This post is as much for me as anyone. I believe in finishing the school year strong. However, this belief tends to conflict with a natural urge to shut down as the end of the year approaches. I'm vigilant in fighting this urge and ask that you will join me. Here are some ways I… Continue reading Keep Going ‘Til the End!
Month: May 2010
Words that are Speaking to Me
"This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about Love." ---Walt Disney's Cinderella Retold by Cynthia Rylant
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Year-End Student Reflection
An integral part of being a writer is taking time for reflective practice. The end of the school year is one time to ask students to reflect on their lives as writers. Take some time to consider which aspects of their writing lives you would like students to consider. Here is a PDF of a… Continue reading Year-End Student Reflection
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Journey Around a Topic
Earlier this month, The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice, which is written by Wendy Pfeffer and illustrated by Linda Bleck, was released by Dutton Children's Books. The Longest Day is non-fiction, but it reads like fiction since Pfeffer paints vivid in the reader's mind with the language she purposefully selects. The vivid language she… Continue reading Journey Around a Topic
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Celebrate!
Today I attended a second grade Popcorn Poetry Party. All the second graders gathered in the shade outside with parents and fans (i.e., teachers) surrounding them. They took turns "popping up" to the mic to share their poetry. As a light breeze swept over us I was reminded of the importance of celebrating student writing.… Continue reading Celebrate!
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How much can you fit into one school year?
Many teachers are spending preparation periods working with colleagues to develop a curriculum map for the 2010-2011 school year. Developing a scope and sequence that is developmentally appropriate, interesting to children, and meets state standards is of crucial importance. However, it's not always easy to plan for the following school year. Rissa, of the Learn… Continue reading How much can you fit into one school year?
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Share your writing with us (and others) today.
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You Won’t Want to Miss This!
My daughter brought this home in her backpack. She reads 10 books this summer, completes this, takes it to a Borders, Borders Express, or Waldenbooks, and gets a free book. If your students are 12 or under, then click here to print the form to send home in their backpacks. 🙂
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Words that are Speaking to Me
Words tickle him like fingertips in the ribs. --- Jerry Spinelli, Loser
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When’s the right time to start writing literary essays?
I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about literary essays lately. The topic first came up in early May when I was consulting with a third grade teacher who I had worked with earlier in the school year. I asked her how her year had been going and she lamented about having so many… Continue reading When’s the right time to start writing literary essays?
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Inspiration for an Independent Writing Project
With the school year wrapping up, I'm assuming that many of you are starting your final units of study. I'm sure many of you are doing an independent writing project unit so as to get your students ready to go off and write independently this summer. When I received a review copy of Todd H.… Continue reading Inspiration for an Independent Writing Project
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Share Your Story
Stories are as unique as the people who tell them, and the best stories are those in which the ending is a surprise. At least, that's what Travis Parker recalled his dad telling him when he was a child. Travis remembered the way his dad would sit on the bed beside him, his mouth curling… Continue reading Share Your Story
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 