The Power of Instructional Routines

Transform classrooms into dynamic “thinking playgrounds” with these culturally and linguistically responsive routines.

In this practical book, teachers reveal how instruction and assessment can be two sides of the same coin through the implementation of four literacy and math routines for pre–K to grade 3: Photo Chats, Counting Collections, Storytelling/Story Acting, and Numberless Word Problems.

These routines offer rich observational data for ongoing formative assessments, such as those used for kindergarten entry. They also provide embedded differentiation while offering teachers a window into their students’ understanding. These culturally and linguistically responsive routines are designed to spark curiosity, build classroom community, and foster habits of mind for lifelong learning—transforming classrooms into dynamic “thinking playgrounds.”

These economical routines require minimal materials, preparation, and classroom time. They have been field-tested by over 250 public school teachers, who use a wide range of curricula and work in urban, rural, and suburban settings with diverse students, including English language learners. This book demonstrates how these instructional routines worked for these teachers and how they can work for you too!

Book Features:

• Authentic stories from nine public school kindergarten teachers about how they embraced the routines and noticed how learning blossomed for everyone.
• Descriptions of the four instructional routines are clearly presented, so that they are ready to be tried by other teachers.
• Photographs of young children and their work samples with detailed descriptions and analysis from their teachers, offering a glimpse into students’ thinking.
• An exploration of the value of implementing ongoing instructional routines that are grounded in state-of-the-art research about language, literacy, and numeracy development within a multilingual framework.
• A framework of notice and wonder that connects teaching and assessment, offering a shift from the common practice that these are separate endeavors.
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