Choice Literacy Big Fresh

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. Click here for ALL links discussed.

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! This month we are reading Unbound: The Life + Art of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott with Brie Spangler and Melissa Sweet. Sign up now so you are in the know about #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Matt Renwick is offering a free e-book in anticipation of the release of his new book, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H. You can get the free e-book and subscribe to Matt's newsletter.

Chris Sperry and Cyndy Scheibe share how to teach your students to be "truth seekers" with this curriculum-driven, inquiry-based media analysis activity.

Ruth Ayres suggests four notebook pages to help students balance facts and emotions when writing persuasively. (This article was first published in 2021.)

Mandy Robek is a little nervous about setting her students loose to organize informational texts, but she couldn't be more pleased by what they learn in the process. (This article was first published in 2020.)

Don't miss The Limits of Levels: Expanding Boundaries of How We Assess Young Readers with Cathy Mere. This course is free to Literacy Leader members and available to purchase.

We are pleased to announce updates with our group memberships. Literacy Team memberships offer a discounted rate, as well as the ease of managing your team through a group dashboard. Click here to check out all of our membership options.

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. Click here for ALL links discussed.

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! This month we are reading Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham. Sign up now so you are in the know about #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Matt Renwick is offering a free ebook in anticipation of the release of his new book, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H. You can get the free ebook and subscribe to Matt's newsletter.

Bitsy Parks shares some of her favorite strategies for quick and meaningful word work groups in her first-grade classroom. (This article was first published in 2020.)

Brian Sepe shares one of his favorite activities for small groups of young learners: making books together. (This article was first published in 2020.)

NOW AVAILABLE! Don't miss The Limits of Levels: Expanding Boundaries of How We Assess Young Readerswith Cathy Mere. This course is free to Literacy Leader members and available to purchase.

We are pleased to announce updates with our group memberships. Literacy Team memberships offer a discounted rate, as well as the ease of managing your team through a group dashboard. Click here to check out all of our membership options.

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. Click here for ALL links discussed.

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! This month we are reading Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham. Sign up now so you are in the know about #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Tammy Mulligan enhances the quality of the class read aloud and student discussions with the use of a whole-class response notebook. (This article was first published in 2019.)

Featured contributor Brian Sepe discusses the importance of professional connections on the podcast. (This podcast was released in May 2021.)

Melanie Swider discovers that conversations after read alouds are a wonderful way for students to remember and retain the learning from shared texts. (This article was first published in 2015.)

We are pleased to announce updates with our group memberships. Literacy Team memberships offer a discounted rate, as well as the ease of managing your team through a group dashboard. Click here to check out all of our membership options.

 The focus of this week's podcast is welcoming spaces. Cathy Mere and Ruth Ayres join the conversation.

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. Click here for ALL links discussed.

00:00  Welcome

00:28  Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres

02:13  Free For All Content Highlights

09:25  Classic Classroom Content Highlights

18:48 Literacy Leader Content Highlights

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! We are taking a break in the month of December and will be back in January. Sign up now so you are in the know about #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Suzy Kaback thinks deeply about the concept of belonging as an essential part of building a school community. This article was first published in 2020.

Melissa Quimby creates "Meet Someone New Monday" to inspire students with picture book biographies of little-known artists, activists, and citizens who accomplish remarkable feats.

We are pleased to announce updates with our group memberships. Literacy Team memberships offer a discounted rate, as well as the ease of managing your team through a group dashboard. Click here to check out all of our membership options.

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. Click here for ALL links discussed.

00:00  Welcome

00:28  Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres

03:17  Free For All Content Highlights

10:48  Classic Classroom Content Highlights

16:28 Literacy Leader Content Highlights

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! We are taking a break in the month of December and will be back in January. Sign up now so you are in the know about #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Tara Barnett and Kate Mills use a know and wonder activity to encourage curiosity and independence as their seventh graders begin a new text. This article was first published in 2018.

Andrea Smith builds reflection into whole-class discussions in her fourth-grade classroom by beginning an anchor chart with four different illustrations from the covers of a read-aloud. This article was first published in 2017.

Melanie Quinn consoles a teacher who is recovering from a disastrous lesson captured on video, and shows the power of a "do-over" for both teachers and students. This article was first published in 2012.

We are pleased to announce updates with our group memberships. Literacy Team memberships offer a discounted rate, as well as the ease of managing your team through a group dashboard. Click here to check out all of our membership options.

 Enjoy listening as the Choice Literacy Book Club discusses Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez.

This year the Choice Literacy Book Club was formed. You will find a book talk video and a Padlet where our community has shared their thoughts about the book. Feel free to join! Click here to find out more about the Choice Literacy Book Club!

Order of joining the conversation:

Melanie Meehan

Ruth Ayres

Bitsy Parks

Click here for ALL links discussed.

00:00  Welcome

00:30  Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres

04:15 Book Club Discussion

We have been diligent about adding courses for you to explore. All courses are free to our Literacy Leader and Literacy Team members. Some are free to Classic Classroom members. Anyone may purchase a course for unlimited access to its content.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

We are pleased to announce updates with our group memberships. Literacy Team memberships offer a discounted rate, as well as the ease of managing your team through a group dashboard. Click here to check out all of our membership options.

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. Click here for ALL links discussed.

00:00  Welcome

00:28  Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres

03:00  Free For All Content Highlights

08:54  Classic Classroom Content Highlights

15:30 Literacy Leader Content Highlights

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Melanie Meehan selected the picture book Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez as our November read. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. 

Melanie Meehan and Ruth Ayres discuss this week's theme, classroom libraries, on the podcast.

Join the Choice Chat. Share a gratitude by leaving a comment on any of our social media channels. We’re giving away a free course to one commenter on each platform. The winner chooses the course.

Sean Musselman shares a less than perfect journey to a more inclusive classroom library on the Teacher|Books|Readers blog.

Mandy Robek realizes her classroom library isn't working for her second graders, in part because many of the books are still too difficult for students early in the year. She explains her process of sorting and stowing books for later use. This article was first published in 2016.

Mary Lee Hahn finds some of her fifth-grade readers are stuck in ruts by early winter. Her solution involves some radical changes to her classroom library over winter break. This article was first published in 2017.

Brian Sepe guides us into making a gratitude practice a powerful and practical part of each day.

Click here to find out more about membership options.

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. Click here for ALL links discussed.

00:00  Welcome

00:28  Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres

04:00  Free For All Content Highlights

09:23  Classic Classroom Content Highlights

15:44 Literacy Leader Content Highlights

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Melanie Meehan selected the picture book Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez as our November read. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. 

Tara Barnett and Kate Mills use the Sara Bareilles song "Brave" to help their fourth-grade students move from bed-to-bed stories to more emotive writing early in the year. This article was first published in 2016.

Katrina Edwards moves her first-grade class out of a rut with writing shares by introducing many new options. This article was first published in 2017.

Ruth Ayres catalogs her favorite types of share sessions (from old favorites to creative innovations) in writing workshops. This article was first published in 2018.

Shawn Achor shares the happy secret to better work.

Click here to find out more about membership options.

 Enjoy listening as the Choice Literacy Book Club discusses Enduring Freedom by Jawad Arash and Trent Reedy.

This year the Choice Literacy Book Club was formed. You will find a book talk video and a Padlet where our community has shared their thoughts about the book. Feel free to join! Click here to find out more about the Choice Literacy Book Club!

Order of joining the conversation:

Leigh Anne Eck

Christy Rush-Levine

Tara Barnett

Ruth Ayres

Click here for ALL links discussed.

00:00  Welcome

00:28  Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres

03:15 Book Club Discussion

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Leigh Anne Eck selected the young adult novel Enduring Freedom by Jawad Arash and Trent Reedy as our October read. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. 

Gretchen Schroeder reflects on why some of her students have developed a fear of reading by the time they reach high school. (This article was first published in 2018.)

Dana Murphy outlines the teaching practices that she learned from remote teaching and plans to carry with her upon returning to a physical classroom. (This article was first published in April 2021.)

We have been diligent about adding courses for you to explore. All courses are free to our Literacy Leader and Literacy Team members. Some are free to Classic Classroom members. Anyone may purchase a course for unlimited access to its content.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

We are pleased to announce updates with our group memberships. Literacy Team memberships offer a discounted rate, as well as the ease of managing your team through a group dashboard. Click here to check out all of our membership options.

Click here for ALL links discussed.

Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the October 22, 2021 issue here. 

00:00  Welcome

00:28  Lead Essay by Leigh Anne Eck

03:18  Free For All Content Highlights

10:18  Classic Classroom Content Highlights

18:45 Literacy Leader Content Highlights

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Leigh Anne Eck selected the young adult novel Enduring Freedom by Jawad Arash and Trent Reedy as our October read. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. 

Ruth Ayres and Cathy Mere discuss this week's theme, building bridges, on the podcast. 

Katherine Sokolowski uses the Community Timeline Project to bring together students and older community members around history and writing. Includes a downloadable interview guide to help students record the interviewee's life story. (This article was first published in 2019.)

Email is a terrific way to communicate with parents—Trish Prentice has practical tips for keeping it simple and saving time when using email. (This article was first published in 2012.)

Click here to find out more about membership options.