small groups

Short Texts at Your Fingertips: Short Stories

We offer you Short Texts at Your Fingertips. One or two times each week, we provide teaching ideas around a different type of short text that is easily found in the home, so that no family feels under-resourced. These ideas can integrate into virtually any curriculum and pedagogy, from Workshop to basal. If you are a caregiver, teacher, or curriculum director, these brief but mighty texts and lessons are our way of saying thanks. And our way of giving children authentic and enjoyable reading and writing engagements each day. 

Written by Julie Wright & Elizabeth Keim

SHORT TEXTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: SHORT STORIES

Short stories provide lots of benefits for readers of all ages, one being they are short! Or  Short stories provide lots of benefits for readers of all ages.   For one thing, they are short!  They are usually fast-paced with a single-plot.  Short stories have other benefits too. Readers can read from start to finish, avoiding the struggle of failure to launch and failure to finish.  Short stories give readers opportunities to try new genres and authors.  Short stories are portable, tradable, can easily be read several times, and can be a path to reading longer texts.  Short stories are a great resource to use in flexible, small groups where kiddos have many opportunities for reading, writing, and talking opportunities!

We get jazzed up by short stories -- both stand alone stories and those collected in anthologies.  We would be remiss if we neglected to mention a favorite short story type called a picture book.  We wrote about picture books -- check it out here.  Take a look at some of our favorite short story anthologies.  They are sure to pique students’ interests, inspire reading more and more often, and create culturally responsive reading opportunities for students across grade levels.  

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LINKS TO THESE TITLES

Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance by Jason Reynolds, Samira Ahmed, et al.

Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys' Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys by Jon Scieszka

Fresh Ink: An Anthology by Lamar Giles

Baseball in April and Other Stories by Gary Soto 

Flying Lessons & Other Stories by Ellen Oh

A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories (World Full Of...) by Angela McAllister

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices by S. K. Ali and Aisha Saeed

Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever. by Betsy Bird

5-Minute Marvel Stories (5-Minute Stories) by Marvel Press Book Group, Brandon Snider, et al.

TRY THIS!

Step 1

Find a short story you want to share.  There are lots of ways to share a short story.  Ask yourself, will you share the short story:

  • As a read aloud?

  • As a text for shared reading?

  • With a small group?

  • With an individual student?

Next, ask yourself, will you and your students read the short story:

  • All together?

  • Partially together and partially on your own?

  • On your own?

Then, ask yourself, will you and your students:

  • Read just for the sake of reading?

  • Jot some notes, draw some images, write about what you are thinking or wondering about your reading?

Finally, ask yourself, will you and your students talk about the short story:

  • All together during the whole group?

  • In a half group?

  • In small groups?

  • One-to-one between teacher and student?

Step 2

Find other short stories that students will enjoy reading.  Check out these online resources:

Step 3

Select other short stories you want students to read.  Decide:

  • Will all students read the same short story?

  • Will students have choices in the short stories they read?

  • Will students go on a hunt and find [or curate] short stories for their peers to read?

Step 4

Consider giving students opportunities to write their own short story for their peers or for online publication submission.  Here are some publications that accept short stories written by students:

FOR MORE RESOURCES, CHECK THESE OUT!


COMING SOON!

Short Texts:  Mighty Mentors That Move Readers and Writers Forward by Julie Wright & Elizabeth Keim (2022)

Co-Planning: Reading & Writing Mini-Unit Focused on Expert Studies [PART 3]

Written by Julie Wright & Barry Hoonan

HOW WE GOT INTO PROFESSIONAL CAHOOTS WITH ONE ANOTHER

We’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with one another for the past seven years.  We met at a school in Harlem, Julie as an Instructional Coach and Barry as a Model Classroom Teacher and Instructional Coach. Our work continued well past that experience.  With Barry out west and Julie on the east coast, we’ve spent the majority of our years working across 3000 miles.  Highlights include Sunday morning co-planning sessions and co-authoring What Are You Grouping For?, Grades 3-8: How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers -- Not the Book.  We’ve always enjoyed being THINKING PARTNERS and we believe educators need someone to think beside now, more than ever.

A DISCLAIMER OF SORTS

As we navigate and co-plan learning during the weeks ahead, here are a few shared agreements:

  1. We are not going to edit these videos which means it might be clunky at times.  You might get a barking dog, tech glitches, or family interruptions.  We know you’ll be able to relate and hope you’ll be understanding.

  2. The ideas we share are NOT “the way” or “the right way” -- they are just one way to approach things.  And, we are figuring it out as we go along too. We hope you’ll take the big ideas we are discussing and — adopt, adapt or improve upon them — making them fit your settings, interests and needs. 

  3. We suggest focusing on process -- our work will continue to unfold between video segments.  That’s why if you pop back into our shared document links, you’ll notice changes because we’ll be adding ideas.  That’s because responsive plans evolve across the days and weeks.

HERE’S WHAT WE ARE UP TO

  • Kids have been learning from home for several weeks now.  Barry and Julie have a co-planning routine and they “meet” about 1-2 times each week. 

  • Barry’s students have settled into a learning from home routine, sort of.  Each week brings about new celebrations and new challenges.  

  • We just wrapped up a mini-writing unit focused on Greek mythology.  Kiddos spent 2 weeks reading Greek myths and then they worked on narrative writing with a twist of Greek mythology.

  • Up next—a reading and writing unit focused on Expert Studies.

THINGS WE ARE THINKING ABOUT NOW

  • How does workshop play out in terms of synchronous and asynchronous learning?

  • How can mentor texts that we choose and that students choose be used to support learning?

  • When, where, why, and how will students meet in small breakout groups over the next week?

  • How can student work be used for a minilesson using a digital platform?

  • How can doing our own assignment [as teachers] become models/minilessons to use for instruction?

VIDEO

If you are interested in watching a coach and teacher co-plan — working as THINKING PARTNERS in response to the unique times we are currently experiencing — check out this video.

In this video, we briefly reflect on this week's plans. Then, we think through a process for responding to students using as asset-based approach. Finally, we begin noodling plans for an upcoming Expert Studies mini-unit.

RESPONSE TO STUDENTS

Whether we are face-to-face or facilitating digital/remote learning opportunities, our response to students matters. Thinking together about ways to support students is an important coach-teacher conversation. Here’s one way to think together to noodle plans for supporting students that starts with students’ assets. Note: It’s important to think about ALL students, not just students who may appear to need extra support due to deficits or weaknesses.

Ask: Who is on your worry / wonder list?

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OTHER LINKS & RESOURCES

Our DRAFTY, dynamic, in-motion, evolving plans: Co-Planning: Julie & Barry

Planning Templates: Co-planning Templates

Small Group Plans: Small Group Reading & Writing Lesson Plans to Adopt, Adapt or Improve [During Remote/Distance Learning]

Interested in post-it note planning, check out one of these resources: Chapter 8 & 9 Resources from What Are You Grouping For?, Grades 3-8: How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers -- Not the Book.

BARRY’S REFLECTIONS

  • I am still thinking about the different ways to plan for the Expert Studies mini-unit. I’m thinking about our work during shared experiences and independent work time.

  • I need to make a list of end demonstration ideas for this new mini-unit and if I will co-construct ideas with students.

  • I am going to begin with the WHY when I share this new mini-unit with students.

JULIE’S REFLECTIONS

  • For the kiddos on Barry’s worry/wonder list, did his response plan yield the desired results?

  • What topics did Barry’s kiddos choose for their Expert Studies? What are the end demonstration choices?

  • With only 2 “days” to teach reading and 2 “days” to teach writing, what are the short and long-term impacts for students’ knowledge, skills and understandings? As a multi-age teacher, how will Barry [and his colleagues] respond in the fall? How will this response be similar or different for single grade classrooms?

WANT TO SUBMIT A QUESTION or CONNECT WITH US?

If something we’ve shared inspires new ideas or ignites some questions, reach out to us using THIS FORM and we’ll do our best to get back to you!

Co-Planning: Mini-Writing Unit [PART 2]

Written by Julie Wright & Barry Hoonan

HOW WE GOT INTO PROFESSIONAL CAHOOTS WITH ONE ANOTHER

We’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with one another for the past seven years.  We met at a school in Harlem, Julie as an Instructional Coach and Barry as a Model Classroom Teacher and Instructional Coach. Our work continued well past that experience.  With Barry out west and Julie on the east coast, we’ve spent the majority of our years working across 3000 miles.  Highlights include Sunday morning co-planning sessions and co-authoring What Are You Grouping For?, Grades 3-8: How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers -- Not the Book.  We’ve always enjoyed being THINKING PARTNERS and we believe educators need someone to think beside now, more than ever.

A DISCLAIMER OF SORTS

As we navigate and co-plan learning during the weeks ahead, here are a few shared agreements:

  1. We are not going to edit these videos which means it might be clunky at times.  You might get a barking dog, tech glitches, or family interruptions.  We know you’ll be able to relate and hope you’ll be understanding.

  2. The ideas we share are NOT “the way” or “the right way” -- they are just one way to approach things.  And, we are figuring it out as we go along too. We hope you’ll take the big ideas we are discussing and — adopt, adapt or improve upon them — making them fit your settings, interests and needs. 

  3. We suggest focusing on process -- our work will continue to unfold between video segments.  That’s why if you pop back into our shared document links, you’ll notice changes because we’ll be adding ideas.  That’s because responsive plans evolve across the days and weeks.

HERE’S WHAT WE ARE UP TO

  • Kids have been learning from home for several weeks now.  Barry and Julie have a co-planning routine and they “meet” about 2 times each week. 

  • Barry’s students have settled into a learning from home routine, sort of.  Each week brings about new celebrations and new challenges.  

  • We are co-planning a mini-writing unit focused on Greek mythology.  Kiddos spent the last 2 weeks reading Greek myths.  This writing mini-unit isn’t about research, it’s about narrative writing with a twist of Greek mythology.

THINGS WE ARE THINKING ABOUT NOW

  • How does workshop play out in terms of synchronous and asynchronous learning?

  • How can mentor texts that we choose and that students choose be used to support learning?

  • When, where, why, and how will students meet in small breakout groups over the next week?

  • How can student work be used for a minilesson using a digital platform?

VIDEO

If you are interested in watching a coach and teacher co-plan — working as THINKING PARTNERS in response to the unique times we are currently experiencing — check out this video.

OTHER LINKS & RESOURCES

Our DRAFTY, dynamic, in-motion, evolving plans: Writing Mini-Unit [Greek Mythology]

Planning Templates: Co-planning Templates

Small Group Plans: Small Group Reading & Writing Lesson Plans to Adopt, Adapt or Improve [During Remote/Distance Learning]

BARRY’S REFLECTIONS

  • I am thinking about how to co-construct 'what counts .... what are we going after' in this integrated writing project. Should we have a discussion? Should we jot down a couple of ideas first?

  • I am considering whether I should read through all student writing this weekend or pair them up and ask each small group to find two pluses in their writing partner's work.

JULIE’S REFLECTIONS

  • Who is on the worry / wondering list? What’s our response?

  • Will small groups continue to be grade based [5th and 6th] or will we mix it up?

  • Thinking ahead — what’s next after this mini-writing unit?

WANT TO SUBMIT A QUESTION or CONNECT WITH US?

If something we’ve shared inspires new ideas or ignites some questions, reach out to us using THIS FORM and we’ll do our best to get back to you!

Reading Surveys: A Go-To Data Source [Especially During Extended School Closures]

At the start of this school year, I blogged about using reading surveys as a go-to source of data for creating a focus for instruction. That blog post can be found here. I talked about the importance of carefully choosing survey questions that would give us just-in-time data that we could use to create a focus for instruction during the first weeks of the school year and beyond.

During this pandemic, surveying students now — in relation to their at-home learning environment and reading interests — would provide intel, or data, that could inform your digitally-focused, remote-learning, instructional moves going forward.

TRY THIS

  1. Give students a copy of the Reading Interest Survey for Remote Learning digitally or on paper depending on your district’s policies and procedures.

  2. Ahead of time, fill out a survey about yourself. To lift students’ thinking across the learning community, share a few ideas from your survey by:

    • Giving students a copy of your survey to view [hard or soft copy]

    • Sharing ideas from your survey via a pre-recorded or live video

      Note: By sharing your survey, students will have an opportunity to get to know you and your at-home routines while serving as a model for when they complete their surveys.

  3. If students have the capability of sharing and/or communicating with one another, break them into small groups and let them have a conversation [either through voice-to-voice or writing] about noticings and celebrations. You can encourage students to borrow great ideas about reading at home from one another that they might want to put into action.

  4. Save student surveys — they might teach you something later that you didn’t know you wanted/needed to know now.

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LOOKING ACROSS THE DATA

As you look across student survey results, here are some ways you might consider using the data to guide your next moves. You could:

  • Use the data to inform you and help students create a personalized reading spot at home, if needed.

  • Take stock in what types of texts students put in their stack. This could be a great opportunity to curate texts for students to read. That is, of course, all dependent on what’s available, applicable and doable during this time.

  • If you are meeting with students virtually, you could:

    • Celebrate things people have in common

    • Create a big list of reading recommendations

    • Use this survey data to create conversation starters or entry points for future instruction

These are tricky times. But, they are less tricky when we make connections and keep connections going. Student surveys are one way to make that happen. If you like this survey, use it! Or, use it as a springboard to create your own. If you come up with some great ideas, please reach out to me at julietwright4444@gmail.com or via my CONTACT PAGE and share ideas!

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!

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