2 quick tips for effective data use
Considering report writing season is upon us, I thought I’d share 2 quick data use tips that are relevant for this time of the year. Even if you’re not enjoying …
Teacher content knowledge
3 Common Misconceptions About The 6+1 Traits of writing
It’s no surprise that I get a lot of questions about the 6+1 traits of writing. I do, after all, bang on about them ALL. THE. TIME. Why? Because even …
Should You Teach Genre or the 6 + 1 Traits?
I get asked this question quite a lot. And it excites me. Why? Because it’s generally asked after a teacher has had their eyes opened to the 6+1 traits of …
1 Confession and 2 learnings about guided reading
I have a confession to make. When I first started teaching, I was a guided reading fraud. I had NO IDEA what I was doing. Being shown the location of …
Why Guided Reading shouldn’t be mandated in schools
Imagine there was a hospital that only trained its surgeons to put plaster casts on its patients. They’d heard about the benefits of plaster casts and how great they were …
How to Plan for Effective Genre Instruction
I’m in the middle of running the Writing Traits Masterclass at the moment (and LOVING it!) and I’ve had lots of questions about planning for genre instruction. So, here’s my …
Writers and their notebooks: Jodi Toering
Jodi Toering is a Victorian author and primary school teacher who last year released her stunning debut book, Mallee Sky. As soon as I read this book, I fell in …
5 common mistakes teachers make in Independent Reading
Being a literacy consultant, I get the opportunity to visit lots of schools and observe in lots of classrooms. I see all types of wonderful teaching practice and I get …
Writers and their notebooks: Claire Saxby
Claire Saxby is a Victorian writer who has written almost 40 children’s books. She writes beautiful fiction and non-fiction texts as well as poetry and has won many awards for …
Writers and their notebooks: Lian Tanner
Earlier this year I launched the Writer’s Notebook Series. This series of posts is focused on learning how published authors use their writer’s notebooks so that teachers can implement these …