The List: Specific Goals for the 2009-2010 School Year

• Writing Workshop
• Reading Workshop
• Popsicle Sticks: Kids design their own (why didn't I think of this before - I always spend all this time writing all of their names. I mean, it helps me get to know their names, but I like the idea of them writing on it.)
• Personal History of a Writer / of a Reader
• Decide together as a group: how will we respond when someone shares their writing aloud
• Minilessons on what kind of notebook to use
• Minilessons on how to keep a notebook
• Handing out a seating chart the first Friday - know all the names - kids fill in
• Minilesson: What ways have you published in the past? What is publishing?
• Silencing the Inner Critic
• More one-on-one partnering. Set the expectations at the beginning: no more "it's only one activity" no more sympathizing / teach that you need to learn to get along  
• Start with the quote on my wall, otherwise take it down. Or...maybe take it down and do a minilesson about it and then put it up...
• Provide more writing supplies without the accompanying guilt
• More generative starters: write off of a quote, off of a line
• Writing Circles
• Document camera in my room