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PME 811- Professional Development

On January 23, 2026, I reached out to a collegue to try a Classroom Residency that focused on intermediate literacy. The residency when we were reviewing school writing data together and identifying common challenges across grades. Over the next 6–8 weeks, we implemented a skill based workshop blitz to try different strategies in our classrooms and checked in with each other to see what was working.

One of the best parts of the experience was the collaboration with colleagues. Teaching can sometimes feel isolating, so it was refreshing to sit down with other teachers, look at the same problem, and brainstorm ideas together. When we looked at student writing across grades, we noticed many of the same issues showing up — things like sentence fragments, weak transitions, and organization challenges. Instead of just accepting it, we started thinking about what we could do differently.

In my own classroom, I began spending more time on explicit sentence instruction before asking students to write longer pieces. We practiced identifying fragments, looking at sentence structure, and talking about transitions. I also experimented with some cross-grade mentorship, where older students supported younger writers during certain activities. Both groups benefited, and it was interesting to see how explaining writing concepts actually helped the older students strengthen their own understanding.

What I appreciated most about this residency was the chance to try new things without pressure and reflect on what was happening in our classrooms. It felt like we saw a problem and genuinely wanted to work together to improve it. The conversations we had along the way were just as valuable as the strategies we tried.

Overall, the experience left me feeling motivated. It reminded me that small instructional changes can make a difference, and that collaboration makes that process much easier. I’m already thinking about how I can adjust some of these ideas next year, and our group is even talking about doing something similar with math instruction in the future.

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