Middle schoolers don’t often come to class eager to discuss global warming, but when you hand them a vivid image and ask them, “What’s going on in this picture?”—well, you just might surprise yourself. Recently, I had the chance to work with an incredible group of middle school students, most of whom are second-language learners. […]
Instructional Coaching
Shared Writing: Bringing the Magic of Collaboration Back to the Classroom
Shared writing is a fantastic, collaborative approach that brings students into the writing process. Imagine sharing the cognitive load (and sometimes the literal pen) with your class – it’s a powerful way to model writing skills, strategies, and even the mechanics of encoding. It’s one of those teaching techniques that packs a serious punch. In […]
Lesson Plan: A Close Read of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
A lesson plan outline to teach close reading of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin.
What to Look for When Observing a Classroom: A Guide for Administrators Grounded in the Science of Reading
As an administrator, observing classrooms is a crucial part of ensuring effective instruction and supporting teacher development. When you walk into a classroom, you should see clear evidence of both word recognition and language comprehension being taught. Here’s a guide to help you know what to look for and the questions to ask to ensure […]
Writers’ Workshop: Organizing Ideas for Personal Narrative Drafts
We are getting Writers’ Workshop kicked off school-wide – K-12!
Reading Nonfiction Text in Guided Reading and Small Groups
Children are naturally fascinated by learning through nonfiction books, but many don’t know how to navigate the complexity of the text. Small groups and guided reading groups are the perfect places to teach and reinforce how to read nonfiction texts. First, you’ll want to choose strong nonfiction texts! Think about what the students want to […]
One Is Not Enough: Writing Multiple Drafts in a Writers’ Workshop
** Contact us if you would like Rogers Education Consulting to bring an engaging, hands-on Writers’ Workshop session to your campus ** In a true Writers’ Workshop, students are busy working on drafts of multiple works at the same time. While I believe that there are some aspects of frameworks like Writers’ Workshop that are left […]
Instructional Coaching: Modeling a Think-Aloud
** Contact us if you would like to have modeled lessons or workshop-style sessions come to your campus! ** Last month I had the pleasure of modeling a think-aloud in third grade. I was asked to model the process of sharing with students the reading strategies I am using as well as the Gradual Release of […]