Fishing for Learning- The Best Catch of All

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Teaching little cherubs to write can be a challenge.  Molly Dabroski, Instructional Strategist at Wilkins Elementary has been co-planning and co-teaching with Betsy Bushlack, a fourth grade teacher. 

Together they have been co-planning and co-teaching writing.  After several planning and coaching conversations, Betsy told her Instructional Strategist that she would like her students to improve their writing.  She wanted to start with narrative writing.  Her goal was for students to be able to "hook" their reader with a bold beginning.  

Molly and Betsy co-taught several lessons on good hooks and made many anchor charts to help students remember the important aspects of personal narrative writing.  

As a final culmination the classroom teacher and the instructional strategist dressed up as fisherman with poles for students to grasp the importance of writing good hooks.  Students learned that "Fishing for Great Beginnings" in their writing would be the best catch of the day. This skill will feed their writing skills for life. 

When asked about the value of having an Instructional Strategist to work with, Bushlack commented, “The co-planning and co-teaching  has positively impacted the students in my classroom and it is very evident in the student's writing.”

This is what teacher leaders do:  they work with teachers to improve their adult content knowledge and instructional practice to make a difference on how students learn and perform.