"Teachers must also ensure that children have access to reading materials that are relevant to the kind of writer they are interested in becoming at a particular moment. Teachers must recruit the authors who will become the children's unwitting collaborators." Frank Smith, Joining the Literacy Club Our students naturally mentor themselves to texts that matter to them.
Okay primary people, have you checked out this website? Everything posted is absolutely free, and it has great classroom materials for lower elementary. Take a look.
COMMON GOALS... COMMON CORE ... COMMON CONVERSATION!
This site is quite comprehensive. It shares the common core standards for math and literacy by grade level, shows state initiatives, and includes other resources like a chatroom
Yesterday, I found a postcard creation tool and lesson on Read Write Think. The RWT Postcard Creator walks students through the process of addressing, writing, and mailing a postcard. It's a nice little activity, but as I was trying it I couldn't help but wonder how relevant it is to today's students who may go never send a postcard because all of their communications happen digitally.