"You're in 8th grade, and that's not an 8th-grade book." I can picture myself in the library, looking at a student with a book in their hand, saying, "Choose something else." When I first started as a teacher, I had certain thoughts about what literacy instruction was supposed to be. About holding students to "high standards". … Continue reading What counts as reading?

When I realized it was #NoWorksheetWeek, I decided to jump right in with something I've been thinking about for awhile - #BookSnaps. (This idea originated with Tara Martin - Check out her website for the details.) At this point in the year, I have spent a lot of time working with my striving readers on the skills they … Continue reading Just Jump In! – #BookSnaps

I was at a meeting a few weeks ago where a few leaders from my school's community were presenting. One thing the mayor said stuck with me. "You have to know what's important to your people." This got me thinking about what is important to my students. So - I made a three-question survey to … Continue reading You have to know what’s important to your people.

Real talk.I'm late to the game on equity in schools.  I've started reading, and reading, and reading. I've taken coursework examining pieces of the problem like racism, poverty, and privilege. I seek out my own resources - getting books after they come up at Edcamp conversations, on Twitter chats (thanks #EduColor), blogs I've read, or … Continue reading Real Talk – RtI and Equity

Grammar instruction isn't the most exciting thing in the world. In fact, people might argue that students don't really need to be able to identify subjects, verbs, and all other parts of the sentence. I do believe that being able to think metacognitively about language is a skill that students should be exposed to.One of … Continue reading BYOD, Technology Integration and 8th Graders Loving Grammar Lessons

I am in limbo. For 7 of the past 10 years I have taught 8th grade language arts (three years in the middle I was an academic interventionist). There is a possibility I will be moving to 6th grade for this school year.This year. The one that starts in 14 days - 7 of which … Continue reading First Days? Begin With the End In Mind.