EPISODE 22

This may be a shock to hear, but in my opinion the best time to set up your class library is at the end of the year. Hear me out. As you’re putting your books in boxes and taking inventory at the end of the year, why not get your students involved? Not to mention, if you organize your library the way you want it and categorize it now just imagine how much easier it will be in the fall!

So let’s talk about what drives your organization system. Well that’s simple, your students! The main goal of your classroom library is to make it accessible to your students. That’s why you want to encourage your students to be more independent and engaged in reading by creating a system that makes sense not only to you but to them as well!

In this episode I share:

• 3 different ways you can set up your classroom library
• Benefits and limitations to consider for your categorization system
• 1 organizational method you should avoid

Resources Mentioned:

• Genre labels for your classroom library - FREEBIE!

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• Join my newsletter
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• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
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For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode22.

EPISODE 21

How many of you are counting down the days until summer? I love having something to look forward to and celebrating the passing of time. With that being said, it is probably the hardest part of the year to maintain student engagement. That’s why this episode is about keeping students engaged in reading until the very last day of school.

Keeping students engaged in the last month of school is definitely a challenge. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on the year and revisit texts you have read throughout the year. The goal at this time of the year is to maintain structure and purpose while having more flexibility. Of course, don’t forget to have fun and enjoy those last few experiences of reading with your students!

In this episode I share:

• 7 ways to keep students engaged in reading
• Strategies to challenge your students at the end of the year
• How to keep students reading while crossing items off your to-do list

Resources Mentioned:

• Reading Challenge FREEBIE
• Episode 9- Getting Started with Author Studies
• Episode 20- Inspired Action: My Favorite Way to Bring Texts to Life

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode21.

EPISODE 20

Today is episode 20 of Stellar Teacher Podcast and I am so excited to share this milestone with all of you! Yay! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to talk to you about how to create a highly engaged reading block. More specifically, I will be talking about Inspired Action. Never heard of it? You’re not alone!

Inspired Action is a term I’ve created that, in short, helps your students learn how to change the world. Inspired Action starts by reading a book, but can lead to changes from within the classroom to throughout the community. Let’s be honest, we do not become teachers to teach standards. You are listening to this episode because you are an educator who wants to teach children that they can make a positive impact on those around them and I’m going to tell you how to do just that!

In this episode I share:

• How to motivate students at the end of the year
• What Inspired Action looks like in practice
• How to implement Inspired Action into your classroom
• The 3 powerful questions that you need to be asking your students after a read aloud

Resources Mentioned:

• Each Kindness

• Favorite wordless picture book authors: Bill Thompson and David Weisner

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• Join my newsletter
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• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode20.

EPISODE 19

This week is a continuation of last week’s episode all about reading conferences! I just love reading conferences for so many reasons. It’s the perfect time to give our students that one-on-one time that they desperately crave.

When I first started implementing reading conferences, I noticed something interesting. Some of my students would get anxiety when we had a conference. I realized that they were having trouble distinguishing between a reading conference and an assessment. Today I’m sharing my tips on how to avoid this confusion by taking the time to explain and model conferences. Then, I’m answering the most common questions I receive about reading conferences.

In this episode I answer:

• How often should I hold reading conferences?
• What is the best time to do a reading conference?
• How do I confer with students if I’ve never read the book they’re reading?
• What are the rest of my students doing while I’m in a reading conference?
• How do reading conferences fit into the other elements of readers workshop?

Resources Mentioned:

• Reading Conference Teacher Guide FREEBIE
• Reading Comprehension Strategy Cards
• Reading Strategies Anchor Charts & Posters
• Episode 18, Getting Started With Reading Conferences

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode19.

EPISODE 18

This one is a listener request! Thank you for your suggestion Emily!

If you’re an elementary school teacher, you’ve likely experienced having a class with students who are on all different reading levels. This makes it really challenging to create a guided reading scheduling. Have you ever tried incorporating reading conferences to fill the gaps?

I first discovered the magic of reading conferences while teaching second grade and never looked back. With short and effective reading conferences, you can get to the objective of a lesson way quicker than in a traditional reading group. The best part is that it’s a great time to get to know your students on a more personal level.

In this episode I share:

• What a reading conference is and why they are so beneficial
• A simple reading conference framework that you can use for all of your students
• How to know when you no longer need to listen to your students read aloud and what to work on instead
• The appropriate length of a reading conference

Resources Mentioned:

• Reading Conference Teacher Guide FREEBIE
• Reading Comprehension Strategy Cards
• Reading Strategies Anchor Charts & Posters

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode18.

EPISODE 17

What was your opinion of studying poetry in elementary school? How about in college? Some of our experiences with our own education shapes how we feel about topics that we teach our own students. For the longest time, I thought that because I had a difficult time with poetry in college that I would never be a good poetry teacher.

As the years went by, I learned several ways to make poetry fun, and I finally found my love for it again. While April is poetry month, we really should be teaching poetry all year long! There are so many simple and creative ways that we can build poetry into our days within reading, writing, and even behavior management!

In this episode I share:

• My memories of experiencing poetry as a child
• Ways to create an experience around poetry that leaves your students feeling empowered and excited about writing
• The benefits of reading and writing different types of poetry often
• Connecting poetry to art

Resources:

• Poetry Writing Bundle
• Poetry Posters and Anchor Charts
• Poetry Word Wall Cards
• The Best Part of Me

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode17.

EPISODE 16

I think it’s safe to say we all agree that standardized testing is not an accurate measure of our students (or our) abilities. There, I said it! Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, I’m here to support you all in any way that I can. Since over 96% of you said your state is requiring standardized testing we’re going to make the best of it together!

As many of you know, I have experience as a teacher and also an assistant principal which allows me to understand testing from both standpoints. I am all too familiar with the stress of test prep and pressure of those above me waiting to analyze my teaching skills based on the outcome. These experiences have provided me with tips and tricks for you to seamlessly incorporate test prep into your lessons.

In this episode I share:

• 5 tips to prepare for standardized testing
• Ways to minimize pressure from standardized testing
• Strategies for incorporating test prep into your normal routine
• Involving peers and movement into your test prep

Resources mentioned:

• Reading Comprehension Task Cards Bundle
• Main Idea Task Cards
• Nonfiction Task Cards
• Episode 5, How to Use Strategy Groups to Boost Comprehension

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode16.

EPISODE 15

It often feels like we are teaching strategy after strategy in hopes that students are able to comprehend what they've read. But what happens once they start putting those strategies to use? With an overwhelming amount of post-its and reading responses piling on your desk, the thought of next steps may be daunting.

I have to admit that I’ve been guilty of holding reading notebooks hostage at my house and put off tackling each of them all at once. I later realized this was not at all effective, especially for my second graders who couldn’t independently read my critiques. That’s why getting students involved and providing feedback more regularly is a must! After all, the purpose of writing tasks are for us to see evidence of their thinking and what better way than to hold them accountable?

In this episode I share:

• 5 manageable systems to review reading responses and provide feedback
• Ways to get students involved in providing feedback
• When and how to incorporate feedback into your day

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Sticky note templates for student feedback FREEBIE
• Reading Response Activity Bundle
• Episode 14: Reading Response Ideas to Reenergize Independent Reading Time 

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode15.

EPISODE 14

As we approach the home stretch to the end of the school year, students may begin to grow bored with all kinds of normal routines throughout the school day. One of the blocks of time where you might see this most is during independent reading time. I firmly believe that independent reading is one of the best ways to help our students become stronger, more independent readers. However, there’s only one of you, so it can be difficult to find the time to monitor independent reading daily.

Switching things up during your reading block is a great way to stay on track and keep engagement levels up. Providing fresh new opportunities for reading responses will help to increase accountability among your kids while also boosting their excitement. Today I’m sharing my favorite ways to use reading responses in your classroom, and the last one just may surprise you!

In this episode I share:

• 10 ideas on how you can have your students respond to their reading
• Compelling reasons why you should provide your students with reading response tasks
• The importance of taking the time to teach a task before you require it to be completed 
• Why you should regularly switch up your reading response routine
• How to involve your class in the process of creating reading response choices
• Ways to make reading response tasks accessible for students all of ability levels

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Reading Response Sticky Note Bundle
• Reading Response Graphic Organizers
• Reading Response Question Stems
• Reading Response Activity Bundle
• Episode 8, The Reading Process
• Episode 12, Build Literacy Buzz with Book Talks

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode14.

EPISODE 13

One thing you should know about me is that my friends refer to me as a "serial book club starter". I've left a book club legacy behind in the different states I've lived in and now I'm excited to share how you can add one to your classroom. Let me just tell you though, my excitement pales in comparison to how your students will feel.

I'm not exaggerating when I say my students used to BEG me to be in a book club. I think we can all agree that any method that will increase student engagement and motivation towards reading is worth a shot! After all, the more authentic reading experiences the kids have, the more confident they will become.

In this episode I share:

• How book clubs help your students
• The mistakes I made when I first stared book clubs with my students
• 5 tips to start student-led book clubs
• When to incorporate book clubs

Resources:

• Book Club and Literature Circle Posters and Response Templates
• Book Talks Planning Templates and Teacher Guide
• Episode 12 on Building Literacy Buzz with Book Talks

Connect with me:

• Join my newsletter
• My TPT store
• stellarteachercompany.com
• Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
• Facebook: The Stellar Teacher Company

For full show notes and more resources, head to stellarteacher.com/podcast/episode13