End of Year Reflections and June Planning
As we approach the end of another school year, many of us begin making plans for outgrowing ourselves. But what might be some lenses to think through when taking on such a task? I have a few ideas . . .
Monthly Archive: May, 2018
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Making the Writer Better: Getting Started with Blogging
As I move forward in planning summer professional development for the teachers in my district, I am already finding the infographic invaluable. In planning my session, “Getting Started with Blogging” I found the information on the infographic guiding each slide and each step as I planned the presentation.
Slice of Life Tuesday
Tuesdays are Slice of Life days. Welcome to our community or writers, readers, and commenters.
ICYMI: The 4th Annual #TWTBlog Author Spotlight Series
Last week, nine authors and illustrators stopped by to share their expertise with us. In case you missed it, this post includes links to each of their posts, which include giveaways of their books, virtual author visits, and more!
The Amazing Search for Joseph Cornell
In today’s final Author Spotlight post of the year, Candy Fleming shares a bit about how her most recent book, The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell, came to be.
Embracing Rejection: It’s All in the Attitude
The last time I had a story rejected, I’ll admit I was disappointed…for about two minutes. Then I rejected the negative feelings and sent the story to a different publisher…
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
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.”