I’ve mentioned before about how writing can be difficult and students often struggle with it. But let’s take it a step further, and imagine what writing is like for a student whose English is not their native language. As the world becomes more diverse, so are our classrooms. Therefore, we want to be able to provide support for ESL students in our classroom. Take a listen to today’s episode where I’m sharing a variety of writing strategies to support your ESL students. While all these tips and s...
Nov 21, 2022•26 min
All month long I’ve been discussing the topic of read alouds, so if you missed episodes 106 , 107 , and 108 , make sure you go back and take a listen to hear all the different strategies, tips, and suggestions regarding read alouds. This episode is the last in our series, which helps bring it all together. Today, I’ll be sharing the benefits of using your read aloud specifically for spiral review. Just like we want to make sure our students understand and practice new concepts, there are certain...
Nov 14, 2022•16 min
All this month we’ve been having discussions around read alouds, why they’re effective, and what texts to choose. But did you know that you can also use read alouds to work on literacy skills with your students? One of the best literacy skills you could work on is fluency. In today’s episode, we have special guest Aylin Claahsen, who is sharing 5 ideas for focusing on fluency during read alouds. Aylin Claahsen is a certified reading specialist, literacy consultant and curriculum designer who lov...
Nov 07, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 108
As literacy teachers, we’re always finding new ways to read to our students that help develop their reading skills, which is why read alouds are so effective. We’re in the middle of our series all about read alouds, so if you haven’t listened to the first episode, Episode 106 , make sure you take a listen to get caught up in the series. In episode two of our series, I’m sharing how to choose effective read alouds and then how to use them. When it comes to choosing effective read alouds, there ar...
Oct 31, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 107
My main goal in all that I do is to help teachers build ways to support and enhance their students’ literacy skills. While a lot of our discussions revolve around what students can do, with your guidance and support, this particular activity requires more from you as the teacher that ultimately supports your students, which are read alouds. I’m kicking off a new series that starts with today’s episode about the 4 best practices for executing a successful read aloud experience. Reading aloud is a...
Oct 24, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 106
If you’ve been listening to the podcast for awhile, you know that we’ve been discussing all things writing. Our topics have ranged from finding time to teach it, effective strategies, and how to incorporate writing across various content areas. However, we still know that students are reluctant writers and one way to help with that is by making it more fun and enjoyable. So in today’s episode, I’m sharing how to make writing fun that’s beyond the basics. Now, there’s a lot of simple ways to make...
Oct 17, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been discussing the challenges that teachers face when it comes to writing with our students and how to incorporate more writing into your literacy block. However, there are definitely more ways to get your students writing, without them even knowing it! In today’s episode, I’m revealing 5 ways to sneak writing into other content areas throughout your school day. By incorporating writing into other content areas, your students will be exposed to more opportun...
Oct 10, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Our number one complaint as teachers is we don’t have enough time. Enough time to lesson plan, gather materials, teach each content area with the same equity, communicate with parents, eat our lunch, or have time for ourselves. The list goes on and on. But let me ask you this: how are you using your time? Is it that you don’t have enough of it or are you not managing it in the best way? In last week’s episode, Episode 102 , I discussed the challenges of teaching writing and how to overcome them....
Oct 03, 2022•14 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Throughout our school day, teachers face a variety of challenges from a variety of different components. Some of them we can control, but some of them we can’t. One of the challenges teachers face is teaching writing to students. Although we can’t control every aspect of our literacy block or the skills students come to us with, we can start to change their mindset to grow their skills. In today’s episode, I’m talking all about the challenges of teaching writing and how to overcome them. First, ...
Sep 26, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 102
With so many “buzzwords” circling through the educational world, it’s hard to keep them all straight. What do they mean? How is this different from what I’m already doing in the classroom? What type of activities do I need to be implementing in order for my students to be successful? All of these questions can relate to the idea of orthographic mapping. Luckily, I have brought on guest Michelle Sullivan to help give us some insight on this topic. So in today’s episode, we’re discussing exactly w...
Sep 19, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Small group instruction is a big part of a teacher’s literacy block and being able to work with students on certain skills. But the question always seems to be, what different types of activities can I do with my students during that time, especially when working with texts? In today’s (100th 🥳) episode, I’m sharing how to keep students engaged by leveling up your small groups with reading responses. To help celebrate my 100th episode, I’m giving away a resource of mine for FREE! In order to re...
Sep 12, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Small group instruction is an important and necessary part of your day. It’s a great opportunity to reteach and practice a variety of reading skills with a smaller group of students. I thought I had mastered small group instruction, until I accidentally stopped what I had planned, and it worked out for the better! So in today’s episode, I’m sharing 3 things to stop doing during small groups. During our small groups, we have goals and skills we want our students to accomplish during that instruct...
Sep 05, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 99
I’m so excited about today’s episode because it’s a topic that I haven’t discussed in almost 100 episodes, but is so important and relevant in our world today. That topic is multimedia in a 21st century classroom. Now, you might think you know what all of this entails, but some concepts discussed might surprise you. To help me dive in, I have guest Rachael Parlett and we’re discussing using multimedia to support readers in a 21st century classroom. Rachael Parlett has been an educator for 16+ ye...
Aug 29, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Bringing you descriptive writing strategies has been like Christmas morning to me, and today might be my favorite strategy of them all. Have you guessed it yet? It’s figurative language! In the last episode in the series about descriptive writing, I’m sharing my favorite and effective figurative language strategies. First, let’s get on the same page. Figurative language is defined as the use of words in a way that deviates from the conventional order in meaning in order to convey a complicated m...
Aug 22, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Do you have students who are constantly using bland and boring words in their writing? I know I sure do! I’m continuing our series on descriptive writing, but if you haven’t listened to the first two episodes in the series, Episode 94 and Episode 95 , be sure to do that now. In today’s episode, I’m focusing on providing excellent word choice strategies to use with your students. When I noticed my students not being descriptive with their writing, I realized the words they were using were in thei...
Aug 15, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 96
On this podcast I’ve discussed various components of descriptive writing, several techniques, and the importance of instilling the writing process in your students. Today’s episode is essential to student writing, as it is the key to engaging the reader right away and wrapping it up in a conclusive way. I’m sharing strategies for writing leads and conclusions so they can begin incorporating them into their own writing. I’ve said it in previous episodes and I’ll say it again: writing is hard and ...
Aug 08, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 95
I focus a lot of episodes on strategies pertaining to writing and today is no different. Having students write descriptively is what engages the reader and makes them part of the story, not just reading about plot events. The best way to accomplish this goal as a writer is through show vs. tell. In today’s episode, I’m sharing eight strategies to consider when teaching show don’t tell to your students. Show don’t tell is easy in theory to understand, but when applying it, can be quite complex. T...
Aug 01, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 94
How many of your students still struggle with writing complete sentences? I know I have experienced this in my classroom year after year. So what can you do to support your students? In today’s episode, I’m sharing 5 tips for writing a complete sentence. When our students enter our classrooms, they all come with different academic levels and prior knowledge. Although you might teach upper elementary, it cannot be assumed your students know the basics of complete sentences. With this alone, it’s ...
Jul 25, 2022•23 min•Ep. 93
Paragraph writing can be hard, but it can be easier! A major part of the battle is that our students just don’t understand how a paragraph works. If you are ready to make that a thing of the past, this episode is for you! In today’s episode, I’m sharing the 4 elements of strong paragraph writing. Like all things, this process of paragraph writing does not happen overnight. But also like all things, with explicit teaching, routine, practice, consistency and accountability, progress and mastery ca...
Jul 18, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 92
In this podcast, we talk a lot about how to best incorporate literacy into your classroom that will benefit all of your students. But as teachers, we know that every student is not on the same academic level and some of our students have learning disabilities that we need to take into consideration when giving our instruction. One of the learning disabilities impacting students is dyslexia. In today’s episode, I have guest Rae Pritchett who is providing us with an understanding of dyslexia throu...
Jul 11, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Just like I hope you’re celebrating our country’s independence, today’s episode is all about a different kind of celebration in the classroom. Over the past several episodes, I’ve been discussing the writing process and sharing ways to make it smooth and effectives for your students. Today I’m sharing 8 ways to celebrate published writing with your students. If you’ve been listening to these recent episodes, you know that publishing is the last step in the writing process. It takes a lot of hard...
Jul 04, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 90
The past couple of episodes have been focused on student writing and the writing process. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, Episode 88 , make sure you go back and listen to it now. I discuss in detail the steps of the writing process, which is a prelude to today’s topic. In today’s episode, I’m continuing to talk about the writing process with 6 best practice tips to keep in mind when it comes to writing and having your students keep the writing process in mind. The writing process...
Jun 27, 2022•15 min•Ep. 89
Hey literacy friends! As you all know, I’m very passionate about literacy…especially writing. In last week’s episode , I shared 4 ways to enhance how you teach descriptive writing, so take a listen to that episode to further strengthen your students’ writing. In today's episode, I’m walking you through different steps of the writing process and focusing on the overall goal of each step. It is said that writing is a journey, not a destination, which explains why it’s called a process and takes ti...
Jun 20, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 88
The ability to write and use descriptive language is a skill that doesn’t come easy to most, especially our young learners in our classrooms. So what can you do as a teacher to help your students? In today's episode, I’m sharing 4 ways to teach descriptive writing and ideas that you can put into practice in the fall. Last week, I had a special guest, Anna Brekken, a 16 year old high school student, on the podcast. She talked about what teachers should avoid when teaching descriptive writing, so ...
Jun 13, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 87
You all know that I love writing and enjoy sharing tips when it comes to teaching writing. But I have a treat for you today! On today’s episode, I have guest Anna Brekken, who is a very accomplished 15 year old student! Anna is sharing three things teachers should avoid when teaching writing. Anna is a high school student and creative writer. She believes everyone has an incredibly important story to share, and creative writing is the tool to uncover your voice and stand out. When Anna started h...
Jun 06, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Let’s celebrate YOU! You’ve finished, or almost finished, the school year! While it’s a time for celebration, it’s also a time to think about how the year went and find changes or positives throughout the year. In today’s episode, I’m sharing why implementing an end of the school year 5W reflection is so powerful and beneficial. If you know me and have been following me for awhile, you know how much I value reflections, but I find reflections are the most powerful at the end of the year. When it...
May 30, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 85
While the majority of teachers have summer on their minds, other teachers are extending their time in school to teach summer school. Whether you’re required or volunteering, please know you are doing a great thing! In order to make your time more enjoyable, on today’s episode I’m sharing 6 tips for summer school success. Teaching summer school is an important job. You are the reason they’re not prone to the summer slide and you’re helping set them up for summer success. If teaching summer school...
May 23, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 84
With summer approaching, it’s important for teachers to take some time to take a break and relax because you deserve it! I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been good at taking the whole summer off. So in today’s episode I’m sharing 8 tasks that you can add to your summer to-do list that will help you ease yourself back into school! Like I mentioned, I tend to get antsy or feel overwhelmed when I head back to school if I don't prepare just a little bit over the summer for the upcoming school ...
May 16, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 83
I’m so excited because today’s topic is something I’ve never discussed on the podcast, but it’s such an important conversation to have. On today’s episode, guest Kelsey Sorenson and I are having an open dialogue about providing tools and strategies to use towards a better mental health. Kelsey Sorenson is a former teacher and sub turned homeschool mom and owner of Wife Teacher Mommy. She has helped hundreds of thousands of educators cut down planning time and balance the many roles in their live...
May 09, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 82
We can feel it - it’s getting closer and closer each week. I’m talking about summer! While we’re all excited for the break, it has a lot of us teachers asking the magic question: What am I supposed to do the last few weeks of school? This is one of my favorite times of the year, so I’m sharing engaging literacy-based end of year activities you can easily do with your students! SHOW NOTES: https://theliteracydive.com/end-of-year-activities Resources Mentioned: Letter Writing Poster and Paper Free...
May 02, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 81
