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Can I tell you a secret?  You will not treat all the data you collect in your classroom the same. You may have district benchmarks, end of unit assessments, reading inventories and more to conduct, but the reality is you only have so much time in your day to analyze and do something with the data you collect. Although you may look at all that data and take it into consideration you do have to prioritize which data is going to carry the most … [Read more...] about Guided Reading Basics: Use Data to Drive Instruction In the Reading Classroom

Over the years there has been one thing that has taken me from surviving to thriving in the land of teaching and that has been having a habit of reflection. Now, there is a fine line between reflection and nit picking perfectionism. Reflection leads to change and growth, perfectionism leaves you feeling like you’re never enough. It’s important to know the difference.  The cornerstone for any change or growth that happens in your classroom will … [Read more...] about Teacher Self Reflection: Go From Surviving To Thriving With A Reflective Practice

The beginning of the school year is a great time to hit reset in your classroom. Although winter break was only a couple of weeks and not a couple of months, chances are that your students could use a chance to reflect on your classroom goals and expectations for your class as a reading community as well as a chance to identify and set goals and expectations of their own.   In this blog post we will tackle setting goals around your reading … [Read more...] about Reset Your Reading Block With Goal Setting

I used to struggle with the idea that I was supposed to be taking time off during extended breaks. My pendulum swung from complete sloth who is not doing anything all day long to super over productive who doesn’t know how to take a break and misses out on the fun and memories with her family.   I often started my breaks with no real sense of what I wanted to leave them feeling like and would return to work either not feeling fully rested or … [Read more...] about 4 Steps for Crafting a Great Winter Break