Author and illustrator Lauren Castillo reflects on her journey from struggling reader to celebrated creator, sharing how her love of pictures in books inspired her to create the illustrated chapter books she wished she’d had as a child. In her guest post, Lauren discusses the importance of bridging the gap between picture books and chapter books, and how her “Our Friend Hedgehog” series helps young readers make that transition with confidence.
The 11th Annual Author Spotlight Series Preview
Welcome to the 11th Annual Author Spotlight Series! This week, we’re featuring daily posts from an inspiring lineup of children’s authors and illustrators: Gabbie Benda, Lauren Castillo, R. Gregory Christie, Julie Leung, Àlàbá Ònájìn, Mel Rosenberg, and Orit Magia. Each creator will share their creative journeys, writing tips, and reflections on topics like bridging reading… Continue reading The 11th Annual Author Spotlight Series Preview
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“Dear Future Me…”: An End-of-Year Activity That Builds Confidence for Next Year’s Writing Workshop
Your students filled notebooks, found their voices, and grew as writers this year—don't make them start from scratch in September. Try “Dear Future Me…”, a simple end-of-year writing tradition that helps students reflect, celebrate progress, and walk into next year’s workshop already confident, capable, and ready to write from day one.
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Slice of Life Tuesday
Happy Tuesday! We’re so glad you’re here. Write a Slice of Life. Share your link in the comments section of this post. Give comments to at least three other Slice of Life stories.
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Inviting Students to “Read Like a Writer”
Are you looking for a way to integrate writing into your reading block? Consider introducing mentor text work as part of students' reading time.
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People, Places, and Things: Connecting Labels to Drawings in the Pre-K Classroom
Recently, I thought about what I could teach my particular group of pre-k students who are all getting to the point where they know most of their letters and sounds, and are up for a challenge. Knowing that they will be doing a lot of labeling next year in kindergarten, I thought, "Why not give it a try now?"
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Slice of Life Tuesday
Happy Tuesday! We’re so glad you’re here. Write a Slice of Life. Share your link in the comments section of this post. Give comments to at least three other Slice of Life stories.
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Make the School System Work for Your Child With Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future – A Book Review
Whether you use this book as a caregiver, as an educator wanting to provide resources to partner with caregivers, or as a teacher wanting to increase or review your understanding of specialized instruction, Make the School System Work for Your Child With DIsabilities is likely to become a book that you reach for over and over.
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Poetry Month: Finding Inspiration in Student Writing
Golden Shovel poetry is a useful tool for getting young poets to look for and appreciate strong writing around them. Using student writing as the foundation makes it an even deeper and meaningful exercise.
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Slice of Life Tuesday
Happy Tuesday! We're so glad you're here. Read a slice. Write a slice.
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The Work is the Learning: Rethinking Productive Struggle with Student Writers
Struggle is not an obstacle, it's the work! When we give students time, space, and the right kind of support, they learn to move through challenges instead of around them.
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What Adults Make Possible When Children Begin Writing
Writing begins with meaning. As a parent and a coach at our school, I see writing in the earliest acts of communication. In gestures, in marks, in the stories children tell about their drawings. In this post, I share how we support that work with infants and toddlers and what it asks of us as adults. You’ll also find a few simple ways to carry this thinking into your classroom or home. -Ana Patton
