Lit Coach Recommends...

Another Workshop Video Resource
 Want to see some examples of workshop components in the primary classroom?  Check out this interactive web workshop on teaching reading in the primary classroom.  There are some great videos and teacher explain how to implement various components. 
Teaching Reading K-2

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Secondary Formative Assessment
Thanks to Amy Rosenwald for sharing a formative assessment she created based on the 8th Grade EOU Benchmark for Unit 3:  Understanding Informational Text.  Amy first requires students to annotate the informational text before completing the quiz.  Feel free to input your own text!
Unit 3:  Formative Assessment (QUIZ 1)

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Reading Response Resources
Teachers around the district are using Reading Response Logs to help students respond to the texts.  Check out the Reading Response resources we've collected from Cris Tovani and your colleagues:

Reading Response Log - 3 Questions 

Inner Voice Sheet
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Resources for the Writing Process
Students across are district are engaging in meaningful research about self-selected topics!  Help organize this information by using a graphic organizer.  Then show students how to put the information together before the actually writing of the piece begins!  Check out the resources, feel free to adapt to fit the needs of your students. 

Opinion Piece Graphic Organizers

Informational Piece Graphic Organizers
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Conferring Cheat Sheet
Use this assessment to conferring resource from the Two Sisters to help narrow your student conferences to a specific strategy. 
Assessment to Conferring

Lit Coach Recommends...

Narrative Nonfiction

Many teachers are diving into the different types of informational texts.  One in particular is Narrative Nonfiction.  In this video from Choice Literacy, Aimee Buckner models a read aloud and guided activity by having students identify facts within a narrative nonfiction read aloud. 
Part One:  The Read Aloud
Part Two:  The Activity

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Teaching Channel

Thanks to Roberta Bizardie for recommending teachingchannel.org.  This web resources has a variety of a videos of expert teachers modeling Management to Common Core Standards.  It can also act has a digital PLC through the Workspace features.  Teachers can keep track of lessons they'd like to try, take notes and follow teachers.

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Questions for Instructional Conferencing
Erin Grant spent the last couple weeks compiling a magnificent document for literacy teachers K-12.  Questions for Instructional Conferencing was first meant as a resource for administrators but is now shared to all instructional staff to be used as a reflective tool.  Use the questions to guide you through the curriculum and plan your instruction accordingly. 
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Essay Map

Check out this Essay Map through readwritethink.org.  This tool can be used as a graphic organizer to get kids started on writing their informational and opinion pieces.  It can also be used to summarize texts based on the Summary Rubric as seen in Unit 2.  Make sure to consult your Writing Rubrics when planning your writing instruction.


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Literacy Learning Lab
There is still plenty of space for the remaining Literacy Labs.  Our Novice to Ninja series will focus on sharing resources.  The March 22nd Pit Stop will focus on looking at data to inform the last 6 weeks of teaching.  We'll be looking at Mastery Manager data and also breaking down additional Common Core Standards.

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Lit Coach Recommends...

This week's Lit Coach Recommends will share some videos of writing lessons from out support website, Choice Literacy, as well as a video from one of our own teachers!  We also have a great online resource for nonfiction articles as well as sharing how a teacher in our district is using blogs for informational writing!

Revising Titles

As many teachers progress through the writing process for the required informational piece, many focus on revising to make their piece more exciting.  Watch this video of a 3rd and 4th grade classroom as they revise the titles of their pieces.  

 Revising Titles

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Adding details and paragraphing with Mentor Texts

Paragraphing can often be the key piece for organizing student writing.  Watch as Aimee Buckner uses a mentor text to teach paragraphing to a group of writers. 

Paragraphing

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Informational Blogging

Sarah Finely starting blogging in her 7th grade classroom.  But its not just any kind of blogging, its blogging with a purpose in mind.  Sarah's plan is to develop writers' nonfiction writing skills through informational blogging.  Here are some of the informational blogs students have created:

Nature Underwater!  by Kalion Knox

Gleek Digest by Madison Kornely

Food with Love by Nebraska Millard

PowWow Times by Chaz Blue Thunder

Check back as their writing develops over the course of the unit!  Great job kids!

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Reviewing Narrative Learning Goals

Not sure how to continue to support students in their narrative learning goals?  Conferring with students on self-selected independent reading is an excellent place to return to learning goals from the narrative unit.  Check out one of our own, Patty Tinant, as she confers with a Jocelyn, a fourth grader, after finishing a self-selected book. Notice how she reviews learning goals from Unit 2 (author's purpose, theme, etc.)

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Nonfiction Articles

Trouble finding nonfiction reading for your students?  Check out KidzTimez!  Student can read a variety of nonfiction articles.   Read them online or simply copy and paste the article of choice into a word document.