How to use this Page

It's all about the link. Make sure your minilessons link to ongoing work. Link to making choices. Link to all the other minilessons. Link to the charts and resources in the room. Most of all link your minilesson always to problem solving and independence.

Minilessons are actually really easy to plan, and fun to teach. What? You don't believe me? Let me show you, right now, how to do it.

4th Grade Teacher (& Slicer) Noor Shammas writes about her students' Community Member Biography Project.

I purchased the original Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3 – 5 when they were published in 2006. In the early days, those books were like a Bible to me. I… Read More →

I have been in a lot of different writing workshops lately. Just this week I’ve been in 13 writing workshops and have met with 13 different teachers in either reflective practice meetings or planning meetings. Therefore, I have SO MUCH I want to record. Which leads me to my current dilemma: what do I not [...]

Many teachers are spending preparation periods working with colleagues to develop a curriculum map for the 2010-2011 school year.  Developing a scope and sequence that is developmentally appropriate, interesting to children, and meets state standards is of crucial importance.  However, it’s not always easy to plan for the following school year. Rissa, of the Learn [...]

I came home exhausted from the Providence Ronald McDonald House 5K Walk. I took a short nap and then created a list of things I had to do today. Unlike my usual to-do lists, I decided to divide it between my personal items and my school-related items to help me balance my day. [...]

Today marks the 100th Day of President Obama’s Administration. It also marks the day that our school stepped up our prevention of the Swine Flu. (Click here for an acrostic poem I wrote about hand washing and how it relates to the prevention of disease.) And those are just two of the [...]