Instructional Coaches as Servant Leaders: 3 Actions to Consider Now More Than Ever

Back in 2008, when I received my K-8 Principal License, I adopted a stance. I took to heart the idea of instructional leadership as a mindset — leaders as servants to those they lead. Since then, I have worked to hold myself accountable to that mindset, both as a district leader and educational consultant.

During these tricky, unprecedented times, teachers have A LOT of stuff coming at them. Many are trying new things [e-learning routines, distance learning platforms, new systems and structures, content delivery via video and video-conferencing, etc] for the first time with little, or no, dress rehearsal time. It’s like building the plane while it’s already at 10,000 feet. The good news is if any group of people can do it, it’s teachers. That’s because they show up — regardless of the situation — and they do whatever it takes to serve their students. They are leaders, and servants, of their learning communities.

3 Actions to Consider Now More Than Ever

By nature, instructional coaches are doers. They are natural servant leaders because their work is heavily focused on serving the stakeholders in their learning communities. As instructional coaches figure out [and maybe even redefine] their roles across the next few weeks, here are 3 actions to consider.

1. JUST BE THERE

Some teachers may feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff coming at them right now. Instead of pushing stuff out, consider just being there and being available. Set up choices for teachers and ways they can receive support from you. Offer up support through:

• text messages

• phone calls

• email

• digital platforms

Support is often well-intentioned, but can feel like added pressure during already high-pressured times. Honor teachers by giving them voice and choice — offering up vehicles and modes of support that they need, if and when they want it.

2. CONNECT AS PEOPLE

Relationships matter. They matter a lot! Instead of just connecting about school stuff, consider connecting as people about ordinary stuff. This gives opportunities for colleagues to share the silver linings that may be tucked inside these tough times. Some ideas could include:

• share an uplifting quote or joke

• create virtual coffee or dessert hangouts

• organize a recipe swap

• pleasure reading book club conversation

Creating opportunities for teachers to connect with one another on a personal level helps bolster relationships, which can yield both short and long-term impacts.

3. TAKE SOMETHING OFF TEACHERS’ LISTS

By nature, teachers’ lists are endless. Instead of pushing things out, consider taking things on in service of teachers and the students they/you serve. Be of service by being at service. Ask teachers to share with you the top 5 items on their to do lists. Then, offer to take on one of them to help support their efforts. You could:

• create something that would benefit a whole class

• support a small group of students

• offer to “meet” or support one particular student’s needs

Sometimes help doesn’t always feel like help. Sometimes it feels easier to just do it yourself. That depends on the person, the situation, and the nature of the work on the to do list. Be extra aware of this and don’t take it personally if teachers don’t take you up on your support. Most likely, it isn’t personal at all — it’s just a response that makes sense to that teacher at that time.

Other Supportive Roles

You don’t have to have the title of “Instructional Coach” to apply these actions. In fact, anyone who serves as a Thinking Partner could consider these 3 actions now more than ever. If you are a school leader, curriculum director, team leader, department chair, lead interventionist, data coordinator, teacher leader or a teacher on a collaborative team — everyone deserves a supportive thinking partner to navigate the days ahead. Reach out to offer support and reach within and take the support you need. We’ll look back at these times — stronger and smarter because of our work together as servant leaders.

From Ed Consultant to Teacher Mom: Reflection #2

Well, we’ve settled in. Kind of.

We’ve found a routine. Sort of.

It’s funny how just a few days can be filled with numerous learning lessons, even some lessons that you thought you already knew. Or, better yet, thought you knew them so well that they were regular ways of being. Surprise! New landscape, new challenges, new learning for everyone — especially me!

Teacher Mom in Action

I love lists — in that spirit, here’s my Top 5 List from the past few days:

1. My boys are brothers. They used to be best friends. Time and age have pulled them apart a bit over the past 18 months. That’s been a natural part of their growth and development as individuals, I think. Now, as of this week, they are learning how to be friends again. This could become one of the hidden treasures tucked inside this awful pandemic.

2. Learning is social. I believe this to my core. I have read the research and created action research for myself and those I serve that puts this foundational belief into practice. I’m now seeing firsthand how hard it can be for kiddos when they don’t have the social capital [the amazing stuff their peers bring to the table each day] they need and want in their living, breathing, learning space. Learning IS social. Kiddos not only want it, they need it!

3. Books and stories bring out the best in us —especially when they touch our heads and our hearts. In an attempt to create a learning community for my two sons and me, we started reading Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech. In just a few days, we’ve each taken an important role in contributing to our collective learning by:

   • Sharing the role of guest reader for read aloud

   • Curating and sharing other short texts [website, video, article, infographic] that can help us learn new information about donkeys

   • Writing about our reading — our thoughts, wonderings, questions, feelings

4. I thought that I’d only have time to teach and work with my own kids. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been time consuming and emotion consuming. But, what I’m learning is that what I do for myself is also very important. When I fuel myself, I can then add to the fuel for others. As a result, I’ve spent time digging back into my writing projects and plan to create a schedule for myself beginning next week. And, I’ve rediscovered my excitement about cooking again. I cook all of the time — it’s impossible to not cook for a family of 5 — but I’m inspired by getting organized around meal-planning and recipes, digging up some old favorites and trying new ones. And, kale chips, right out of the oven, makes everything better!

5. Thinking partners matter. That’s true for kids and it’s true for adults. I am thankful for the colleagues and friends I’ve connected with this week. There are no rules around the content between thinking partners — thank goodness! Some highlights include text messages, emails, sharing Google docs, and video chats to co-plan online learning opportunities for kiddos, noodling drafty ideas about what really matters in schools, mom crews sharing ideas to support learning at home, and swapping soup recipes. Thankful for each of these experiences — a true lifeline during tricky times!

In other updates — my college freshman is unpacking. One bag per day because…why not? She decided she has 4-5 months to get it done so what’s the hurry!

From Ed Consultant to Teacher Mom: Reflection #1

I’m sure many of you are just like me — going from “working outside of the home Mom” to “teacher of her own kiddos Mom”. Wow — what a difference just one week makes! My family is in the epicenter of it all—Westchester County, NY. While none of us are directly impacted, as of today, by having COVID-19, we feel the weight of this pandemic in ways we couldn’t have imagined a week ago. It’s a strange tug-of-war. We feel the pressures of this virus, while feeling blessed that we are currently virus-free, have one another, our home, food in refrigerator, books and board games on our shelves, and a little fresh air flowing through the kitchen windows.

Sizing Up the Situation

Like many, we spent the weekend trying to better understand the situation so that we could get our groove on and make a plan. Who knew that things could [and would] change in half day increments. With the majority of my spring consulting work rescheduled to a later date due to school closures, I shifted gears and began thinking about what each of my own kiddos would need and want, both in the short and long-term.

Getting Our Groove On

When I’m trying to get my groove on, I start by noodling plans. I write notes, make lists, create bullet points, and doodle along the edges. Most of my lists are unreadable by others — because they are filled with my thinking and emotion strung across the page. This week’s noodling was no different. The ideas were sort of like an advice column to myself— ultimately giving me guidance [and permission] for how I could navigate the transition from Ed Consultant to Teacher Mom for the weeks ahead. Here are some highlights of things I’m reminding myself to consider:

PROFESSIONALLY

Remind myself it’s okay…

• To adjust my professional writing schedule a bit — I’ll get it all finished.

• To not jump at every online PD opportunity that’s circling about social media this week — it’s overwhelming and kind of makes me feel like I should be doing more than I am already doing. It’s hard to squeeze it all in when I’m are working hard to educate my own kids at home while juggling professional obligations. Sometimes taking a break and clearing the noise is good for the brain and soul.

• To not offer up a bunch of online PD for my educator crew — they’ll understand and many are in the same space as me. They will reach out if they need anything because that’s what THINKING PARTNERS do.

• To put myfamily first. They need me and I need them.

PERSONALLY

Remind myself to…

• Do something kind for my better half. He’s working hard out of the home so that I can work hard in the home.

• Focus on all 3 of our kiddos — they each need similar things and they each need different things [all of which might depend on the day]

• Spend time across each week creating opportunities for all of us to do things focused on

  • Our HOME [clean things out, organize, donate]

  • Our FAMILY [playing games, putting puzzles together, cooking]

  • Our SELVES [hobbies, passion projects, things that bring us joy]

  • OTHERS [connecting with friends and family via letters & video]

Making a Plan

As for our at home learning time, well it’s definitely under construction.

For my college freshman, who just started her 2nd semester, that means giving her time and space to process a loss—the loss of coming home and the loss of saying goodbye to new friends [painful]. This also means a time for unpacking all of the college stuff that made its way back home [didn’t we just drop all of that off?] and getting set up for online, distance learning for college level coursework.

For my middle, it’s about figuring out what he needs and wants — and how to get his voice in it all so that he’s invested. It means digging through the bookshelves and finding some of his favorites and being open to all of his interests, even if they don’t particularly inspire me.

For my little, it’s about feeling out his feelings. He’s watched and listened to too much newsfeed and he’s a process-oriented kiddo. This means taking a step back, disconnecting a bit from all of the information, taking stock of all the facts, and honoring the things on his worry list. It’s also about getting his hands and brain busy — he’s a build-it, create-it, design-it kind of kid!

All of this will take time.

What’s Ahead…

Tomorrow my middle and my little launch our learning-at-home together. We plan to start our day with pjs + hot cocoa while we read, write, play Nab-it, and create some Origami. As the day unfolds, we’ll make a new recipe and go outside for a long walk with the Bernedoodle who is ever-so-happy about all of his humans-at-home time!. This is where we’ll start. Who knows where all of this will lead. We’re making the most of these tricky times — feeling thankful for so much along the way!

Our North Star: Building Relationships & Collaboration Through Asset-Based Protocols

Barry and I have been colleagues for the last 6 years. We first met while supporting a school in Harlem and then continued our work across the miles — coast to coast — through Sunday morning co-planning calls and writing. We are a great pair because we’ve nudged one another to think deeply about the things that matter to our practices and we hold inquiry and assets at our center. One of the best parts about our work together is the bridge we’ve created between our professional and personal lives. It’s pretty typical for Barry and I to launch or end our planning calls with, “what’s happening with the family?” type of dialogue. We work hard at keeping it real — real people, real lives, real work. We wouldn’t have it any other way. It doesn’t hurt, either, that we really dig each other’s spouses and kids—what blessings they are to each of us!

So, why all this chatter about our connection? For us, relationships, collaboration, and working with an asset-based mindset matters. We’ve worked to put our beliefs about learning, both with adults and students alike, into practice. Specifically, we believe learning is maximized when:

• we build lasting RELATIONSHIPS with our colleagues

• we work toward COLLECTIVE GOALS with SHARED AGREEMENTS about how to get where we are going

• we catch the good — going after ASSET-BASED PROTOCOLS — always

• we approach all problems of practice through MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS

• we create learning environments where everyone has something to GIVE and everyone has something they can GET

• we use REFLECTION to look back in order to create steps forward

About once or twice a year, Barry and I try to live out our beliefs by working and learning alongside one another in the same space. Whether that’s Barry making his way east to take a class in NYC or my heading west to learn in his classroom, thinking and planning together has been a cornerstone of our work.

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of co-hosting a Learning Lab in Barry’s classroom. The classroom organization and culture, his students, and students’ work became our text for learning. Because collaboration is central to our work, we invited some colleagues to join us. It’s hard to really capture all of the beauty that came about — individually and collectively —from participants. What follows is a snapshot from our Bainbridge Island Learning Lab experience.

Reflection: Our educational North Stars are the things that help us hold steady while other things [priorities, initiatives] continue to move and change. Defining and living within your professional North Star helps you stay grounded in your work, regardless of what comes your way.

Reflection: Using asset-based protocols — catching the good — when observing a classroom builds relationships, fosters trust and safely for everyone involved.

A big thank you to my friend and mentor, Sam Bennett, for sharing this protocol with me 10 years ago. It worked then and it still works today!

Teachers kidwatching — using a note catcher to collect asset-based evidence.

Reflection: Being clear with how time will be used across a workshop — both for yourself as the facilitator of learning and for the kiddos — is directly linked to student independence.

Posted in Barry’s classroom and revisited at the beginning of workshop.

Reflection: Creating efficient, effective and sustainable systems and structures for noting student observations —as you study and interact with students in whole group, small group, and 1:1 — is a key ingredient for future, instructional decision-making.

Graph paper + student headshots + clipboard + pen!

Reflection: If we believe in EYES ON PRINT, EYES ON PRINT, EYES ON PRINT, then choice in text type + seating makes a BIG difference for kiddos buying in and settling in for independent reading time.

Who wouldn’t want to dive into a text when you can sit around the “family room” to read!

Reflection: Biographies come in lots of shapes, sizes, and lengths. Sometimes reading lots of short texts builds reading volume in ways that one long chapter book biography can’t. Giving kiddos the choice is important.

Reflection: When students hold their thinking, it gives them opportunities to make meaning of the texts they are reading.

Reflection: Conferring with students provides insights and is one of the most meaningful, on-the-spot forms of formative assessment.

Reflection: One of the most powerful parts of a Learning Lab is the reflection that follows — cracking open the thinking behind the planning & instructional moves. It’s that metacognition that helps others imagine the implications for their work going forward.

Reflection: Sometimes we write to make sense and/or solidify our thinking or reflections. If you’d like to read some of Barry’s reflections after this Learning Lab, check this out!

Learning Labs: Igniting Inquiry & Inspiring Change

I have this mantra—

good work produces good work

When my kids were babies, their pediatrician would say, “good sleep produces good sleep.” Across the years, it proved to be true. None of my kids ever slept well when they were overly tired. If they were well rested, they rested well. I think a similar concept applies in schools. When good work is happening—it’s contagious. Good work ignites inquiry. Good work produces more good work and, in turn, inspires change.

Recently, I had the pleasure of supporting a school district that also believes good work produces good work. They’ve worked hard to stick with things that create growth. I’m fortunate to be included in some of their exciting work. They believe, like I do, that our work in schools is complex and that change doesn’t happen overnight. In addition, they believe that collaboration makes a difference. Following are some highlights — told through reflections and images — from my recent work with Enumclaw School District.

Reflection #1: Asking important questions and co-constructing solutions yields high-leverage, action-oriented results.

Reflection #2: Co-planning [through learning progressions or units of study] is essential because thinking together helps us close the knowing-naming-doing gap.

Reflection #3: Having choice in how we plan [templates, charts, high/low tech options, post-it notes, etc.] puts teachers in the planning driver’s seat—which is where they need to be!

Access to templates forthcoming [Benchmark, 2020].

Reflection #4: Learning Lab experiences are capacity building structures that create short and long-term impacts.

Reflection #5: Time and space to work collaboratively is necessary if we want to ignite inquiry and inspire change.

Writing to Make Sense of Our Work in Schools

Over a decade ago, a group of amazing women educators came together to study, define, collaborate, and write about what really matters in education. We spent a year — looking at research, creating sustainable professional learning structures, and naming and practicing our beliefs about learning. The positive implications from that time are deep and wide.

Across our year of study, we each kept a notebook filled with ideas, inquiries, and wonderings. Individually, we made a list of book titles that outlined what mattered most to us. These were books-to-be-written in the years to come. They captured what lived in our heads, hearts and guts and came directly from our years of teaching experiences and our love of education.

While miles separate us today, our work from that year continues to resonate with me. That year shaped me. It nudged me to think differently and it created space for me act bravely. I kept that notebook and continued to add to it. Eventually, the one notebook turned into seven—what fun—and out of those notebooks came writing that has helped me make sense of our work in schools.

I’m excited about some new books that I’ve written and co-written that are coming into the world—each with ties to that first writing crew all those years ago.

Side by Side instructional Coaching: 10 Asset-Based Habits That Spark Collaboration, Risk-Taking, and Growth [Benchmark, 2022]

Audience:  Instructional Coaches, Principals, Curriculum Directors, Department Chairs, Team Leaders [anyone who facilitates learning with and for others]

Gist: Every child deserves a teacher who has a thinking partner.  That’s because our work in schools is too complicated and important to go it alone.  The 10 Habits in this book are designed to create support structures for everyone and led by everyone—administrators, instructional coaches, department chairs, team leaders, grade level colleagues.  The key ingredient is working together in asset-based ways to build capacity across the learning community.  Whether you already have a well-established coaching program or you are trying to build support from the ground up, this book will give you lots of practical ideas, tips, tools, how-to lists, and protocols to support your efforts.  Although this book has a literacy focus, the 10 Habits are transferable to all content areas.

This book unpacks these 10 Habits:

1. Develop Relationships

2. Communicate Plans

3. Define Beliefs

4. Design Goals

5. Co-plan

6. Co-teach

7. Create Tracks

8. Reflect

9. Build Capacity

10. Prioritize Across the Year

BUY THE BOOK HERE!

What’s Our Response? Creating Systems & Structures to Support ALL Learners [FIRST Educational Resources, 2021]

Audience: Classroom Teachers, Intervention Specialists, Instructional Coaches, Administrators

Gist: In education time is never on our side.  Too much time is being spent in meetings to discuss students’ deficits and not enough time harnessing their assets. Students come to school each day with individual and collective wants and needs, and it’s our job to harness who and where they are. The RtI process doesn’t have to be a machine model approach with an over-reliance on short sided skill and drill; it can be a dynamic, flexible, in-the-moment response focused on good instruction.   This book explores how to keep students at the center of decision-making so that the focus is fidelity to our students instead of fidelity to content, curriculum or program by addressing 5 Problems of Practice with RtI which include:

• We need to break out of the RtI box.

• We need to honor and increase teacher autonomy and agency.

• We need child study teams focused on students’ assets.

• We need to increase students' thinking and doing time.

• We need good instruction because that makes the best interventions.

This book will provide dozens of ready-to-use, solution-oriented tools to create asset-based systems and structures so that you are better positioned to create an instructional response that will support all students’ growth.

I’ve been blessed with incredible mentors, thinking partners, and editors. I’m inspired by a current writing group called The Radish Writers. Being a part of a writing tribe is one of the greatest gifts—if you don’t have one….go start one! Gather people who want to write and think and do together. It will inspire you. It will unleash you. It will change you.

BUY THE BOOK HERE!

Short Texts: Mighty Mentors for Readers and Writers

Audience: Classroom Teachers [K-5], Intervention Specialists [K-8], Instructional Coaches, Principals, Curriculum Directors

Gist: Short texts are everywhere, and so are the readers who love them.  In this anthology, learn how to select, plan with, and use short texts to increase reading volume and inspire opportunities for writing.  From novel excerpts to the writing on the back of a cereal box, short texts have so much to teach our students about the form and function of reading and writing in the world. And this amazing resource has so much to teach us about the power of “short” to help readers and writers go the long distance.

What you will find in this book:

• CONSUME, PRODUCE, SHARE, EXTEND—a process for considering what texts we choose to consume, how we mine texts for what matters, whether we want to produce something to share with others, and opportunities to extend our reading and writing

• 30 + short texts spanning non-fiction, fiction, poetry, environmental print and more!

• One-page Planning Templates that help you think through the trickiest parts of each text type and the stickiest ideas 

• Completed Planning Templates to give you a running start of ready-to-go lessons

• Ways to use short texts with all your readers (whole class, small groups, and one-to-one) and across the content areas

• Extensions for using each short text to inspire and inform writing

• Resources and templates for you to start finding and using your own short texts

COMING SOON!

Creating Entry Points #4: Try Using Short Texts to Spark Curiosity Using a Photo of the Week

We keep saying it because it’s true—short texts are everywhere! They are also often at our fingertips and can be consumed for free. If we want kiddos to read the world around them, we have to expand the types of texts that we ask them to read, inside and outside of school. Said another way—our kiddos deserve to read texts everyday that go beyond textbooks and test prep passages. In addition, kiddos deserve to spend their learning time doing things that boost their curiosity, creativity and ingenuity.

TRY THIS

1. Remind students that a short text is…short! Share some of your favorite examples with them. This can be a quick “short text hot read” share OR you can use a few short texts for shared reading.

2. Share this amazing photo of the week. Consider:

   • Giving students a chance to figure out the content of this photo. Instead of telling them it’s a picture of the sun’s surface, ask them to share some guesses with peers. You could say: This may look like kernels of corn, but it’s not. What is it?

   • Give students time to swap ideas.

   • Then, give students some information about the photo [share information included in the caption of the photo and/or from other information you find about the latest photos of the sun.].

   • If there’s time and interest, ask students to go on a hunt for other short texts about the sun that they could consume during independent reading time.

3. Give students time to find other photos of the day/week. There are lots of credible sources out there! Here are a few examples:

   • The Atlantic

   • National Geographic

   • NASA

   • The Guardian

   • NYT

4. Remember to give students time to share and talk about the photos they discover. This talk time increases motivation and engagement and leads to greater transfer of knowledge, skills and understandings.

SOME TIPS

• If you are an administrator or instructional coach, consider taking 5 minutes during a staff meeting or co-planning session and sharing a photo of the day/week. Teachers could:

  • View the photo of the week together and discuss their thinking in small groups.

  • Brainstorm ideas about ways photos/images could be used in the classroom to increase spark curiosity.

Creating Entry Points #3: Try Using Short Texts to Celebrate Green!

SHORT TEXTS: CELEBRATING GREEN!

Short texts are everywhere and are focused on lots of interesting topics.  Short texts are a great resource for:

• Read Aloud

• Shared Reading

• Small Group Learning Opportunities [pairs, trios, groups of 4-6]

• One-to-One Conferring

Short texts can be about serious topics.  They can be about interesting topics. Short texts can be about fun topics.  Sometimes, when we put a bunch of texts together in a SHORT TEXT SET, collectively they can fit all three -- serious, interesting, and fun. 

CURATE THIS!

Imagine creating an organizing feature such as a holiday, an author, or an event.  Then, do a little brainstorming about the different types of texts students could read in order to dig deeper into it.  For an example, let’s use the color GREEN as our organizing feature. Using GREEN as our vehicle, we could provide opportunities for students to read:

• All about the environment 

• Picture books that focus on green

• Leafy, green vegetables

• Green candy [think M & M’s and Skittles]

• Mike Wazowski [Monsters, Inc.]

The idea of green might sound generic or unimportant, but there are so many different paths you can take -- to pique students’ interests, learn about new ideas, and satisfy curiosities -- with texts related to the color green.  Here’s what I mean:

Click here for active links to purchase the books and refer to the websites provided in the chart above.

TRY THIS!

1. Select one of the short texts listed above OR curate your own GREEN text set.

2. Determine if you want to share the text through

   • Read Aloud

   • Shared Reading

   • Small Group Learning Opportunities [pairs, trios, groups of 4-6]

   • One-to-One

3. Enjoy reading the short text with students.

4. Give students time to talk about the short text. Consider spearheading the conversation with some of the questions listed in the chart above.

5. Ask students if they want to read more short texts focused on GREEN. If they do, decide who, what, when, where, and how you will design the learning opportunities.

6. Have fun! And, if you aren’t digging the color GREEN as an organizing feature…there’s always BLUE or PINK!

COMING SOON!

Elizabeth and I are excited for our book to hit the shelves in the months to come— Short Texts: Mighty Mentors That Move Readers and Writers Forward [Benchmark, 2020]!

Using Short Texts to Make Sense of Current Events [Kobe Bryant]

Short texts create so many opportunities for students to read the world around them. Using short texts can support students when they are:

• Learning about new topics and ideas

• Working through issues or concerns — personal to them and/or impacting the world around them

• Engaging with different text types — including fiction, nonfiction, and narrative nonfiction

• Making sense of current events

Current events create opportunities for students to make sense of the world — locally, nationally and globally — on a daily basis. In addition, curating a SHORT TEXT SET gives students multiple texts and multiple entry points for making meaning.

Current Events Short Text Set [Kobe Bryant]

If your students are anything like my middle school son, Noah, the recent news of Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter accident was sad and confusing. Noah wanted to know a few things:

• Was the text message [which is a short text type too] from a friend who was sharing the news of the accident accurate?

• Did the news media outlet [his favorite sports app] share all of the details? Was there information missing? Would more details be shared and if so, when?

These inquiry questions led my son to want more—more reading, viewing, listening, comparing, sifting and sorting of information to better understand the full story. This event also gave him [and our family] an opportunity to pause—to celebrate Kobe Bryant’s life, career, and contributions.

If you are looking for ways to help your students process this current event, consider sharing some of these short texts with your students:

1. Newspaper Articles: Select some newspaper articles and resources for students to read, compare, and discuss.

2. Magazine: Sports Illustrated Kobe Bryant Special Retirement Tribute Issue

3. Short Film: Dear Basketball [2017]

4. Website: NBA Stats

There’s real beauty in students reading short texts and short text sets because it can lead to kiddos to reading more texts AND sometimes reading longer texts. Here are some examples of things kiddos might want to read in addition to the texts already mentioned. Click the links below to order copies!

Kobe Bryant by Jordan Lowe. Kobe Bryan: A League of His

Own by Steve James

Sometimes short text reading can lead to a desire to expand knowledge about the topic. For example, if your students are interested in reading more about basketball, the available texts are plentiful. A few examples include:

Everything Kids’ Basketball Book Bball Basics for Kids B is for Baller

TRY THIS

1. Give students a chance to discuss what they know or think they know about Kobe Bryant and the recent news.

   Note: Create a safe space by explaining that fatal accidents can be scary and if anyone wants to disengage from the discussion, you respect their decision. In addition, explain that everyone responds to tragedy differently and in order to honor everyone’s individual process, respectful and thoughtful discussion and responses are expected.

2. Select a short text about Kobe Bryant to use for a shared reading experience. Give students a copy or display it so that students can see it. Read the short text together and create opportunities for students to share their thinking and ideas with others.

3. If there’s time and interest, give students an opportunity to read other texts in this short text set.

4. Give students time to process their thinking, wonderings, and emotions through writing or discussion.

EXTENDING THE LEARNING

If students want to continue learning, they can read more about Kobe Bryant’s life—past experiences and contributions. Students can also continue to follow current events that are shared through various mediums as the details of Kobe Bryant’s accident are reported.

Short Text + Note Catcher + Student Talk = Increased Engagement & Reading Volume

Short texts are everywhere—often within reach or quick glance. Think about all of the short texts that surround you each day such as:

• To Do List

• Take-out Menu

• Poem

• Magazine Article

• Signage at the Mall

• Pamphlet in a hotel lobby

• Ads on your web browser home page

• Instagram Posts

The list goes on and on. And, most short texts are packed full of meaning-making opportunities for readers of all ages. Elizabeth and I are excited to share lots of exciting ideas about ways to use short texts in our forthcoming book, Short Texts: Mighty Mentors That Move Readers and Writers Forward [Benchmark, 2020] which is filled with texts, templates, and planners which is sure to get you and your students jazzed up about reading [and maybe even creating] short texts of all types!

TRY THIS

1. Grab a short text that you think is interesting and that you think will pique your students’ interests.

2. Give students a copy of the Short Texts Note Catcher [see example below].

3. Read the descriptions under each shape and discuss with students.

   NOTE: If you believe more than 50% of your students will need support, choose a short text and a copy of the note catcher and create a shared reading experience. Display the short text and read it with students—making your thinking visible to them as you co-construct meaning and hold your thinking using the note catcher. This experience will give students an opportunity to try on a short text and this note catcher, providing support where needed and leading to greater success.

4. Group students in pairs, trios or groups of 4.

5. Give students 10-15 minutes to read and jot down their answers. Join small groups of students to provide support where needed.

6. Provide time for students to share their note catcher ideas with others.

EXTENDING THE LEARNING

• Grab other short texts and give students multiple opportunities to read, make meaning, jot down their thinking and share with others.

• Invite students to collect and share other short texts that could be used with this activity.

• Ask students if they have other shapes or question stems they might want to add to this note catcher. Invite students to create a Short Text Shape Note Catcher for others to try out.

INTERESTED IN OTHER NOTE CATCHERS?

Note Catchers can be used across settings and for many different purposes. The shape note catchers I blog about are inspired by ideas we developed in our book, What Are You Grouping For?, Grades 3-8: How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers—Not the Book [Wright & Hoonan, 2018]. If you like shape note catchers, check out A Little Bit About…which can help you get to know students and their interests.

Creating Entry Points #2: Try Using a Short Text to Ignite Reading & Writing Volume

We say it all of the time….READ, READ, READ.. Read a lot, read often, and read different types of books. We book talk, share hot reads, and work diligently to fill our bookshelves with interesting, culturally responsive, relevant books. In addition, we model lifelong reading habits by sharing with students how we [their teachers] live literate lives by talking about the books we read and love and how reading continues to shape our thinking and perspectives. On a professional level, we talk about ending “book deserts” and increasing reading opportunities for students during school breaks. Everyone is working pretty hard.

Kids get it! They understand that we want them to read often, widely and deeply. Why, then, are so many kiddos without books in their hands regardless of our efforts? In our forthcoming book, Short Texts: Mighty Mentors That Move Readers and Writers Forward [Benchmark, 2020], Elizabeth and I talk about the beauty of getting short texts in readers’ hands to ignite reading volume, among other benefits. We can’t wait to share this book — filled with dozens of short texts and ideas — that will fuel teaching and learning opportunities across content areas.

Our hope—to inspire teachers and students alike—to be on the look-out for interesting, thought-provoking, fun texts that make kiddos want to read AND want to read more! Take a look at this short text.

1. What stands out to you?

2. Where do your eyes land and what do you want to read first?

Does it look familiar? When you were young, or maybe even today as an adult, was the back of a cereal box part of your morning eating routine? Did you ever have repeat readings across several days and see things you didn’t see the day before? Did reading something on the back of the box ever pique your curiosity and make you want to know more? Today, the back of cereal boxes often entertain, inspire creativity, inform. One of the biggest benefits is the invitation to re-read, read additional texts and write. In addition, they can open a door for further exploration. For example, the cereal box above:

Here is the point: Reading the back of a cereal box IS reading and counts as EYES ON PRINT which leads to increased reading volume. Since this type of short text is engaging, it might even motivate students to read more and initiate some writing experiences that they may otherwise have missed.

TRY THIS

1. Explain to students that a short text is…short. Share a few examples with them [picture book, poem, advertisement].

2. Share other examples of short texts [back of a cereal box, bag of pretzels, box of crackers, etc.].

3. Ask students to find a package at home that they can bring in to share with others.

4. In the next few days, create a bucket of “Package Short Texts”. When there are enough short texts to go around, have students share the package they brought from home with a small group [pairs or trios].

5. Give students 15-20 minutes to share their packages.

6. Gather students together. Model and share one of the packages that you find exciting. Think aloud for them about ways this short text entertained you, inspired creativity in you, informed you, and if you plan to read or write anything more because of this short text.

7. Ask students to work with their small group again and answer one [or more of the following] questions:

   • How did the package entertain you?

   • How did the package inspire creativity?

   • How did the package inform you?

   • Based on what you’ve read, is there anything related that you would like to explore further?

8. As students work, listen in [or kidwatch] so that you get a sense of students’ knowledge and understandings. if applicable, clear up any confusion.

9. If time permits, ask small groups to share out their findings with others.

SOME TIPS

• Invite students to bring in packages across several weeks to share with the class. If there’s time and interest, give students an opportunity to read and write from classmates’ packages too!

• If you are an administrator or instructional coach, consider asking colleagues to bring in packages to share during a staff meeting. They could:

  • Form a small group and talk to colleagues about their short text.

  • Brainstorm ideas about ways packages could be used in the classroom to increase reading and writing volume.

First 15 Days of Small Group Learning

As winter break approaches and your eyes turn to the first weeks of 2020, consider increasing small group learning opportunities for your students. We know there are often obstacles that make small groups difficult to manage. One way to overcome those challenges is through intentional and strategic planning. if you want to jumpstart your planning NOW [yes, even before the winter break!] or in January, take a look at the First 15 Days of Small Group Learning. Remember, small groups can be launched at any point in the school year!

The first 15 days were written with care, but of course did not take into account the specific needs of your students. So, don’t be afraid to adjust these plans to make them match your goals along with students’ interests, wants and needs. If any of these plans don’t quite fit, you might want to:

• Spend more time if needed [turn one day of learning and extend it across 2-3 days]

• Spend less time if needed [skip or shorten a workshop]

Also, remember…

• If you don’t have the suggested materials, swap them out for things that are readily available

• If the suggested focus for instruction is not what your students need—collectively or individually—change it up

• If you aren’t sure if the plans are working or helping students—remember to ask them to share their ideas and insights with you. Students are often the best self-assessors of what they know, are able to do, and what they need next. All we have to do is ask.

Flexible, small group learning yields great results with measurable impacts. Here’s to finding JOY in small group learning in the days, weeks, and months to come!

Want to Inspire Voluminous Reading? Start by Curating Texts

What fun it is to curate texts to inspire and teach. I had the pleasure of authoring a Corwin blog post focused on the importance of text curation!

Want to Inspire Voluminous Reading? Start by Curating Texts

Creating Entry Points #1: Try Using a Photograph to Spark Curiosity & Interest

SOME BACKGROUND [SHARING MY ROOTS]

Many moons ago, I was a self-contained, intermediate teacher. I loved teaching, loved my kiddos, loved my colleagues and my school. From day-to-day, my students helped breathe life into the work I was doing. That was especially true when the work was extra hard—navigating school initiatives, trying to understand state and district mandates, making sense of curricula, and staying on top of the never-ending, to do list on my teacher clipboard.

Those days are vivid in my mind’s eye because it was the same time my firstborn, Sydney, showed her beautiful face to the world. I was a proud, new, working mom [missing my baby fiercely] which resulted in a daily quick share during Morning Meeting, referred by my students as “Sydney Story Time”. I shared stories about Sydney throwing Cheerios all over the floor, her refusal to keep baby socks on her feet, her babbles and first words, and descriptions of lost toys in our backseat. My kiddos learned a lot about Sydney, but they also learned a lot about me and the things that were important in my life.

In those days being digital was a 2 or 3 step process. Once a week, I added a picture to my narrative to add to the storytelling experience. My students would gather around our desktop computer to view the “Sydney Picture of the Week”. As I shared the play-by-play descriptions that accompanied the picture, my students would smile and laugh and ask questions and give advice. I knew I was onto something meaningful because if I was out of the classroom and missed Morning Meeting, my students expected 2 “Sydney Stories” upon my return. It was pure joy.

Each day during Reading and Writing Workshop, my students had 2 big chunks of work time where they were doing the work of READING [reading texts they chose] and doing the work of WRITING [writing a lot]. Among others, we had 2 goals that were consistent across every unit, every day. They were:

1. EYES ON PRINT, EYES ON PRINT, EYES ON PRINT to build reading volume.

2. PENCIL TO THE PAGE, PENCIL TO THE PAGE, PENCIL TO THE PAGE to build writing volume.

“Sydney Stories” often became entry points for my students’ reading and writing experiences. It was not unusual for a few details to show up in my students’ Writer’s Notebooks. Sometimes students recounted the events from Sydney’s point of view. Sometimes fictitious details were added. Other times, students would write a similar story, but change the main character or add a new ending with a twist. There were even times when a few students would launch some research and create things, based on something that was shared, which is how I acquired homemade, baby-safe, hanging toys in the backseat of my car.

SO WHAT? WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Kids want to know their teachers. They want to know about our experiences, talents, fears, family happenings, and the adventures of our daily lives. It’s reciprocal because we want to know our students in the same way. As the years passed, I expanded my Morning Meeting share to include lots of things about me— interesting things about my extended family, my passions, and curiosities. My sharing often inspired students to want to to do the same, giving everyone ongoing opportunities to learn about and know one another.

EFFICIENT & EFFECTIVE PRACTICES STAND THE TEST OF TIME

Recently, our family got a new puppy. Oh my…. it’s like having a toddler in the house! Here’s Denver, our 16-week old Bernedoodle.

As an instructional coach who visits schools, I often need to create opportunities to learn about students and ways for students to get to know me. Earlier this week I was working with some amazing 4th graders. To launch our work, I shared Denver’s picture above along with these details:

• My family got a new puppy.

• He is 16 weeks old.

• His name is Denver and he is a Bernedoodle.

• He came from a breeder in Indiana.

• His mom had a litter of 7 puppies.

• When Denver runs across the yard, he sometimes does a little somersault because he’s in that clumsy puppy stage.

Students broke into small groups for about 7 minutes to discuss anything they were thinking about. The room was full of productive chatter. Some students talked about their own pets. Others listed wonderings they had about Denver. During Reading and Writing Workshop, students were given several choices. They were invited to read or write something that they were previously working on OR they could do some work in response to Denver’s picture. During a quick brainstorm, we generated this list together of some possibilities.

Denver’s photo sparked curiosity and interest, but the key was students’ choice and autonomy in what they did [or didn’t do] after my quick share. Some students talked more about their own experiences with puppies. Some students researched about Bernadoodles and other points of interest. Some created lists of questions while others wrote Denver adventure stories. Most importantly, some went about with their own reading and writing projects because that is how they chose to spend their time. These 4th graders are just getting started—I can’t wait to see where their literacy journey takes them!

TRY THIS: USE A PHOTOGRAPH TO SPARK CURIOSITY & INTEREST

1. Find a photo/image that is meaningful to you [family member, recent experience, something from nature, etc.]

2. Project the photo/image so that students can see it and share a few details about it.. Note: If time permits, give students time to talk about the photo/image and/or ask you questions about it.

3. Explain that during Reading and/or Writing Workshop, students will have time to read or write something related to the photo/image you shared OR they can read or write something they were previously working on.

4. As a whole group, brainstorm some possible reading and writing ideas.

5. Give students time to read and/or write.

6. At the end of Reading or Writing Workshop, give students an opportunity to share what they’ve been working on [whole group or small groups].

7. As students share, listen in and kidwatch so that you can use this data/intel to impact your focus for instruction in the days to come. CONSIDER: Ask students if they would like more time to read and write using the photo/image as inspiration OR if they have had enough time. If students would like more time, plan accordingly based on students’ interests/needs and your school/district curricular calendars.

SOME TIPS

• Invite students to bring in a photo/image to share with the class. If there’s time and interest, give students an opportunity to read and write from classmates’ photos too!

• If you are an administrator or instructional coach, consider asking colleagues to bring in a photograph to share during a staff meeting. They could:

  • Form a small group and talk to colleagues about their photo.

  • Do a quick write about their photo or any photo in the room.

  • Brainstorm ideas about ways photographs/images could be used in the classroom to bolster reading and writing volume.