Use “The Boss” to Analyze Style and Author’s Voice
Style is that “identifiable quality that varies from author to author.” That seems a simple idea. The wording in the Common Core Anchor Standard for style seems simple: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6...
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Talking to Penny Kittle
I was talking to the author Penny Kittle for several hours the other night…in my head. Admittedly, it was a bit one-sided…she and her co-author, Kelly Gallagher were doing most of the talking. I was...
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Is a Question about Character Change in Elementary Texts Worth Asking? Part 1
One of the first literary elements that students understand as they begin to read is character. They learn that a character is a person, animal, being, or thing moving the story along a plot line....
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In a previous post, I questioned a question: “How did [the character] change? What caused this change?” This question is part of an assessment in Teacher College Reading Units of Study in Grade 3. But...
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Book Series: The Original Binge
Binge-watching became possible in 2013 when Netflix and other television streaming services began to release all episodes of a show simultaneously. Binge reading, however, has been around for over 100...
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Word Sift a Primary Document: The Declaration of Independence
All students should be familiar with our nation’s founding documents, but the 18th-century writing style of these primary sources can be a difficult read for many students. Take for example The...
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Plan to Use a “Word Sift” on Constitution Day-September 17th
Page one of the US Constitution On September 17, 1787, 41 delegates to the Constitutional Congress signed their names to the Constitution of the United States, and our government was born. In 2004,...
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Change that Question on Character Change- Part 3 (*Hint* The Character...
The Unit 1 pre-assessment question from Teachers College Reading units of Study Grade 4 asks: How did the [character] change from the beginning to the end of the story and why?...
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Slowing the Summer Slide-10 Books at a Time! (and Celebrate International...
September 8th is International Literacy Day, a date supported by the United Nations Educational, Societal, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with a global aim “to highlight the importance of literacy...
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Dear Jason Reynolds, Please…Stop….Talking
Dear Jason Reynolds, This past weekend, I saw you on TV on a book club channel. You were being interviewed for some book conference. I think it was in Virginia. You were charming. You talked about your...
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