Literacy Speaks Volumes

I went to my classroom today to begin to get ready for the new school year~even after twenty years I still feel a tingle of excitement as each year begins. It's like I'm getting a fresh start~a chance to "do it better" this time. I like the whole ritual of moving desks and bookcases, then filling those bookcases up in anticipation of a new group of students reading them. As I left the classroom, I turned for one last look~proud of my handy work.  When teachers decorate and arrange their classrooms at the beginning of the school year, they're creating a mood for the students. You want your students' (along with their parents) impression of your classroom to be one where learning is taken seriously, but it's okay to be a seventh grader. One teacher described her classroom as a "safe haven"~I like that idea. When teaching mood in literature, there are three basic learning targets that you (and your students) need to keep in mind: (1) ...

I've just spent the last three days at the Rutherford County Literacy Academy in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. On Monday,  Carmen Agra Deedy  regaled the group of K-12 public school teachers with both personal stories and traditional folk tales. On Tuesday,  Dr. Keith Polette  shared literacy strategies with wit and cleverness. I can't think of a more enjoyable and intelligent way to spend a portion of my summer holiday. We began the academy in the usual way~those good old tried and true ice-breakers . Now, if you're not familiar with ice-breakers then you have never attended a teacher in-service. After getting to know a few of the other teachers attending the Literacy Academy (other than the other teachers from my own school), we settled in groups to participate in some cooperative learning strategies. The first activity involved matching Newberry titles to their first lines. The next activity was called "Dinner Plate" where the group members had to first list all...