C.A.F.E. and The Sisters

Charlotte, N.C. 2013

Here I am cheesing with Gail and Joan!  The Sisters of Daily Five and C.A.F.E. fame!  This conference was without a doubt, one of the best that I have ever attended.  There were educators from Nova Scotia to Texas!  It always amazes me how far we will travel to learn and grow.  Teachers are the BEST!

I loved everything about C.A.F.E.  Just like Daily Five organizes classroom managment in a balanced literacy classroom, C.A.F.E. organizes reading strategies.  You can really "get you head around" how to form instruction using assessment.  The Big Idea of C.A.F.E. is instruction!  Teachers guiding readers!

If you like C.A.F.E., you should consider the Online Pensive.  It is a reasonably priced tool that will make your life easier.

You can trust these ladies to guide you using research-based strategies that will help our kids become great readers!  

How Reading and Writing are Alike

Download Chart!

Reading and writing intersect in natural ways every day in the classroom.  This Fountas and Pinnell list of the ways reading and writing are alike is a great tool for educators and students to discuss. 

Research suggests that teaching reading and writing together promotes higher-level thinking skills as opposed to teaching them separately (Tierney et al., 1989, p. 134). 

It is all about creating meaning.  When we combine reading and writing instruction, students gain so much more meaning. 

If you teach grades 3-5, adding Guiding Readers and Writers by Fountas and Pinnell to your professional library is a great idea!