National Day On Writing is Almost Here!
It’s almost time for the National Day On Writing! Read on for some ideas on ways to celebrate with students. How will you celebrate this day?
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Living the Writerly Life in School
We say to kids, “Here’s your notebook! Now you are writer!” We want kids to write in school and beyond. Maybe there are things we can do in school to keep their writerly lives going–even when our units of study and minilessons have moved on to other aspects of the work.
How to Know When to Move Forward with Language Learners
I recently was working with a kindergarten teacher who was teaching a group of six kindergarten students, all identified as novice English Language Learners. My experience observing and working with this group reinforced… Continue reading
IT’S TUESDAY! JOIN US FOR THE SLICE OF LIFE STORY CHALLENGE!
Welcome! Join today’s Slice of Life Story Challenge by… writing a post, sharing the permalink in the comments section, and visiting at least three other slicers to leave a comment for them.
Intentional Practice In Our Writing Classrooms
Intentional practice leads to better performance. Writing instruction follows a similar pattern, and by about six weeks into the year, teachers know their students. Just like soccer coaches, teachers can start to develop some responsive instruction, both from the figurative sidelines, as well as through direct instruction.
Questions to Reflect, Expand, and Select
If we are not intentional, we can easily rush into many teaching points, instead of only one. We can overwhelm ourselves and our students. If we are not careful, we can miss the most important reason we sit with a student―the opportunity to listen and learn.
There Is No Finish Line
Using student work as feedback for our teaching informs us. It empowers us. In a way, it allows young writers to become our teachers…
A Parade of Writers
It’s time to celebrate the progress writers have made!
IT’S TUESDAY! JOIN US FOR THE SLICE OF LIFE STORY CHALLENGE!
Welcome! Join today’s Slice of Life Story Challenge by writing a post, sharing the permalink in the comments section, and visiting at least three other slicers to leave a comment for them.
A Mentor Text to Inspire the Next Generation of Writers and Activists + a Book Giveaway
I’ve found a hybrid mentor text that will inspire young writers and budding activists.
Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of Scot Ritchie’s new book, Join the No-Plastic Challenge.
A Writer’s Mindset–Part Two
The mindset of our writers has a direct impact on the progress and success of our writers.
How to Name a Transferable Teaching Point in a Writing Conference
Conferring with young writers is far too complex to boiled down to just one important aspect. But… if you had to name the most important part of a writing conference, what would it be?
Three Ways To Increase Instructional Clarity
Teaching is an art, and sometimes tweaks don’t work as we hope or envision. However, I hope that these three ideas do increase the clarity of instruction in ways that help all students learn to be independent confident writers.
IT’S TUESDAY! JOIN US FOR THE SLICE OF LIFE STORY CHALLENGE!
Welcome! Join today’s Slice of Life Story Challenge by writing a post, sharing the permalink in the comments section, and visiting at least three other slicers to leave a comment for them.
Every Child Can Write Blog Tour: Focus on Spelling and Conventions (Giveaway)
Welcome to the next stop on Melanie Meehan’s Every Child Can Write blog tour! Today’s focus is on Chapter 8, which has excellent ideas for educators when it comes to teaching striving writers about spelling and conventions. Be sure to comment on this post for a chance to win your own copy of Every Child Can Write! (You are going to want a copy of this book ASAP! It is THAT good!)
Wait Time
There have been many times I have had to hang on to patience, hold my breath, and wait. I have had students that do not hesitate to jump into writing and others, not… Continue reading
Teaching Shares: Ending Strong
Working within a tightly segmented middle school schedule (or any pre-planned schedule) can sometimes pose a challenge to “fit in” an opportunity for closure. With this special challenge in mind, how can we perhaps be more intentional about this important time in our workshops?
The Scribble: Worth a Closer Look
It’s the beginning of kindergarten, and that means there are lots of scribbles in books. An inquiry mindset can help us decide how to best support writers.
It’s Tuesday! Welcome to the Slice of Life Story Challenge!
Write your post. Share it with the community. Comment on at least three other posts.
Questions as Learning Target Prompts
Learning targets, Post-Its, and I Can statements live in classrooms everywhere. Consider building those together through questions and prompts!