Reading Recovery Connections
A blog for Reading Recovery and early literacy professionals
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
by Jeffery Williams Every culture across time has developed a set of stories, tales, and myths that were designed to help explain the complexities of the world. Such lore is handed down across generations to [...]
Getting to Know Our Writers: Strategies for Any Classroom
By Lynne Dorfman & Diane Esolen Dougherty A successful writing workshop depends on many factors, including how well we get to know our students. Throughout the school year, but especially in the beginning of the [...]
How Do I Navigate the Roundabout in Reading Recovery?
by Kim Reynolds You know that feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when things are uncomfortable or unpredictable? It is not a feeling that I get very often, but it happens [...]
The Power of the Cross-Check: No Penalties in the Reading Process
by Jamie Lipp My oldest nephew is a Division One college lacrosse player (proud aunt). Recently, we traveled to a game to watch him play. In the middle of an intense play, one of his [...]
Get to the Root of It
by Kristi McCullough While receiving Literacy Collaborative training, the professors always told the class that word-study instruction needed to be “powerful” and “generative.” I remember thinking to myself, I know “powerful” word study means doing [...]
Writing Workshop: Potential and Possibilities for Cultivating Purpose, Power, and Passion
by Wendy Sheets Writing Workshop is a context that has the potential to help students develop as writers within a literate community. As students learn to live as writers, building a repertoire of tools and [...]
Who Owns the Learning? The Importance of Adopting a Facilitative Stance
by Maria Nichols Henry: No!! They gotta go the other way! Ella: To the waves! Teacher: Angel? You have that look … Angel: [nodding] Yeah - I’m trying to – like, why do they go [...]
Do It All and Do It Now
by LeeAnn Lewellen As an instructional coach, I hear so many “buzzwords” when administrators and district personnel discuss teacher effectiveness after a brief classroom observation. Engagement, rigor, cultural responsiveness, high yield strategies, assessment… the list goes [...]
Tell Me a Story
by Connie Dierking This time of year I am reminded of my grandmother’s large oval dining room table. I see my sisters, brother, mom and dad seated at this table, grandma and grandpa at each [...]
Using Share Time to Inspire and Instruct Writers
by Leah Mermelstein Recently, I was speaking with a group of fourth-grade teachers who use The Teachers College Writing Units of Study. They had just taught a minilesson about using ‘boxes and bullets’ as a [...]