1st Edition
The Power of Quick and Frequent Practice Joyful Small Moves with Big Impacts on Elementary Literacy
What can students really accomplish when they practice something for just a few minutes a day? Quite a lot, as Tammy Mulligan illustrates in The Power of Quick and Frequent Practice: Joyful Small Moves with Big Impacts on Elementary Literacy.
Come along as we follow classroom teacher Tammy Mulligan’s journey to plan and facilitate small, but powerful moments of practice that help students grow as readers, writers, and community members. Chapter by chapter, Mulligan explores how to bring different categories of quick and frequent practice to life in the classroom including:
● Quick and Frequent Phonics Moves
● Quick and Frequent Fluency Moves
● Quick and Frequent Comprehension Moves
● Quick and Frequent Moves To Help Readers Lead
● Quick and Frequent Moves to Connect with Families
Written with the practical lens of a teacher, The Power of Quick and Frequent Practice outlines how to make these practice moves a part of daily and weekly instructional routines, utilize simple tools you already have in your classroom, and weave moments of student leadership throughout the practice times to help children celebrate their growth. Mulligan shares strategies, routines, and tips for planning, managing, and implementing the kind of engaging and meaningful literacy practice that learners need.
The Power of Quick and Frequent Practice illustrates that small moves can have a big impact on children's literacy learning!
1. Planning Quick and Frequent Moves 2. Quick and Frequent Phonics Moves 3. Quick and Frequent Fluency Moves 4. Quick and Frequent Comprehension Moves (Ways to Deepen Conversations About Text) 5. Quick and Frequent Moves to Help Readers Meet Role Models 6. Quick and Frequent Moves to Help Readers Lead 7. Quick and Frequent Moves to Connect with Families
Biography
Tammy Mulligan is the co-author of It's All About the Books and Assessment in Perspective. At work, you can find her teaching second graders at the Hanscom Primary School. On other days, she is in her garden, hiking in the woods with her three dogs, or hiding behind a pile of children’s books. You can connect with Tammy on Twitter @TammyBMulligan or on Instagram @TammyReadsKidLit.
“In The Power of Quick and Frequent Practice: Joyful Small Moves with Big Impacts on Elementary Literacy, Tammy takes the essential components of robust reading instruction and breaks them down into student-focused, effective, and manageable systems. From targeted phonics instruction to collaborative comprehension conversations, you’ll learn how to use every moment of your teaching day wisely and with purpose. Whether you’re new to the profession or a seasoned educator seeking fresh inspiration, you can rely on Tammy’s wisdom and practical strategies to elevate your literacy teaching.”
—Maria Walther, Literacy Consultant and Co-Author of A Year for the Books and The Literacy Workshop
“Tammy’s honest reflections about her teaching journey and her suggestions of ‘small moves’ within our instruction left me feeling empowered. She reassures readers of the importance of their own data collection and offers valuable suggestions for creating manageable systems that will enable teachers to meet the needs of all students in all areas of instruction.”
—Mandy Robek, elementary educator
“The Power of Quick and Frequent Practice by Tammy Mulligan is exactly what teachers need right now. It’s the book I wish I had when I was a new classroom teacher, and the book I longed for when I’d been teaching for a while and felt stuck and in need of a fresh perspective. It’s the book I will now recommend to other educators who want to build more targeted, responsive practice opportunities into their routines and/or partner with families in more authentic ways, but don’t know where to begin, are frustrated by failed attempts, or feel like there isn’t time to do this work in an already overcrowded school day. On every page, in such a clear and conversational way, Tammy shares the experiences of her current classroom and invites each reader to take what she offers and make it their own. This book is pure gold and I’m so grateful to Tammy for sharing it with all of us.”
—Gwen Blumberg, Literacy Leader
“Tammy Mulligan is a breath of fresh air when it comes to teaching readers. Tammy has developed structures to help students develop independence and teachers manage meeting the different needs of each child. No matter how long you've been teaching, you'll be glad to use Tammy's ideas in your classroom.”
—Ruth Ayres, Director of The Lead Learners (a professional learning community) and Editor in Chief of Choice Literacy