Melissa Kirkland

Helping Kids Slip the Surly Bonds of Leveled Reading educationnext.org/helping-kids-s…

@rmontebruno1 @wbny @rmontebruno1 I was just referencing this visual today at the PIA teacher PD! I should have had it with me to show. Love it.

What is the best way to organize a classroom for reading instruction? shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/what-is-t…

Does the instructional level idea make sense in the teaching of reading? shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/the-instr…

Maybe you need to hear that it’s ok to still feel tired, awful, sad, longing, and any combination as you try to live through this pandemic stage. Things are still not normal despite what everyone is saying or doing to feel like normal. It remains exhausting trying to pretend. ☹️

A7 When we “cold write” in front of students (or Write Aloud) we make them privy to our in-the-head thinking in the act of writing. This lets us show them our process including challenges that come along the way. Kids can do the same! #G2Great

This I know for sure -Love your students -Celebrate strengths & efforts -Find each child's special gifts -Develop deep profes knowhow -Read aloud each day -Connect reading & writing -Promote student choice -Show kindness daily -Become a significant influencer Make teaching matter

A teacher has shared that the dashboard is the only way they knew about a VOC in their classroom and only 1 kid was determined a close contact. Everyone else continues to attend. If this is the aggressive contact tracing and isolation policy they speak of, we're in big trouble.

It’s so important to remember that the ONLY time we use levels is for the teacher to choose books for guided reading (and even then flexibly and guided by knowledge of the child. There is NO OTHER time we use levels (and we are the only one who knows what they are) #G2Great

Education should never be under the authority of politics. Education should always be directed by truth and what’s most important for kids. Education should be in the care of educators, not politicians. #mbpoli

Excerpts from a 2012 article that we still need to work toward today!

@Ran4B @southpointe_ Love this!

Successful Student Learning— remote & in person requires -trusting relationships -equitable practices -building on Ss strengths -engaging texts -scaffolded experiences -relevant, authentic content -student choice and voice -sustained time to read & write -celebration of efforts

@Ran4B @JackieWoodson Beautiful

Susan B Neuman We focus too much on leveled text and getting the right level for the right child at the right moment. Think about the child and what they are interested in. #endbookdeserts

We can build relationships by: -letting kids choose to read the texts they need -letting them write about things that are important to them -knowing how students access technology at home -providing way more descriptive feedback than marks/grades

In his latest HEADlines article, @hta_president, Wendell Head examines the analogy of "the straw that broke the camel's back" in relation to the current conditions for teachers in Manitoba. We invite you to consider this thoughtful and fair article. hanoverteachers.com/the-weight-of-…

A1 An invitation to write begins with teacher modeling. If we share our own writing, we are opening the door by showing that we do exactly what we ask of kids. I think this is so critically important. #NYEDChat