Each grade level has an emphasis on commas, letter openings, and closings within the Elementary Common Core Language Standards. I LOVE to teach this through picture books. I like to read one aloud and point out when and where the author used different types of punctuation and capitalization. You can even grab several different copies and let students explore the… Read more →
I do a lot of professional development with schools across quite a few districts. I love being able to work face to face to help teachers make sense of the Common Core standards. The number one subject that I get follow-up emails and social media messages about are additional resources to learn more about instructional practices that support the rigor… Read more →
Working with reading standard 9 is a challenge for elementary school students. The goal of this standard is to learn how to gather information from more than one source to learn more about a topic. As with all good instruction, this requires think-aloud modeling and multiple modeling sessions. As I worked with a group of third graders this month, I… Read more →
Judy Blume. Beverly Cleary. Roald Dahl. Francine Pascal. Ann Martin. As a child,those five authors dominated my reading lists. I loved the imagery that Dahl used to create fantastical characters. Cleary and Blume both delighted me with their uncanny awareness of what I, as a child, thought and understood. Pascal enticed me into a world of tween drama. Ann Martin made me want… Read more →
