Episodes

In this episode: You will learn how to use historical fiction to teach black history. Turns out you don’t have to wait until Black History Month to teach it. I talk about: Why using historical fiction helps you expose students to a variety of accomplishments by black Americans outside of the civil rights movement. How to roll out your historical fiction unit of study. What three skills your historical fiction unit should include. Quotables: -Black Americans have done and accomplished a variet...

In this episode: Listen in as I tell you what I said yes to when my school year took an unexpected turn. I talk about saying yes to: 1.Creating monotony as a way to create stability 2. Taking the stance of learner 3. Working out semi consistently 4. Delegating at work and at home 5. Meeting with my book club 6. Cultivating friendships at work 7. Asking for help 8. Letting go of perfection 9. Keeping things simple 10. Maintaining boundaries Quotables: -I said yes to taking the stance o...

In this episode: Listen in as I give you tangible steps that you can use to conduct your mid-year check in. I even get vulnerable and do mine here on the podcast so that you can see how easy and beneficial it is to do one. I talk about: I talk about the what, the why and the how of conducting a mid-year check in. 1.The What- a mid-year check in is a meeting that you do with yourself half way through the year and reflect or think about the practices surrounding your literacy block. 2. The Why- No...

In this episode: You will walk away with clear steps for how to launch and teach your next poetry unit. I talk about: I talk about the what, the why and the how of teaching your next poetry reading unit. 1.The What- A type of literature, or artistic writing, that attempts to stir a reader's imagination or emotions. 2. The Why- Teaching poetry allows students to be able to learn how to see the deeper meaning behind what a poet is trying to convey. 3. The How- I give you 5 main teaching points ...

In this episode: You will walk away with clear steps for how to launch and teach your argumentative text unit. I talk about: I talk about the what, the why and the how of teaching your next argumentative text reading unit. 1.The What- a type of persuasive text that presents one viewpoint and includes: claim, evidence, facts and opinions. 2. The Why- It is important to equip students with knowledge of the genre and tools for how to read it so that they can decide what they think for themselves....

In this episode: You will walk away with clear steps for how to launch and teach your nonfiction reading unit. I talk about: I talk about the what, the why and the how of teaching your next nonfiction reading unit. 1.The What- It’s Broken into two camps:Expository and Narrative Nonfiction 2. The Why- Teaching students how to think about new information and what they think about it is critically important. 3. The How- I give you 4 main teaching points to zone in on in your next nonfiction read...

In this episode: You will walk away with clear steps for how to launch and teach your next fiction unit. I talk about: I talk about the what, the why and the how of teaching your next fiction reading unit. 1.The What- Hint Fiction is not fake. 2. The Why- How being able to navigate fiction can prepare students for real life. 3. The How- I give you 5 main teaching points ot zone in on in your next fiction reading unit. Quotables: Please for the love of all things literacy stop telling studen...

Listen in as: I unpack the three most common time sucks and how to avoid them so that you are saving time in the long run. I talk about: -What time sucks are, how they fool us into thinking they are good for us and a plan for how to avoid them all together. They are: Going down the TPT rabbit whole without a clue of what we actually need or what we already have. Not knowing our grade level standards well enough to know what our students need most to understand the current reading unit. Not plan...

Listen in as: I unpack the what, why and how of respecting your capacity or your limits as you try to build your professional capacity, or skills as a literacy leader in your classroom. I talk about: -What respecting your capacity means to you as a literacy leader in your classroom. -Why respecting your capacity at work allows you to show up well in other areas of your life. -How to respect your capacity by: Acknowledge and name your season Acknowledge and name your limits Craft a plan that all...

Listen in as: I unpack the what, why and how of growing your capacity in order to pave the way for sustainable growth for you and your students. I talk about: -What growing your capacity means to you as a literacy leader in your classroom. -Why you should want to embark on a journey of being a lifelong learner and how this decision impacts your students. -How to grow your capacity in a sustainable way. Quotables: -As lifelong learners we have to know how to pace ourselves. -The reality is that y...