Author Archive

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This Is the Year I’m Going to Write Alongside My Students

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When a teacher not only brings the knowledge and pedagogy to teach, but also love, passion, and an ability to demonstrate– whether it be playing an instrument, speaking another language, or writing– a certain authenticity is added. My father used to call it “walking the talk.” This week, my colleagues at Two Writing Teachers are committed to supporting teachers in dreaming big for this year’s writing workshop. Perhaps part of dream your for this year will be to authentically live the life of a writer! Here is some inspiration to make that dream a reality . . .

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Summer Notebook: A Worthy Mission

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As teachers, most of us view summer as a much-needed period for decompression and recharging.  But as teachers of writing, there are likely several  of us who see summertime as a valuable opportunity to prepare.  One thing I plan to do is purchase a summer notebook…

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Enlisting Writing Support from Parents

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Parents can be a tremendous educational resource.  Yet, in middle school it can be challenging, as developmentally our students are beginning to morph from children into young adults. Thinking about next year, I have drafted some ideas for partnering with parents on how to help their kids become stronger writers.  How might parents provide support in the way writing workshop teachers believe is most helpful?  Here are a few ideas…

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End of Year Reflections and June Planning

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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 . . .

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What’s Working? Take the Time to Celebrate It

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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!

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Reflecting Through the Lens of Writing Process: Looking Back and Moving Forward

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Reflection can help foster both a writerly identity and act as a discovery process for possible future goals. This is likely true for any endeavor, whether it be coaching soccer or writing.  This week, we as co-authors have been doing some thinking about the power of self-reflection. One possible lens for reflection is the writing process itself…

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Slice of Life Tuesday

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It’s Slice of Life Tuesday! Come one, come all, come slice with us…

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SOL Tuesday

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It’s Slice of Life Tuesday! We invite you to share a slice of life, share some feedback…

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SOL Tuesday

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It’s Slice of Life Tuesday! Come share some writing, share some comments!

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Rethinking the “I-Rule”

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Many of us were taught that first person pronouns had no place in academic writing. But is that rule still being followed by professional writers?

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SOL Tuesday

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It’s Slice of Life Tuesday! Those of you feeling withdrawals from the March Slice of Life Story Challenge, breathe a sigh of relief. Come one, come all, come slice…

SOLSC Participant Pledge

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Congratulations to all for an amazing March Slice of Life Story Challenge! If you faithfully met the criteria for the challenge by slicing and commenting each day in March, we invite you to complete our form to become eligible for a prize!

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2018 CLASSROOM SOLSC FOR STUDENTS: DAY 15 OF 31

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Day 15 of the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge!

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2018 CLASSROOM SOLSC FOR STUDENTS: DAY 14 OF 31

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Day 14 of the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge!

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE CLASSROOM SOLSC MID-MONTH COMMENTING CHALLENGE

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Congratulations to the winner of this weekend’s Mid-month Commenting Challenge!

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2018 CLASSROOM SOLSC FOR STUDENTS: DAY 13 OF 31

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Day 13 of the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge!

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2018 CLASSROOM SOLSC FOR STUDENTS: DAY 12 OF 31

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Day 12 of the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge!

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2018 CLASSROOM SOLSC FOR STUDENTS: DAY 11 OF 31

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Day 11 of the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge!

A NEW KIND OF COMMENTING CHALLENGE #SOL18

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Like our adult community, our student writing community thrives on comments and feedback. We invite our students to participate in the Classroom Challenge in hopes that they will be able to connect with other writers from around the community and the world.  In the spirit of that global community, we are offering a brand new kind of commenting challenge. As part of the 11th Annual SOLSC, we present our first mid-month challenge! Are you ready?

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2018 CLASSROOM SOLSC FOR STUDENTS: DAY 10 OF 31

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Day 10 of the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge!