Catalog Search Results

When children begin to read and write they are as interested in information as they are in fiction. But information is not conveyed only with print; the wealth of visual texts are often the clearest communicators of information. Charts, diagrams, cross sections, and maps are a few of the elements that are as critical as the words they supplement. In many cases, the visual text is the clearest way to present information. In this video, Steve Moline...

Writer's notebooks allow students of all ages to brainstorm ideas, test strategies for crafting writing, and develop tools for drafting and revision. In this two-part series, Aimee Buckner, a fourth-grade teacher and author of Notebook know-how and Notebook connections, takes viewers into her classroom as students use their writers' notebooks across the curriculum to hone skills and play with language. The video features numerous mini-lessons that...

In his groundbreaking book, Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, Ralph Fletcher took an expedition into the murky and sometimes dangerous world of boys and writing. Ralph's new video, Dude, listen to this! explores the issue face-to-face as he meets with a group of boys who voluntarily give up recess time each week to meet and talk about their writing. Dude, listen to this! thoughtfully examines the exuberance, sly humour, and surprising sensitivity...

Small groups are a crucial element of every teacher's reading program, and their importance only grows as teachers work with more diverse learners. Spotlight on small groups gives viewers an in-depth look at two reading groups led by master teacher and author Debbie Diller. Debbie leads the groups through a structured routine (introduction, guided practice, conferring, check-in, and more practice), demonstrating how to balance whole-group and differentiated...

Mentoring has been proven to be one of the most effective means of keeping new teachers in the profession. In this two-part video series, you'll see demonstrations of and discussions about the effective components of a good mentoring program. Donna Niday and Jean Boreen expand on and illustrate the concepts found in their books, mentoring beginning teachers and mentoring across boundaries. Each video takes you to schools and classrooms in Flagstaff,...

First-grade teacher Debbie Miller chronicles her work teaching reading comprehension in her popular book Reading with Meaning. In this series, Debbie takes you beyond comprehension instruction, and shows how she sustains a thoughtful primary reading program that challenges and supports readers of all abilities and needs. How does Debbie create a learning environment that fosters such sophisticated talk around texts? How is comprehension instruction...

Powerful tools for mathematics instruction can make a good lesson great. Math tools in action: manipulatives make mathematics visible; they allow students to see math. Manipulatives also enrich mathematics discussions and make learning accessible and understandable for students at all levels. In this video, Chris and a year three class learn about comparative size by exploring the dimensions of a variety of insects, animals and birds using tape measures,...

It's a common dilemma: teachers need time to work in one-on-one conferences and in small groups with students during literacy workshop. And yet assigning 'busy work' to the rest of the class won't help all students to develop the essential reading and writing skills they need. Can we really expect young readers and writers to tackle challenging work on their own without constant support and intervention from teachers? This question led Gail Boushey...

During Collaborative conferences, teachers observe a lesson or conference and provide explicit feedback on the teaching and learning interaction. Collaborative conferences use a team approach (with two or more teachers) to support student learning. During the pre-conference, the student's teacher identifies the instructional goal and asks the observing teachers to notice specific writing behaviors. After the lesson, the teachers engage in purposeful...

While literacy development begins long before children are of school age, the kindergarten classroom marks an important moment as students embark on their lifelong journey as writers. This enlightening video program offers a close up view of a master teacher's writing workshop as she focuses on critical topics associated with young children. She addresses conferring with young writers, teaching skills in context, tools for record-keeping, publishing...