agency · Amping up Agency Blog Series · conferring · reflections · Reflective Practice · sharing · small group

The Language to Develop Agency: Amping Up Agency Blog Series

Teachers can build and increase students’ agency by using specific phrases at when conferring, leading small groups, or holding reflection/share sessions at the end of a workshop.

agency · assessment · goals · Google Forms · self-assessment · small group · writing workshop

Student Agency, Self-Assessment, and Small Group Instruction

Nudging students toward self-assessment and goal-setting leads to students' increased understanding of what they are working on and why they're working on it. That intentionality is a critical aspect of learning!

ideas for the future · small group · topics

Conquering the Blank Page with Borrowed Lines

Borrowed lines from nonthreatening text is one way we can demystify writing for students and help them see the page, not as an empty vast space, but as an opportunity to produce beautiful writing. 

agency · elaboration · goals · mentor texts · small group · teacher writing · writing workshop

A Small Group in Action: Elaboration Strategies, Here We Come!

Having walked around a classroom of fourth-grade writers yesterday, I had pinpointed four writers who were all ready to think about elaboration strategies. This post describes the first session of a few to inspire these fourth-grade writers to use more elaboration strategies.

agency · collaboration · small group · student engagement · Student ownership

Increase the Number of Teachers in the Room with Student-Led Small Groups

An extra teacher is always a gift, especially when working with young authors. But what if we looked for teachers within those tiny writers?

collaboration · formative assessment · small group

Mastering the Art of Thin-Slicing

Relying on Malcom Gladwell's work in Blink, Thin-Slicing allows you to look at student work quickly to identify trends and create groups, targeting specific skills to push each writer forward.

agency · Read Aloud · small group · word study · writing workshop

Small Groups, Big Engagement: Expanding the Possibilities and Potential 

Here are some fresh approaches from Melanie Meehan and guest authors Julie Wright, Pam Koutrakos, and Maria Walther. In this post, we reimagine when and why small groups come together and expand your small group repertoire.Â