elementary

A SHORT TEXT SET AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: CHOOSE A TOPIC & RUN WITH IT

Written by Julie Wright & Elizabeth Keim

One way to create a short text set is to explore a particular topic.  We recommend picking something you, or your students (or both!), are particularly interested in.  Once you start looking for resources, you will be surprised by how many things there are to find.  By using short texts, you can expose your students to a variety of text types all in the name of learning about something fascinating.

Elizabeth is a birder and she spends most of the Spring in Central Park being amazed by the migrating warblers.  In the winter she has been known to be on the lookout for Snowy Owls.  Once she walked a long way on a beach in Eastern Long Island with some friends toward something that looked like a bleach bottle and eventually, as she got closer, discovered it was actually a Snowy Owl snoozing on a log.   You may have read about or seen the post last year when a Snowy Owl was spotted in Central Park.  It was the first one recorded in NYC in 130 years!

When students and teachers inquire about a topic, then spend time curating resources to fuel that curiosity or interest, there’s a good chance that new knowledge and understanding about that topic will grow. In addition, reading, writing and talking volume will increase too.

If you liked our Short Texts at Your Fingertips: Field Guides we think you’ll appreciate this connection we’re making to a topic that we enjoy —> OWLS! It’s so much fun to take a topic and text you love and expanding it into a short text set.

TRY THIS

Step 1

We start this text set with the NYTimes article about the first Snowy Owl to be seen in Central Park in 130 years.  This could be read independently by upper elementary children and read aloud to younger ones.  What’s fun about this NYTimes Article about Snowy Owls is that there are other short texts tucked all across the article including photos and captions that showcase the snowy owl’s adventures.  Dive into the article and consider:

  • Orienting students to the features of a news article

    • Byline

    • Date

    • Structure of a news article 

  • Asking some questions that could get students talking about the article and about snowy owls

    • What is this article about?  Why is it being written?  Who is the intended audience?

    • Is there a photo, caption, graphic, or link to other information that helps you read, interpret and comprehend the text?  

    • What important details (data, facts, information) are shared in the article?

Step 2

Talk to students about some vocabulary words associated with birds, specifically the Snowy Owl.  Some to consider are:

  • Migration and migratory

  • Nocturnal versus diurnal

  • Mammal

  • Wing, wing span, flight, and range

Take a look at a map of the Snowy Owl’s range.  Here’s a Snowy Owl Range Map which is a nice example with lots of great bird information.  You could use this resource to:

  • Define range

  • Teach students about map features

FURTHER STEPS

After digging into all of these sources, you and your students might want to learn more about Snowy Owls.  There are some great resources to explore such as:

And now that everyone knows a bit more about Snowy Owls, maybe you explore some beautiful picture books that explore different types of owls.  Start by reading both of these books aloud, noting that one is fiction and the other is nonfiction.  Create a two-column anchor chart or give students a chance to draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the two short texts.   Ask:

  • What are the differences between fiction and non-fiction?

  • How did Jane Yolan build suspense in Owl Moon?

Owl Moon

Note: The owl in Owl Moon, by Jane Yolan, is a Great Horned Owl.

GOING DEEP & WIDE

Looking for more titles and short text types that add to and expand your text set?  Check out these titles: 

Owl Books

STAY TUNED!

More about short texts and short text sets coming soon!

Using Short Texts to “Warm-up” Reading Muscles & Build Community

Written by Julie Wright & Elizabeth Keim

Last spring, when the world did an abrupt pivot and teachers and parents were suddenly teaching on screens from home, we offered a series of blog posts.  We suggested using short texts that could be found “right at our fingertips” to create access and interest to keep children reading.   Please find all the posts below:

“WARM UP” THOSE READING MUSCLES

Now it is August.  The hoped-for, regular, back-to-school, normal that we are used to is clearly not going to happen.  Instead, we are faced with a lot of uncertainty and a myriad of education models.  Whether you are teaching remotely, face-to-face, or in a hybrid model, you will be meeting children who have not been in a classroom in more than 5 months.  While we hope that each of them had a rich reading life all summer, we will be facing a wide variety of experiences and skills.

Short texts offer a way to ease back into reading in a comfortable, low-stakes way because they are easy to read and discuss in one sitting.  Short texts are great to use with students across grade levels and content areas because they:

  • Create conversation starters that can positively impact whole group, small group and one-to-one learning

  • Increase reading volume by reading widely (lots of topics) and deeply (read a lot about one topic)

  • Help students read the world around them, not just what they find in books

Short texts give us reasons to read, write, talk, and think because they entertain, inform, and often inspire us.   Here’s what we mean.

Entertain -- brings us joy 

Inform -- teaches us new information and/or renews our thinking about ideas and topics 

Inspire -- motivates us to read, write and share more

BUILDING COMMUNITY

When we ask a group of students to read the same short text, whether they are face-to-face in the same room or interacting online, it gives them a common experience and a way to build community and positive relationships.  Here are some examples of short texts your students might enjoy!

ELEMENTARY

Picture books are wonderful short texts! Check out these resources about friendship, community and being an upstander! Click the links below to order copies!

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My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems

  • Use the text as reader’s theater.

  • Examine the thought and speech bubbles and the use of punctuation.

The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

  • Read the story aloud and discuss their friendship.

  • Discuss the problem in this story and how it is resolved.

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev 

  • Discuss how it feels to be excluded.

  • Discuss how it feels to be included.

  • Use this book as a springboard to creating a classroom community where all feel included.

Giraffe Problems by Jory John

  • Read this story aloud or listen and watch it using this link.

  • Discuss the giraffe’s perspective compared to the other animals.

  • Make a list of ways we can be a good friend to others.

The Power of One by Trudy Ludwig

  • Talk about different ways to be an upstander.

  • Think about and discuss, What is an “act of kindness”?

  • Make a list of different acts of kindness that we can do for one another each day.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Excerpts of novels, picture books, podcasts and short stories are great to use when curating short texts.  Reading short texts often leads to reading longer texts, especially when students’ interests have been piqued or they connect with authors.  Check out these resources about friendship, community and being an upstander!

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Two Naomis by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

  • Read an excerpt from the book.

  • Read and/or write a review about the book.

  • Listen to the podcast with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich.

  • Read the entire book together or offer it to students who may want to read it independently.

  • In addition, check out 50 Must Read Middle School Friendship Stories curated by Book Riot for more ideas!

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

  • Discuss what it means to accept [and show acceptance of] others.

  • Talk about ways we can ensure that everyone in our learning community feels accepted and welcome.

One by Kathryn Otoshi

  • This book, often thought of as a book to read with younger students, is an amazing story to spark discussion with older students.

    • Share and discuss the definition of upstander.

    • Discuss what it means to be an upstander.

    • Investigate websites committed to anti-bullying work.  Here’s one example.

Dear Bully: Seven Authors Tell Their Stories by Dawn Metcalf

  • Read aloud and discuss one story or give students an opportunity to read several stories from this anthology.

  • Find and share quotes related to being an upstander such as, “If not now, then when?  If not me, then who?” [Hilell].

Dictionary of a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham

  • Explore this book and the many words, definitions, ideas, and illustrations across several days.

  • Give students an opportunity to talk about how they can apply each word to create a better, more accepting, world.

TRY THIS!

Step 1

Choose a short text that you feel will grab your readers’ interests such as a short magazine article or a top ten list. Look for an engaging and “easy” text.  This experience should be fun, more like dipping your toe into a nice warm bath than plunging into an ice cold lake.  Find a way to make it available to your readers.  Consider print copies or post it in a place where your students can either read it online or print it for themselves.  Before reading, ask students:

  • What do you notice about this piece?  

    • Title

    • Author

    • Illustrations,  images or graphic elements

    • Headings, subheadings

  • What do you already know about this topic?

  • What do you wonder?

Step 2

Read the text.  Decide if you want students to mark the text in some way to hold their thinking or if you want students to make that decision.  Consider sharing ways students could hold their thinking to note important or interesting information. Students could:

  • Take notes in a notebook or on a piece of paper.

  • Use sticky notes to capture their thinking.

  • Create margin notes and/or highlight words, sentences or sections. 

Step 3

Share your thinking with others.   Some ways to do this include:

  • Pose a question and have everyone answer it (on a post-it or via an online forum).  Provide time to read others' answers.

  • Ask readers to pose a question, then have readers answer someone else’s question.

  • If students noted their thinking in some way, ask them to pick 1-2 ideas to share with others.

Step 4

Look for other reading, writing and talking opportunities using this short text type.

Reading Ideas 

  • Present students with another short text similar to the first.  Compare them.

  • Present students with another piece that is on the same or similar topic, but is a different genre (e.g. both pieces are about penguins: one is an article and the second is a poem).  Compare the pieces.

Writing Ideas

  • Use the short text as a mentor text.  Writers write about a topic they know a great deal about using the same genre and style as the piece you read together. 

  • Make a top ten list. Be sure to share them with others.

Talking Ideas

  • Invite conversation about students’ reading lives. Ask:

    • Where do you like to read?

    • How long do you like to read?

    • What types of texts do you like most? Least?

Step 5

Invite students to share other things they have been reading.  Students could share book titles, but it could also mean that they talk about other text types and genres they particularly like (e.g. graphic novels or magazines or a reading website).

COMING SOON!

Short Texts:  Mighty Mentors That Move Readers and Writers Forward by Julie Wright & Elizabeth Keim (Benchmark, 2021).

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 a Mini-Unit to Wrap Up the Year with JOY!

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Shannon for the last few years. We share a common love of books and we are both self-proclaimed pen snobs — meaning we are both “pen-picky” and enjoy trying to convince one another that our favorite pen type is the best. Shannon is a continual learner — with an ongoing stream of inquiry. She’s a joy to co-plan with because she exudes happiness as she noodles ideas, thinks through wonderings, and creates ways to support her students — and her learning community — in collaborative, heart-felt ways.

A DISCLAIMER OF SORTS

A few shared agreements:

  • As I co-plan with teachers, I’m not going to spend much time, if any, editing the videos.  This means it might be clunky at times.  You might get a barking dog, tech glitches, or family interruptions.  I hope you’ll be able to relate. Thank you, in advance, for assuming best intentions and for your understanding. In addition, not everything we do together is recorded.

  • The ideas shared in these videos are NOT “the way” or “the right way” -- they are just one way to approach the work.  I hope you’ll spend some time actively studying the co-planning conversation. As you listen, take stock of the ASSETS that emerge from the conversation.  Think about:

    • What’s the WHY behind our work?  

    • What moves are we trying to make in service of students?

    • Name the implications for your work going forward.  What might you adopt or adapt to fit your setting, interests, and/or needs?

  • Focus on process versus end product.  The work will continue to unfold even if it’s not captured on video segments.  If you check back into our shared documents, you’ll notice changes because our work is dynamic, not static, and will evolve across time.

HERE’S WHAT WE ARE UP TO

  • Shannon’s students have settled into a learning from home routine and are launching into their 8th week. Each week brings about new celebrations and new challenges.  

  • Shannon wants her students to end the year with a mini-poetry unit, celebrating reading and writing!

THINGS WE ARE THINKING ABOUT NOW

  • How do the enduring practices we use in the classroom translate -- or not -- to remote/digital learning from home?

  • What’s the WHY behind this mini-poetry unit?

  • What’s going to get kiddos jazzed up about reading and writing poetry?

  • What end demonstrations or learning celebrations can we co-create with students to honor their work?

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.

SOME REFLECTIONS

  • What poem types will be new/unfamiliar to students?  What poem types will feel like “old friends”?

  • Will students write poetry on paper or on the computer?  They have options so I’m wondering what they will choose?  

  • Will students illustrate some of the poems they write?

  • Is there a way to help students collect all of the poems they are reading and writing [a binder or folder] to keep them organized at home?  If so, maybe they could be used to inspire reading/re-reading poetry over the summer.

OTHER LINKS & RESOURCES

Our DRAFTY, dynamic, in-motion, evolving plans: Julie & Shannon: Co-planning Mini-Poetry Unit

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

Short Texts at Your Fingertips:  Poetry

If you want to learn more about Shannon’s classroom, check out her blog!

IDEAS TO CHEW ON

As most educators would agree, working from a distance is not the same as in-person experiences. In my work as a consultant, it’s not unusual for me to work across the miles with teachers. In fact, most of my consulting contracts include some form of this type of professional learning, particularly as we prepare for our work together in the classroom. Planning and working across the miles is how we often get a jump-start to our work together. The difference, of course, is the work we are typically planning is NOT from a distance. So, that is where we are trying to make a shift.

I’m in good company when I say we are all kind of tired of this by now. However, with so many unknowns about what school will — or should — look like in the fall, we are using this spring as a dress rehearsal of sorts. We are asking:

  • What’s working? What’s clunky?

  • Who are we reaching and supporting in ways that are making a difference?

  • Who are we concerned about? What don’t we know that we should know?

  • How will we stay connected and minimize the “distance” that separates us?

  • How will we create compelling, sophisticated learning experiences that take into account our foundational beliefs and practices in ways that nature and inspire students?

Two pieces I’ve recently written that might be of interest are:

Until next time — keep at it! You’ve got a whole crew of educators cheering you on because we know the spirit and camaraderie surrounds us all! Reach out if you’d like to chat about ways I might be of service and support your efforts!

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

Reading & Writing Lesson Links [Updated]

Connect with me through this CONTACT LINK for more information on these lessons!

I am currently co-planning with some teachers across grades 2-8.

Some of our plans have worked really well. Others have been a flop.

We are, like you, working really hard to figure all of this out. Steps forward often means steps back. Reflecting along the way helps us push forward again. It isn’t even close to perfect. It’s messy. But, we are living in the messy together.

USING MENTOR LESSONS TO JUMPSTART PLANNING

There isn’t one right way to plan. Some teachers use scripted lessons. Some teachers use scripted lessons with flexibility — adjusting them to meet the needs, interests and wants of the learning community they serve. Some teachers create authentic lessons from the ground up. While the latter is my preference, there are times where mentor lessons or units help jumpstart ideas for planning. Mentor lessons can help teachers get a running start. It’s a safe and trustworthy way to plan because teachers know they are still in the driver’s seat — adjusting lessons to meet the individual and unique needs of the learning community they serve.

PLANNING FOR REMOTE/DIGITAL LEARNING

Most schools are working to support students from a distance. Learning opportunities are being offered by teachers through digital and print materials — and some are using both. Schools are working hard to navigate these times using the tools and resources available to them, coupled with individual and collective know-how to best meet:

  • curricular demands

  • intervention and support demands

  • students’ social, emotional, academic and physical needs

ADOPT, ADAPT & IMPROVE

Included in the links below are resources to use if you are interested in launching and sustaining SMALL GROUP READING and WRITING learning opportunities through remote or distance learning. You can:

ADOPT — Use these materials as they are written.

ADAPT — Make adjustments to these lessons in order to meet your students’ needs, interests, and wants.

IMPROVE — Try some of the ideas out, change them and make them better.

That said, as you make decisions about how you will use these ideas, first consider some of these questions:

  • Are students learning via soft copy or hard copy? Is our district going paper/pencil or digital during these times? Or, a combination of both? How do these modes of learning impact these plans?

  • What technology systems and structures are available to teachers and students? Does the learning community know how to access and use them? If not, can we learn them in efficient and effective ways?

  • Do teachers have the ability to connect with students — via video, phone or shared folders/documents?

  • Do students have the ability to connect with teachers — via video, phone or shared folders/documents?

  • Do students have the ability to connect with one another — via video, phone or shared folders/documents?

LINKS TO READING & WRITING LESSONS [UPDATED TO INCLUDE 15 LESSONS]

If you are looking for READING LESSONS, connect with me through this CONTACT LINK for more information!

If you are looking for WRITING LESSONS, connect with me through this CONTACT LINK for more information!

SHARE YOUR IDEAS

If you ADOPT, ADAPT or IMPROVE any of these plans, please consider reaching out and sharing your perspectives so that we can learn with and from one another. Email me at julietwright4444@gmail.com or reach out via my CONTACT PAGE and share ideas!

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