Previous visitors might remember that I am implementing independent reading. Students have shared their reading progress for their first full week of independent reading. Almost all of them met their reading goals. A few observations: Most of the students are enjoying their books. One boy declared in class today that Kwame Alexander’s book The Crossover…
I’ve been meaning to get around to starting independent reading in my classroom for years. Honest. But like so many things I’ve been “meaning” to do, I put it off. I did finally buy Penny Kittle’s Book Love back in June, and I fully intended to read it. It is true that I had a…
I am asked often enough for recommendations of this sort of thing that I thought I’d share. Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe was the first truly useful and completely life-changing professional development book I read. I utterly altered the way I taught after reading it. It seems obvious to think about larger…
In chapter 6 of Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them, the reader gets a glimpse into how a writers’ workshop might run. The first thing I wished was that I had a writing class all year next year on a block schedule. I really want to go out and try everything! Based on the schedule Kittle…
I am having some trouble with my computer, so until I can get it checked out, I have to share with my husband. We don’t have a history of being able to share very well! We’ll see how it works out. Unfortunately, if my hunch about the computer is right, it won’t be a cheap…
I just pre-ordered my copy of Jim Burke’s handy planner, The Teacher’s Daybook, updated for 2008-2009. The planner will not actually be released until July 10. Usually, it is released much earlier, and I wonder if some of the changes made didn’t cause a delay in publication. The planners usually run from July to June…
The main message I took away from the second chapter of Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them is that writing teachers will not be effective unless they are also writers. She says, “We don’t learn many things well just by following directions” (7-8). However, it was this remark that struck a chord with me: “[T]he instruction…
I began Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them, and even though I am posting at the Learners4Life wiki, I wanted to keep my own reading journal here. In this chapter, I felt Kittle outlined some of her core beliefs: Standardized testing does not rule how she teaches writing in her classroom. The single greatest influence on…
I created a tentative reading schedule for parties interested in reading Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them at the Learners4Life wiki. It’s not too late to join us if you are interested in participating. I received my copy of the book today, and it looks really good. I am feeling kind of tired, so I don’t…
As you may recall, I am reading Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them as part of a professional development project along with several other teachers this summer. I am very excited about this project. Using my experience with the UbD Educators’ wiki coupled with this upcoming experience, I plan to present a session at the next…
