I am about to start my fourth year as a literacy coach at my elementary school. This has been an exciting journey and I love my job. Like...

How do you plan for your small group instruction? Do you follow a program where all students receive the same strategies, or do you customize the interventions you teach to meet the needs of your students? As a Literacy Specialist, my students are placed into flexible, target-specific reading groups based on multiple assessments at the beginning of the year. Our pull-out program is very flexible, so targets and groups often change as students make progress and meet their goals. We do not have a formal reading program for every group, so it's up to each interventionist to determine targets, goals,

Have you heard the term Structured Literacy? What exactly is structured literacy? I’m so glad you asked! Let’s explore what it means and why it’s an important to know about it. *This post contains affiliate links. What is Structured Literacy? Structured literacy refers to a specific way or method in which literacy skills and strategies ... Read More about What is Structured Literacy?

"The best intervention is a good book." Stephanie Harvey & Annie Ward; From Striving to Thriving (Scholastic 2017) What you need to offer...

Take a look inside my office as a PreK-5 literacy coach! Get a free science of reading bulletin board to use in your own literacy coach office, too!

This is another one in the series of Tell All's. OK...that's kinda funny. I will be honest, this turned into an Affirmation of Thoughts. Reading

Do you do all of these 6 essentials of reading intervention? Each is a must-have for effective intervention and will make it so much easier...

Every administrator wants to increase student achievement, but, unfortunately, some school leaders toss around the “We’re all reading teachers” phrase at their staf…

If more schools took the time for collaborative planning rather than top-down PD, we'd be in a better place.

I spent the last few months updating the manual. I have lots of experience, but I want to make sure that How to Be a Resource Specialist is current and useful! I have added information on collaborating, IEP meetings, data, and have added new classroom activities. This manual is designed for you to read through, highlight, and pull no-prep activities immediately! I have been purposeful in discussing areas in which the new resource specialist can use advice and answers. Special Education has been an interesting and rewarding career. I often say I have had the best job in town! But it can be sooooo stressful for newer teachers(and even veteran teachers), and How to Be a Resource Specialist may help with answering some questions, planning IEP meetings, and helping all students access school and learning!

You've just been hired as a literacy coach! What should you do next? Here are three important things to keep in mind as you begin the year.

So you are thinking you may want to leave the classroom and become a reading teacher. But maybe you aren't completely sure yet. The classroom IS different than a reading specialist's room is several ways.

These unique classroom supplies are must-haves if you teach reading!

An education literacy coach's resume is one of the most influential factors in securing a new reading or literacy coach position. Resume keywords, formatting, and relevant teaching accomplishments play a major factor in landing a job interview. To successfully land an academic interview, you will need a targeted resume and cover letter focused on the value you will bring to a school as a literacy or reading specialist position. For most employers, holding interviews and then going through the recruitment process helps them find the best people for the job. Similarly, employees who land a job interview are allowed to

I became a Literacy Coach 5 years ago. When this happened, I felt like I was on my own. The school I was working in was also on an accountability list, which meant that we were under the close eye of the district and state. To most people, that may seem unfortunate, and in a few ways it was. But, fortunately for me, I was blessed with some of most gifted support specialists I've ever come across. I wanted to be just like them. So, I copied everything they did, until I was able to develop my own coaching style. It was at that time that I came up with the Literacy Coach's Checklist. And, the really interesting part about it is that I have now trained many brand new coaches as well as seasoned ones using it. They have commented how the checklist has helped them become better too. My new resource not only includes The Literacy Coach Checklist, but also step-by-step instructions on how to use it. You can train your own coaching eye and open up discussions with your teachers. In addition, I have described 5 Different Scenarios you may encounter with your teachers and the guided discussion frameworks for each. You will know just how to present the checklist to your faculty and guide them into coming to you for support. And finally, there are detailed descriptions stating exactly what to look for in each of the areas of focus on the checklist. You may purchase the entire 10-paged resource in my TPT store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Starting-Point-for-Literacy-Coaches It came about right before a state review. I wanted our teachers to be as prepared as possible. The document we were sent about the review discussed effective teaching practices and was over 20 pages long! So, I condensed this document into brief bullet points. I let the teachers know that I was going to do walk-throughs using the checklist and then we would debrief about it. 5 years later, I know this is not the correct protocol, but I was new, and didn't know any better. The checklist was eye-opening to the teachers as well as myself. I have tweaked this checklist and made sure NOT to take it out of the teacher's classroom (big no-no). Since then, it has really helped develop my "coaching eye." I can now walk into a teacher's room and quickly determine effective teaching practices versus a pretty class. I now use it as a tool to foster the coach/teacher relationship and to provide direct feedback to teachers during the debriefing process. It also helps teachers become more reflective and because of this has impacted student learning.

If you're a new instructional coach, and you're reading this in real time, it's November. Even if you're not a new coach, but you're re...

Learn how to set up your literacy block while aligning with the science of reading, and grab my sample literacy schedule.

Hello! I hope everyone is surviving the final days before the holiday break! As many of you know I’m no longer a classroom teacher, I am a Literacy Coach. So I often get the question or look, “What do you do all day?” So today I am here to give you an answer of […]

Earlier this week, I broke out the cool new pens I got for Christmas and got to work on putting together my coaching cycle schedule for this next quarter. Creating new schedules throughout the year is a cool opportunity for us coaches. It’s kind of like having a mini beginning-of-school-year kick off more than just […]

The Best Reading Manipulatives For Every Classroom - 15 of the best reading manipulatives for your classroom. These manipulatives for reading help reinforce literacy skills and make learning fun.

A literacy-rich environment not only supports the academic growth but also encourages conversation, empathy, and critical thinkink.

What does a strong reading intervention lesson look like from start to finish to ensure students meet their literacy goals? Here's a sample lesson to show you!

Literacy is arguably the most valuable asset we develop in our students, but many classrooms are missing the teaching practices that would make the biggest difference.

Throughout this blog series, we have talked a lot about collecting and organizing data. A major reason why we collect and organize data as instructional coaches is simple; it helps...

We recently set off to engage in a third-party impact study to determine how Student-Centered Coaching impacts teaching and learning in the K-12 schools.

This is a Literacy Coaching Schedule, so I can document my tasks each day. This is helpful when you are completing your coaching log, reflecting on progress for the week, and when conferencing with administration.

Which will you read first?

As an instructional coach, there are certain items that can make supporting teachers easier. Each of the items shared here are highly recommended by myself as a teacher leader working in multiple buildings across a large district. Grab a binder and fill it with essentials like your standards, pacing guide, and teacher performance rubrics. Below…

Discover effective reading intervention activities tailored to your students' needs! Learn to target weaknesses in phonology, orthography, and semantics without spending hours prepping. Practical strategies for phonemic awareness, handwriting, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Last week I shared the instructional coaching data tracker I use to help organize and reflect on my work in coaching cycles throughout the year. In the post I mentioned that I use a variety of other coaching tools to document and organize work with individual teachers. Here are a two of my most important. Coaching Kick-Off Meeting […]

Learn more about what is the reading rope and the impact for kindergarten teachers Focused on the Science of Reading.

Classroom Reading Organization Tips for guided reading groups, reading lessons and how to make your reading instruction more than manageable!

Hello Friends!!! It's Jen from Out of This World Literacy! I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer relaxing and sleeping in. I know many of my friends are moving roles in this upcoming school year. Some are switching grades while others are stepping out of the classroom to fill specific leadership positions. As a Literacy Coach, I know what it's like to take that leap out of the classroom and into a specialist position. It. is. scary! Teachers who shift into a leadership role often leave the comfort and support of a grade-level team. They can sometimes feel like they are out there on their own island. Other teachers suddenly look at them differently...even though these teachers don't see themselves as a superior. They are not administrators, nor is their pay any different than when they were in the classroom. But, because of their new 'specialist' title, they are now looked at differently. I have some advice and tips for anyone who is stepping bravely out of the classroom and into a leadership role. Whether your new title is Reading Coach, Literacy Specialist, Interventionist, RTI Coordinator, or so on, I hope this list of advice can help you! TOP 10 TIPS FOR TEACHER SPECIALIST: 1. LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN! 2. Don't fall into the gossip traps 3. Think about the effects of your words before you speak 4. Ways to get on the teachers' good sides right away... a. Give stuff away at staff meetings! Don't hold on to all your classroom goodies! You don't have a classroom anymore! Make a FREE box and put it at the front door at the first staff meeting! b. Offer to come into classrooms, read a story, and introduce yourself to all the kids! Make a sign-up sheet for teachers so you can visit. It gives teachers a 20 minute break and it gets your foot in the door of all the classrooms! c. This last one is cheesy I know...but...SMILE! Be positive! A great attitude is contagious! And a smile can literally make someone's day. Whatever you're dealing with, smile, be positive, and that will go such a long way! 5. Be Patient! 6. Never trust teachers to read all their emails! If you have something important to share, chances are they will not read all their emails. You will likely need to send reminders. We all know how busy teachers are. Friendly reminders for meetings and so on are a must! :) 7. Always carry a calendar or ipad in the halls! Teachers will stop you and ask about things. They will ask you to come into the classroom, or send them something. It's hard to remember everything. Have something to write your quick hallway conversations down with! Otherwise, you will likely forget and unintentionally upset a teacher! 8.It's OK to say no! 9. Never act like you know everything! 10. Build yourself a layer of seriously thick skin! If you want to read more about what I have to say for each of these 10 tips, you can download this FREE resource! I wish everyone a fantastic start to a new year, whether it's back in your old classroom or taking on a new role! Jen Bengel Visit my TpT Store Follow me on Facebook Join me on Pinterest