“In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn't a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is.” ― Neal Shusterman, Unwind Since I put Neal Shusterman's books in the hands of three different middle school kids today, I think it… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
Month: August 2012
Craft Tables for You — Part I of III
Craft tables are a way to organize one’s thinking about a books teachers will be use as a mentor text. Since a good deal of the mentor text work we do with students in writing workshop happens during one-to-one writing conferences and during small group strategy lessons, it helps to know books really well. Hence,… Continue reading Craft Tables for You — Part I of III
Share this:
Share this:
Hearing the Sound of Opinion Writing
Right now is the perfect time to begin sharing book reviews. Readers across the globe are making plans as they begin a new school year. Teachers are book talking. Kids are book talking. We begin lists in notebooks of favorite books, books we want to read, books we have read. Common core demands we take… Continue reading Hearing the Sound of Opinion Writing
Share this:
Share this:
SOLSC: Do You Know What Everyone Has Been Up To Lately?
Last Tuesday was not a typical Tuesday. I was in Manhattan spending some time with my dear friends, Stacey, who now lives overseas. Second, I had caffeinated iced tea at dinnertime so I was wired. Third, I decided to take advantage of the fact that I was wired and staying at my parents' home to… Continue reading SOLSC: Do You Know What Everyone Has Been Up To Lately?
Share this:
Share this:
If I Didn’t Write Myself I Wouldn’t Know…
Here's a little list that is swirling in my mind... If I didn't write myself I wouldn't know how critical positive feedback is to the life of a writer. This weekend I received emails from three different people in response to a couple of different writing projects. One was from an editor who pushed me… Continue reading If I Didn’t Write Myself I Wouldn’t Know…
Share this:
Share this:
Taking the Art of Reflection Back into the Classroom
Joanne Toft has taught for more than 30 years and spent 6 years managing The Arts for Academic Achievementprogram for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Last year she returned to the classroom to teach 4th grade in one of the district high poverty schools. This year she will be focusing on teaching literacy and science to… Continue reading Taking the Art of Reflection Back into the Classroom
Share this:
Share this:
Writing Workshop Expectations
The first six weeks of school is about providing structure for students. Teachers who are too lenient never seem to gain control of their class while teachers who are too rigid risk the chance of not building a cohesive classroom community since students don’t feel safe enough to take risks. There’s a fine line to… Continue reading Writing Workshop Expectations
Share this:
Share this:
Words that are Speaking to Me
"What's the point of living if you're going to hate the world? Guard your heart if you have to, but don't shut it away." ---Neal Shusterman, Bruiser I've been fighting to get this blog post up for the past 28 hours. So there's a quote by a new favorite writer of mine. Find out… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
Share this:
Share this:
Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
Please link the Slice of Life Story you write today to this post by leaving a comment. Be sure to check out other bloggers’ writing by clicking through the links in the comment section of this post. Come back later today (or even tomorrow) to read through the links of a few other Slicers who… Continue reading Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
Share this:
Share this:
Writers use narrative, informative, and opinion modes of writing across genres.
Along with this slide, I said these words in the section of my key note called, "Using narrative, informative, and persuasion to tell your Story." One of the things unsettling to me is the segregation of the text types. Even though the text types appear to be separate, segregated into nice neat boxes, divided… Continue reading Writers use narrative, informative, and opinion modes of writing across genres.
Share this:
Share this:
Certification
If you're like me, summer is a time to catch up on paperwork and things you've put off for months. Last Wednesday afternoon I went into the NY State Office of Teacher Initiatives' website to report my professional development hours for both of my NY State teaching licenses. I mistakenly thought I had until the… Continue reading Certification
Share this:
Share this:
What are they hoping to get?
At my school, today marks day four for students. We are nearing the end of the honeymoon period. You know what I'm talking about, right? The newness of starting school is wearing off and we're starting to see the real kids behind the new school clothes. So how do we move past the honeymoon and… Continue reading What are they hoping to get?
