Choice Literacy Big Fresh

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is Building Empathy Through Reading. Matt Renwick joins the podcast.

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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 March 19, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Lead Essay

02:45 New Content

06:10 Matt Renwick Interview

Free for All

Do they care? That's the question Karen Terlecky asks herself as she sets up book clubs in her fifth-grade classroom with a focus on empathy. This article was first published in 2012.

Nancy Zuckerbord shares ways to develop social-emotional skills and empathy using fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Stephanie Affinito explains how literacy leaders can spice up a winter professional development session with a read-aloud book tasting and competition modeled after the March Book Madness initiative. This was first published in the Leaders Lounge in 2019.

It's not too late to join in with March Book Madness hosted by Tony Keefer and Scott Jones. Grab a bracket, pull the books into a basket, and you're ready for your class to join in this global event.

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Bitsy Parks selected the picture book Little Brown by Marla Frazee for our March read. Click on the link to hear a book talk by Bitsy and to download the printable bookmarks. Join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. 

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is empowering readers. This week, Sara Kajder joins the podcast.

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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 March 12, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome

02:18 Sara Kajder Interview

Free for All

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Bitsy Parks selected a thought-provoking picture book for our March read. Find out more at the site. Join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. 

Can a High Stakes Assessment Create Readers? Stephanie Affinito encounters an unexpected by-product of testing for her son—the uninterrupted reading time waiting for others to finish builds a good habit. She questions whether a high-stakes assessment can create readers. This article was first published in 2020.

Beyond Explicit Instruction: What Do Struggling Readers Need? Franki Sibberson explores the varied needs of young readers and writers. First published in 2015, this article is a must-read for us today.

March Book Madness: It's not too late to join in with March Book Madness hosted by Tony Keefer and Scott Jones. Grab a bracket, pull the books into a basket, and you're ready for your class to join in this global event.

We Are Teachers: Brandie Freeman shares common teacher interview questions in a post-COVID world.

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is empowering readers. This week, we share The Choice Literacy Book Club discussion about #OwnVoices middle grade fantasy novel The Barren Grounds.

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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 March 5, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome

00:28 Lead Essay by Matt Renwick

04:13 Classic Classroom Content

05:42 Leaders Lounge Content

06:50 Free for All

8:44 The Choice Literacy Book Club Discussion

Free for All

Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Bitsy Parks selected a thought-provoking picture book for our March read. Find out more at the site. Join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. 

Read Them Again...And Again...And Again: Jennifer Ryan encourages us to read picture books again and again. In this post on Teachers Books Readers, Jennifer outlines the importance of rereading beautiful picture books. Don’t miss the links to videos to show how students’ responses become more sophisticated with rereading.

Readers Want to Respond: Matt Renwick is surprised when his son completes a reading quiz that isn’t required, and finally realizes it’s all about reading response. This article was first published in 2019.

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is Celebrating Writers. Bitsy Parks joins the podcast.

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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 February 26, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome00:30 Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres03:48 Classic Classroom Content06:17 Bitsy Parks Interview27:27 Free for All29:01 Leaders Lounge Content

Free for All

The Choice Literacy Book Club!  Christy Rush-Levine selected an Own Voices middle grade fantasy novel for the February read. This is free for all! Follow along on the site of with #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Sharing Writing in a Class Celebration: Ruth Ayres shares her best tips for sharing writing in a class celebration.

Writing Share Structures:  Katrina Edwards moves her first-grade class out of a rut with writing shares by introducing several new options.

Author to Author Website:  Matt Glover talks with Lester Laminack about the importance of a relationship that allows writers to be vulnerable in the revision process.

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is shared writing. Tammy Mulligan joins the podcast.

 

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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 February 19, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome

00:32 Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres

03:08 Classic Classroom Content

06:53 Tammy Mulligan Interview

22:30 Free for All

23:59 Leaders Lounge Content

Free for All

The Choice Literacy Book Club!  Christy Rush-Levine selected an Own Voices middle grade fantasy novel for the February read. This is free for all! Follow along on the site of with #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Using Shared Writing to Build Argument Skills: Shari Frost explains the power of shared writing in intermediate classrooms, especially for struggling learners. (This article was first published in 2013.)

Putting Ourselves in Our Teaching: Debbie Miller's wonderful essay is great to read when you're feeling rushed, and want to hit the "pause button" to remind yourself of what really matters in the classroom. First published in 2012, this is an article that is needed today.

The Cult of Pedagogy: Jennifer Gonzalez has wise advice on how to teach when everyone is scattered.

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is argument writing. Tara Barnett and Kate Mills join the conversation about mentor texts for argument writing.

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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 February 12, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome

01:20 Lead Essay by Bitsy Parks

04:26 Classic Classroom Content

06:34 Tara Barnett and Kate Mills Interview

23:16 Free for All

25:09 Leaders Lounge Content

 

Free for All

The Choice Literacy Book Club!  Christy Rush-Levine selected an Own Voices middle grade fantasy novel for the February read. This is free for all! Follow along on the site of with #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

A Fresh Take on Persuasive Writing: Louise Wrobleski uses video clips, children's literature, and newspaper articles to teach middle school students new ways to craft persuasive writing.This article was first published in 2019 and is now free for all.

Dear Young Writer, Your Audience Matters: Melissa Quimby shares how she encourages her students to consider their audience when writing with how-to steps and wise advice to lift the level of writing in her classroom.

Review Writing Advice: New York Times Critics A.O. Scott, Maya Phillips, Jennifer Szalai, and Jon Pareles share their review writing advice for students. Their suggestions include: express a strong opinion, use descriptive details and don’t be afraid to edit.

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is finding meaning in reading. Heather Fisher  joins the podcast.

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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 February 5, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome

01:00 Lead Essay

05:20 Classic Classroom Content

10:12 Free for All

12:26 Leaders Lounge Content

13:58 Heather Fisher Interview

Free for All

The Choice Literacy Book Club:  Christy Rush-Levine selected an Own Voices middle grade fantasy novel for the February read. This is free for all! Follow along on the site of with #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.

Reading That Changes Us: Tara Barnett and Kate Mills slow down the "Article of the Week" nonfiction reading activity, making space for more reflection and thoughtful discussion. This article was first published in 2019.

Disrupting Thinking: Tara Barnett and Kate Mills reference the book Disrupting Thinking by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst. Although it's been a few years since its release in 2017, the ideas are critical today. This is a link to the Scholastic book site with an overview of the book, a blog post with five prompts to use in a reading conference, and links to eleven videos of the 10 tips (plus a bonus tip) for teaching students to love to read.

The Yarn: This podcast has been publishing episodes for more than five years. Travis Jonker and Colby Sharp share behind the scenes of children's literature. As you work to support students in discovering central ideas, themes and writing summaries, nourish your own ability to do the same by listening in on The Yarn.

Black Creator Series: In this educator-focused podcast highlighting the work of Black authors and illustrators, Sonja Cherry-Paul, director of Diversity and Equity at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, will lead discussions with children’s book creators about their work and the powerful w

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is recognizing bias. Gretchen Schroeder joins the podcast.

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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 January 29, 2021 issue here. 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome

00:47 Lead Essay

04:49 Classic Classroom Content

0:46 Gretchen Schroeder Interview

32:43 Free for All

34:13 Leaders Lounge Content

 

Free for All

Culturally Responsive Texts: Katrina Edwards is horrified when a student response reveals cultural gaps in her first-grade classroom library. She researches possibilities for expanding the diversity of texts, and shares an annotated bibliography linking different cultures and curricular possibilities. This feature was first published in 2016, yet the ideas and inspiration are still relevant today.

Whose Point of View Matters? Considering Multiple Perspectives: When it comes to including and understanding others, it may be hardest to empathize with those who disrupt or bully others. Tammy Mulligan shares her four favorite mentor texts for opening discussions to understand the humanity within all of us. The article was first published in 2019.

Listen to 1619, a podcast from the New York Times, an audio series on how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling. Tara Barnett and Kate Mills reference Episode 5 in their article “Recognizing Bias.”

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is meaningful conversations. Christy Rush-Levine joins the podcast.

 

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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 January 22, 2021 issue here. 

 

Timeline

00:00 Welcome

01:25 Lead Essay

04:49 Classic Classroom Content

07:30 Christy Rush-Levine Interview

19:35 Free for All

21:16 Leaders Lounge Content

 

Free for All

Making Time for Literacy Chit-Chat to Support Book Choice (2012):  Franki Sibberson shares ways to initiate conversations about books naturally in classrooms. This feature from 2012 includes a question set for launching discussions about books with individual students that remains relevant today. You can find the link to this (and all of the features mentioned) in the show notes.

Write. Right. Rite Series: Meaningful conversations don't have to always be somber. Jason Reynolds, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature at the Library of Congress, presents an inventive way for young people to engage in ideas through his "Write. Right. Rite." Series. It’s a video series and if you haven’t taken the time to check it out, I hope you’ll be able to soon. It’s pretty awesome.

Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations About Race and Racism: The Anti-Defamation League gives advice on how to engage young people in conversations about race and racism. They encourage educators to be willing to be uncomfortable and be learners alongside their students. 

Talking About Race: 10 Ways to Have Meaningful Conversations: Dwight Smith suggests 10 ways to lead others in meaningful conversations about race.

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The focus of this week's Big Fresh is empowering choice. Stella Villalba joins the podcast to discuss her current thinking about equity.