A Peek Into Our Process
We are both living the dream – kids, community commitments, a day-job we love, great friends – the list goes on. Although we wouldn’t change a thing, writing can take a toll and… Continue reading
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Slippery Things: The Process Is Writing
Why is writing such a slippery process? A budding children’s book author and an established writer of books for teachers on writing and grammar shares his writing process. It’s simple: Write.
Teachable Concepts for Young Kids Through Cooking
Author and illustrator Melissa Iwai explains how cooking provides many teachable aspects to explore, such as counting, observing, and following a series of steps.
The Essence of Ada: The Story Behind a Picture Book Biography of Ada Lovelace
Did you know that Ada Lovelace was able to imagine how a machine could not only calculate any number you gave it, but also create music and visual images–100 years before computers were invented? Read the story behind the story with author Tanya Lee Stone who steps into our Author Spotlight today.
Slice of Life Tuesday
Tuesdays are Slice of Life days! Everyone is welcome in this community. Welcome to the Slice of Life Community! WRITE a slice of life story on your own blog. SHARE a link to your… Continue reading
Building a House of Fiction on a Foundation of Nonfiction
Meet Lester Laminack at the corner of story and information. You’ll chat a while. He’ll introduce you to a couple of characters and walk with you through the South Carolina Lowcountry. And hopefully you’ll leave filled with new information.
Finding the Hook in Writing Biographies
A good biography presents an interpretation of the facts. Doreen Rappaport calls that “the hook.” Join her today as we kick off our 4th Annual Author Spotlight Series with Doreen’s guest blog post.
Announcing the 4th Annual #TWTBlog Author Spotlight Series
For the next eight days, published picture book, middle-grade, and professional book authors will take over #TWTBlog to share their thoughts on writing, their writing processes, and the path to publishing with you.
Oh, and there will be giveaways!
Before You Go…
It’s that time of year when we start to think about all the things we didn’t get to do with our students! Here are five writing exercises I am going to make sure students don’t leave without!
What’s Working? Take the Time to Celebrate It
Sometimes our writing workshops can begin to feel a little like a house we live in– always something to improve, always something we haven’t been able to get to, etc. But I would venture to argue that, like a house, many things are working. It’s time to notice and celebrate them!
Make Writing Better. Start With The Writer.
Think about the writer and making the writer better. What are the needs of a writer? What opportunities does technology offer to make the writer better?
Slice of Life Tuesday
Tuesdays are Slice of Life days! Everyone is welcome in this community. “If we are asking students to take risks, we have to model risk-taking.” Meredith Sinclair at the first… Continue reading
Learn How to Entice the Hard-to-Reach Writers in Your Classroom
I found myself annotating Enticing Hard-to-Reach Writers as I read in an effort to hold on to all of Ruth’s wisdom about reaching students who are hiding – physically or emotionally – in our classrooms. As a result, I asked Ruth to answer a bunch of my burning questions about her book, which you need to put on your summer reading list!
One Voice, Many Languages
“Suddenly, the most beautiful words filled the air. Eva was rehearsing her writing aloud, in Spanish. I quickly reached for my phone and recorded her, so she’d remember her plans. But Eva didn’t need that. The words came right back, this time, on paper.”
Uncomfortable Topic Choices in Writing Workshop
How do you handle these moments? What does a conference look like when you’re thinking, “Oh my goodness. Should I even be letting them write about this in school?!”
Organization Wishes and Happy Writing Dreams
Are you the writing teacher you dream to be?
Slice of Life Tuesday
Tuesdays are Slice of Life days! Everyone is welcome in this community. Sometimes we find inspiration in the strangest places. Last week, I opened a Dove chocolate–the kind that has a message inside… Continue reading
In Case You Missed It: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Thank you for joining us for our blog series Looking Back and Moving Forward. I think we all agree on the importance of reflection in the lives of writers. In case you missed any of our posts over the past week, here’s a quick summary.
End-of-Year Letters: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Sometimes it’s the feedback our students — rather than our administrators — give us that help us become better teachers.
Our Most Powerful Tool- Our Words: Looking Back And Moving Forward
In Visible Learning For Literacy, Fisher, Frey, and Hattie, explain “When feedback is delivered in such that it is timely, specific, understandable, and actionable students assimilate the language used by their teacher into their self-talk. (2016, 100)” These words stopped me. When our words become the self-talk of our students, they become the most influential tool we have as teachers.