when it is matched to your students’ individual needs. Conferring All-Star Teachers™ identify clear goals and skills within these goals to keep the focus on each student as the unique reader or writer they are…even when they are in a small group. You’ll want to pull your students who have a common need together. I’m going to walk you through step-by-step how to schedule small group instruction purposefully and quickly.
How to Organize Your Classroom Library for More Diversity
Do you have a classroom library setup in your classroom? I hope you do because when your classroom library is setup correctly, it can really be an ANCHOR to all the reading units you are going to teach.
One thing I've noticed in many classroom libraries is the lack of diversity. I encourage you to include a variety of backgrounds, cultures, races etc. into your classroom library. Let's chat about FOUR steps…
3 Approaches to Classroom Management for Reading and Writing Partnerships & Clubs
I love when students learn from one another and I hear the buzz and hum of engaged learning conversations. When partnerships are successful, WOW… it’s amazing what learning occurs! But how many times have we put students in groups only to watch them interact with their laptops instead of each other? Or just don't know what to talk about? Or complain about a lazy teammate not pulling their weight?
The 5 Best Teacher Writing Prompts for Conferences & Small Groups
One of my most favorite parts of conferring with students is coaching and giving teacher feedback as they try out new strategies. It allows me to catch them in the moment when they stumble, help them change course, and point out what they’re doing that is working. Offering students feedback and support happens in all conferences. This is so crucial to your students’ success. When you have a variety of teacher writing prompts to use in your feedback; it makes…
How to Help Students with Reading Comprehension but do it the Conferring All-Star Teacher™ Way
I bet you have some students who are close to their reading goals and some who are nowhere near it. There's probably a mix of different reading levels going on in your classroom. Am I right? Small group instruction is one of the quickest ways to help students with reading comprehension. I encourage you to spend the majority of your conferring time in small groups with students who…
Give Transferable Compliments
to Students Every Time
Giving compliments to students is something that we as educators want to get really, really good at. I don’t know about you…but I just LOVE praising my students with words of encouragement whenever I can. To see their eyes light up when I’ve noticed something AMAZING they have done. It makes my heart feel sooo good. But how do we compliment students in such a way that it becomes TRANSFERABLE into…
Meet Desirée
Interior decorator, scrapbooker, growth mindset, faith led, homeschool Mama, elementary teacher turned literacy coach, founder of the Conferring All-Star Teacher and Black History All-Star Skits… where she is redefining and transforming traditional literacy classrooms into learner driven communities.
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