Top Blog Entries of 2009

Year-end summaries are checkpoints for teachers. While it may be the end of the calendar year, we’re at the midpoint of the school year. It’s the perfect moment to reflect on where we’ve been and adjust for the second half of the academic year.

Of the 49 entries published this year, these were the most popular with readers:

1. Five Ways to Learn about Students This Fall (August 18)
2. Three Simple Things You Can Do to Improve Writing (February 24)
3. Building Community in 15 Minutes a Day (August 4)
4. What's the Best Plagiarism Detector? (November 3)
5. Five Things I've Gained from Reading Literature (April 28)
6. Writing Poetry: Putting Chaos into Perspective (March 24)
7. What’s on Your Summer Writing List? (May 19)
8. 21 Great Library Links (with Related Classroom Activities!) (September 1)
9. Wordle and the Inauguration (January 27)
10. Daring to Disturb the Universe (April 7)

So what can we take away from 2009? What will matter as we go forward? What do these entries tell us? The top blog entries of 2009 show that we are interested in connecting with students, building lively literacy communities, and finding the best strategies to support readers and writers.

There may have been some chaos. There have certainly been challenges. But we teachers are always willing to look for something better, a new way, or a more effective solution. Most importantly, we dare to disturb the universe. We push students into those dissonant places where learning happens—and we provide them the support and encouragement they need to grow as readers and writers. Here’s to an even more daring 2010!