Relationships First
We start with relationships because if a child doesn’t trust and respect us, they certainly won’t want to learn from us! A positive teacher-student relationship affects behavior and academics.

Purposeful Learning Environment
The physical and emotional space in the classroom affects stamina, engagement, and motivation, as well as the feelings of joy and belonging of your students.

Daily Routines
Students don’t know what we want them to do unless we tell them. When Routines are explicitly taught, students know exactly what you expect, so that they can focus their energy on learning.

Independent Reading
Independent reading time is the most important time in a student’s day. Providing time for reading, giving students the tools they need to select their own good-fit books, and working with them to build their reading stamina gives students the support they need as they become independent lifelong readers. And, establishing these behaviors will give you time to confer one-on-one and meet with small groups so that you meet the needs of every student.

Getting Started with Conferring
Knowing your students on a deep level as learners is critical to making sure they are on the right path for their learning success.

Start by using independent reading time for quick checks. Ask targeted questions, record the information, and keep track of meetings and student progress in a conferring notebook. You will be well on your way to the Assessment and Goal Setting course.

Brief and Effective Lessons
With each passing minute of a lesson, your students are losing attention. Lengthy lessons with more than one teaching target are getting in the way of students’ optimal growth.

Commit our lesson structure to memory and teach the way the brain learns best.

Independent Writing
The ability to write independently is a skill that students will use throughout their lives.

It is our responsibility for students to see themselves as writers, and when we give them the tools to begin, persevere and finish a writing piece, they will.

Assessment and Goal Setting
Assessment is an integral part of instruction. It affects decisions about instructional needs and goals, and it gives us feedback on our teaching. Discovering what students know helps us determine if we are teaching what we need to be teaching and if they are learning what they need to be learning.

Authentic Transfer
Critical analysis of the work we are having students do throughout the day is so important. Are we merely keeping them busy, or are they authentically transferring their learning?

There is no substitute for actual reading and writing.