Writing is not easy (teaching it or writing it). If you look at language acquisition, literacy learning, and how we actually learn, writing almost always comes last. For most students, it’s harder than speaking and reading because writing requires them to produce language. Because of that, we have to do as much as we can […]

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You’ve probably tried the synonym posters. You’ve probably introduced “other ways to say…” lists. You may have even held a “ceremony” where certain overused words were officially put to rest because you never wanted to see them again in your students’ writing. And you still might not be seeing the vocabulary you want to see […]

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If you watch students during independent reading, a pattern shows up quickly: most choose fiction. It’s what they’re comfortable with and what they feel successful reading. That preference shows up in comprehension data, too. Fiction is often a strength. Nonfiction is where understanding breaks down. Students skim. They flip pages, look at pictures, and move […]

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