The focus of this week's Big Fresh podcast is conventions. Jen Schwanke joins the conversation. Click here for ALL links discussed. Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the June 11, 2021 issue here.  Timeline 00:00  Welcome 00:28  Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres 02:53  New Content Discussion with Jen Schwanke Free for All Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Stella Villalba selected the June pick. It is Hear Our Voice compiled by Warren Binford. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.  Even eight-year-olds are expected to master a dozen or more conventions. Melanie Meehan shares a process for helping students focus on the small steps needed to master any convention with peer support. (This article was first published in 2019.) Heather Rader works with a team of intermediate teachers to ferret out what does and doesn't work in learning conventions, based on research and experience. (Although first published in 2012, the process for collaboration about teaching conventions is vital today.) Jeff Anderson and Travis Leech are sharing what adolescent writers need to know about the conventions of language in their podcast Patterns of Power. Click here to listen to the first episode. Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

Enjoy listening as the Choice Literacy Book Club discusses My Hero Academia, Volume 1 by Kohei Horikoshi. Click here for the Choice Literacy Book Club about My Hero Academia, Volume 1. This year the Choice Literacy Book Club was formed. You will find a book talk video and a Padlet where our community has shared their thoughts about the book. Feel free to join! Click here to find out more about the Choice Literacy Book Club! Contributors Discussing My Hero Academia Order of joining the conversation: Dana MurphyCathy MereStella VillalbaChristy Rush-LevineGretchen SchroederDavid PittmanRuth Ayres Free for All Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Stella Villalba selected the June pick. It is Hear My Voice compiled by Warren Binford. You can hear Stella's book talk in "the club." Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.  Mary Helen Gensch explains how to find craft lessons in beloved children's books. She uses a mentor text with an engaging main character to describe the process. This is the first installment in a three-part series. Gretchen Schroeder explains how she helps her high school students play with and create better similes. Tara Barnett and Kate Mills help young writers move away from seeing editing as "adding more details," and toward developing more specific language for the revision process. Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is Transfer of Learning.  Melanie Meehan joins the podcast. Click here for ALL links discussed: choiceliteracy.com/…/may-21-2021-transfer-of-learning Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the May 21, 2021 issue here.  Timeline 00:00 Welcome 00:38 Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres 02:34 New Content Highlights 04:4 Melanie Meehan Interview Connect with Melanie You can keep up with Stella on Twitter @melanie meehan1. Find all of Stella's articles and videos on the site by clicking here. Free for All We wish Mary Lee Hahn, a long-time contributor and dear friend, happy retirement after 37 years of teaching! Please join the celebration! We are celebrating on all online spaces, so if you have a blog, a FB page, a Twitter handle, etc,. feel free to post anywhere that is convenient. Or hop over to Mary Lee and Franki Sibberson's blog A Year of Readingand post a comment. We’ll be using the hashtags #MarvelousMaryLee and #PoemsforMaryLee, so please tag anything (wherever you post) with these. Mary Lee Hahn reminds herself (and us!) of the qualities we have that inspire trust in ourselves and our ability to teach well. Written in 2012, these words continue to be a gift to all of us, just like #MarvelousMaryLee! Balancing small groups and conferences is essential for transferring learning from lessons and units, and it's one of the trickiest tasks for teachers. Dana Murphy explains how she works toward balance in her classroom, weighing everything from the timeline of the unit to the intensity of the minilesson. (This article was first published in 2020.) Tara Barnett and Kate Mills give guidance and support for varying the structures and routines in literacy workshops. (This article was first published in 2020.) Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Dana Murphy selected the May pick. It is My Hero Academia Volume 1 by Kohei Horikoshi. This new manga book is popular in classrooms and a new reading experience for our book club. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Dana Murphy selected the May pick. It is My Hero Academia Volume 1 by Kohei Horikoshi. This new manga book is popular in classrooms and a new reading experience for our book club. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. Become a Choice Literacy member!

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is Perspectives.  Stella Villalba joins the podcast. Click here for ALL links discussed. Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the May 14, 2021 issue here.  Timeline 00:00 Welcome 00:38 Lead Essay by Ruth Ayres 03:50 New Content Discussion with Stella Villalba Connect with Stella You can keep up with Stella on Twitter @stellavillalba, Instagram @stellavillalba, or her blog, Listening and Learning: A Teaching and Coaching Life.  Find all of Stella's articles and videos on the site by clicking here. Free for All #31DaysIBPOC: Celebrating the Teacher Voices of Indigenous, Black, and People of Color Voices in May is a beautiful collection that allows all of us to appreciate the power and endurance of Indigenous, Black, and people of color in education who strive for excellence and equity in education. Take time to read these stories. They are a gift. When it comes to including and understanding other people, it may be hardest to empathize with those who disrupt or bully others. Tammy Mulligan shares her four favorite mentor texts for understanding students who are angry and lash out. (This article was first published in 2019.) Mark Levine explores ways to cultivate empathy by sharing texts with multiple perspectives on the same event in his middle school social studies class. (This article was first published in 2021.) Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Dana Murphy selected the May pick. It is My Hero Academia Volume 1 by Kohei Horikoshi. This new manga book is popular in classrooms and a new reading experience for our book club. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub. Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is Connections.  Brian Sepe joins the podcast. Click here for ALL links discussed. Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the May 7, 2021 issue here.  Timeline 00:00 Welcome 01:38 Lead Essay by Jen Schwanke 04:54 New Content Discussion with Brian Sepe Connect with Brian See Brian's latest content on social media: @Brian_Sepe_. Visit Brian's website. Free for All Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Dana Murphy selected the May pick. It is My Hero Academia Volume 1 by Kohei Horikoshi. This new manga book is popular in classrooms and a new reading experience for our book club. Grab a copy, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.  On The Black Creators Series, Sonja Cherry-Paul and Sophia Thakur discuss poetry and Somebody Give This Heart a Pen. Poetry writing always has the potential to spark some magic in students. Christy Rush-Levine finds that this magic requires a few connections to be in place first in her middle school classroom. (This article was first published in 2018.) Heather Rader makes connections between being a reader and a scientist. (This article was first published in 2012.) Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

Enjoy listening as the Choice Literacy Book Club discusses Neville by Norton Juster and G. Brian Karas. Click here for the Choice Literacy Book Club about Neville. This year the Choice Literacy Book Club was formed. You will find a book talk video and a Padlet where our community has shared their thoughts about the book. Feel free to join! Click here to find out more about the Choice Literacy Book Club! Contributors Discussing Neville Order of joining the conversation: Ruth AyresMatt RenwickBitsy ParksChristy Rush-LevineDana Murphy Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is End-Of-Year Reflections.  Leigh Anne Eck joins the podcast. Click here for ALL links discussed. Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the April 23, 2021 issue here.  Timeline 00:00 Lead Essay 04:47 New Content 5:55 Leigh Anne Eck Interview Free for All When it comes to conferring notes, form needs to follow function. Dana Murphy quit looking for the perfect template, and started focusing on what kinds of notes are most helpful. Consider finding time to reflect on your conferring notes. (This article was first published in 2018.) Cathy Mere considers the dilemma teachers face when the bookroom, library, and tech departments require books and devices to be returned late in the year... but there are still a few weeks of school. She shares many suggestions for fostering literacy and community when there are far fewer books in the room. (This article was first published in 2019.) Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Matt Renwick selected the picture book Neville by Norton Juster and illustrated by G. Brian Karas for our April read. Click on the link to hear a book talk by Matt and to download the printable bookmarks. Join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.  Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is Hidden Treasures During Pandemic Teaching.  Jen Schwanke joins the podcast. Click here for ALL links discussed. Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the April 16, 2021 issue here.  Timeline 00:00 Lead Essay 03:40 New Content 9:10 Dana Murphy Interview Free for All Pre-COVID, Dana Murphy develops a love-hate relationship with the faded anchor charts peeling away from her classroom walls. She finds that a move to anchor charts in a sketchbook and a website for chart images improves the quality of her charts and their usefulness. (This article was first published in 2019.) Stella Villalba shares three strategies teachers and literacy coaches can use to pause, recenter, and renew themselves throughout busy, stressful days in schools. (This article was first published in 2020.) Matt Renwick unfolds a classroom visit and shares the way he was reminded that the reading and writing are taught by our actions as much as by any strategy we might use.  Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Matt Renwick selected the picture book Neville by Norton Juster and illustrated by G. Brian Karas for our April read. Click on the link to hear a book talk by Matt and to download the printable bookmarks. Join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.  Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

The focus of this week's Big Fresh is Hidden Treasures During Pandemic Teaching.  Dana Murphy joins the podcast. Click here for ALL links discussed. Each week Choice Literacy shares the Big Fresh newsletter with a round-up of features around a key topic in literacy education. You can find the April 9, 2021 issue here.  Timeline 00:00 Lead Essay 04:40 New Content 07:50 Dana Murphy Interview Free for All Jen Schwanke explores the insecurities and fear that can set in when teachers tackle distance learning, as well as how to overcome them. (Article first published in 2020.) Sometimes "winging it" because we don't have plans can lead to the most profound learning. Dana Murphy dreams up a quick circle share, and what follows is magic. Don't miss the companion video below! (Article first published in 2019.) After a yearlong crash course in digital tools and remote teaching, Samantha Pack reflects on what will stick in her brick-and-mortar classroom. Join the Choice Literacy Book Club! Matt Renwick selected the picture book Neville by Norton Juster and illustrated by G. Brian Karas for our April read. Click on the link to hear a book talk by Matt and to download the printable bookmarks. Join the conversation using the hashtag #ChoiceLiteracyBookClub.  Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.

Enjoy listening as the Choice Literacy Book Club discusses Little Brown by Marla Frazee. Click here for the Choice Literacy Book Club about Little Brown by Marla Frazee. This year the Choice Literacy Book Club was formed. You will find a book talk video and a Padlet where our community has shared their thoughts about the book. Feel free to join! Click here to find out more about the Choice Literacy Book Club! Contributors Discussing Little Brown Order of joining the conversation: Ruth AyresBitsy ParksCathy MereHeather FisherJen CourtKate MillsChristy Rush-Levine Big Fresh Round Up Empowering ChoiceNawal Qarooni Casiano joins the podcast. EquityStella Villalba joins the podcast. Meaningful ConversationsChristy Rush-Levine joins the podcast. Recognizing BiasGretchen Schroeder joins the podcast. Finding Meaning in ReadingHeather Fisher joins the podcast. Argument WritingTara Barnett and Kate Mills join the podcast. Shared WritingTammy Mulligan joins the podcast. Celebrating WritersBitsy Parks joins the podcast. Empower Readers: Part 1The Choice Literacy Book Club discusses Barren Grounds on the podcast. Empower Readers: Part 2Sara Kajder joins the podcast. Building Empathy Through ReadingMatt Renwick joins the podcast. Word WorkMandy Robek joins the podcast. Become a Choice Literacy member! Click here to find out more about membership options.