On Valentine’s Day, I led a 45-minute session of professional learning on “Making the Most of the BAS” for the K-5 teachers in my school. The BAS takes time and getting it done can feel so final and complete, but it’s really just the beginning! The amount and variety of information we learn from the assessment can be analyzed even more to fine tune instructional decisions! Analyze their miscues to see what visual information they’re using and not using to make phonics goals. Consider the Six Dimensions of Fluency from Fountas and Pinnell to choose precise teaching prompts from the Prompting Guides. Review the comprehension conversation to narrow down if they need to work on thinking within the text, beyond the text, or about the text and focus on those sections in the Continuum. When we spend time examining a student’s BAS, we’re doing strong work for ourselves AND our students!

Here is this week’s roundup of literacy links if you’re looking for some quick inspiration, tips, and refreshment:

• TOTALLY signing up to pledge to write poetry and get lesson plans with mentor texts from Ethical ELA.
• “Intentional spiraling out” from Austin Kleon – what a rad writing warm-up!
• Sign the petition to add children’s nonfiction lists to NYT bestseller lists.
• A webinar from Pioneer Valley Books that directly aligns with a recent hour of professional learning I led at my school!
• An online literary magazine run by high school students for students in grades 3-6. Don’t miss the March 22nd deadline!
• Glow days sound like a great way to celebrate the end of a reading or writing unit!
• The decision-making matrix in the article, “How Instructional Coaches Can Use Co-Teaching to Support Teachers” from Edutopia is blowing my mind!
• Book spine poetry template from Pernille Ripp
• Mental health break: My kind of snow day!