Table of Contents

Working Toward Balance:

A Collection of Tools for Literacy Coaches and Other Instructional Leaders

Part I

Tools to Support Coaches

Chapter 1: Tools to support creating our own environments

(Examples include job descriptions, calendar tools, tools for scheduling, a list of resources for developing a literacy coaching library, a checklist of things to do the first weeks on the job, etc.)

Chapter 2: Tools to help coaches take care of themselves

(Examples include tools for balancing home and work lives, lists of ways to say “no”, a list of tips for managing stress, a list of motivational quotes, etc.)

Chapter 3: Tools for working with individuals and groups

(Examples include tools for building trust and developing relationships, protocols for establishing learning communities, protocols for facilitating conversations about text, etc.)

Chapter 4: Tools to support teachers as independent learners

(Examples include tools to support teacher self-reflection, peer observation forms, rubrics for teacher self-evaluation, rubrics for self-evaluating lessons, prompts for reflection, etc.)

Chapter 5: Tools for supporting classroom visitation

(Examples include observation/visitation feedback forms, prompts for conferencing with teachers, tools for documenting conferences with teachers, tools for scheduling visits to classrooms, etc.)

Chapter 6: Tools for making sense of data

(Examples include tools for summarizing qualitative or quantitative data, goal setting charts and action plans, rubrics for examining student work, tools for developing classroom profiles, etc.)

Chapter 7: Tools for understanding and appreciating diversity

(Examples include protocols for identifying stereotyping, prompts for initiating conversations about differences, protocols for exploring our personal identities, a list of resources related to diversity, etc.)

Part II

Tools to Support Literacy Learning

Chapter 8: Tools to support teacher understanding of the reading process

(Examples include tools that simplify or illustrate how the reading process works, examples of running records that include interesting reading behaviors for analysis, lists of reading behaviors specific to guided reading levels, etc.)

Chapter 9: Tools to support coaching in Writer’s Workshop

(Examples include rubrics for evaluating student writing, lists of mentor texts by topic or genre, lesson plan formats, lists of websites that support writing instruction, lists of resources, etc.)

Chapter 10: Tools to support Guided Reading

(Examples include running record forms, lesson plan formats, tools for documenting reading behaviors, tools to support flexible grouping, etc.)

Chapter 11: Tools to support Read Aloud and Independent Reading

(Examples include lists of picture books that are appropriate for older students, lists of books that are useful for teaching particular comprehension strategies, sample reading logs, tools for student reflection on text, etc.

Chapter 12: Tools to support Work with Words

(Examples include tools for collecting vocabulary words, templates for word study, lists of activities for utilizing a word wall, etc.)