Ms. Cotton's Corner

I am launching a new video/blog series which will feature 30 quick and easy strategies for creating a more literate classroom. Each strategy takes no more than 10 minutes of class time and no more (but probably less) than 10 minutes of prep time. The strategies are aimed at intermediate grades. If you teach grades 3 – 6, I hope some of these strategies help you transform your classroom! If you teach primary or upper grades, some of the ideas will be applicable with a few modifications.

The strategies are organized around 10 themes:

• Get to Know Your Readers
• Sell Books!
• Bring in Picture Books
• Connect Readers
• Space and Time
• Make Friends with a Book
• Think About Books
• Write!
• Plan for Poetry
• Scholarly Words

Each theme will have several strategies. If you are not already a follower, now is a great time to hit the follow button! You will get an email about each new strategy! Or, just click the hyperlinks to go directly to the blog post. The video posts are embedded in each video post, so one-stop-shopping!

As always, thanks for reading, and Happy Teaching!

Get to Know Your Readers

1. Reader’s and Writer’s Interest Surveys
2. Book Ballots Blog Post
3. Reading Conferences
4. The Book Carousel

Sell Books! (or, Channel Your Inner Gizmo Knife Guy!)

1. Book Talks
2. Infomercials
3. Book Pass
4. Shelf Talkers

Bring in Picture Books

1. Book Bingo
2. Fiction Picture Books to Start the Year Right
3. Nab some Non-fiction!
4. Five Fiction Picture Books to Start the Year Right

Connect Readers

1. Graffiti Wall
2. Book Chats
3. Bring-a-Book-to-School-Day
4. Author Trading Cards

Space and Time

1. Schedule, Schmedule – Finding the Time
2. Read-ins
3. Creating a Book Nook
4. Wise and Wacky Wordsmiths

Make Friends with a Book

1. Quote-Marks
2. Books on the Moon

Think About Books

1. Thinking Strips
2. Genre Sort
3. Where Does This Book Go?

Write!

1. Quick Writes
2. A Writing Odyssey, 2021
3. Writing Territories, Part 1
4. Writing Territories, Part 2

Plan for Poetry

1. Poetry Breaks
2. Pause for Poetry

Scholarly Words

1. Word Wanders
2. Word Hunts