The 11th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge is right around the corner! Currently, we are seeking readers of our blog who are willing to donate a prize for the participants of the SOLSC. notebooks, pens, or any other writing-related gifts that SOLSC participants would appreciate.
Author: Lanny Ball
For more than 29 years, Lanny has taught, coached, presented, staff developed, and consulted within the exciting and enigmatic world of literacy. With unyielding passion and belief in the possibility of workshop teaching, Lanny has worked to support students, teachers, and school administrators around the country in outgrowing themselves as both writers and readers. Working first as a classroom teacher, then as a coach and TCRWP Staff Developer, Lanny is now a literacy specialist, working and living in the great state of Connecticut. Outside of literacy, he enjoys raising his three ambitious young daughters with his wife, and playing the piano. Find him on this blog, as well as on Twitter @LannyBall. Lanny is also a former co-author of a blog dedicated to supporting writing teachers and coaches that maintain classroom writing workshops, twowritingteachers.org.
Lanny’s OLW for 2018
In watching Amy Krouse Rosenthal's video, posted by Kathleen this week, I became inspired by the notion that we all ought to try to make the most of our time here on earth...
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Teaching Small Groups in the Middle School Writing Workshop
For many middle school teachers, planning and teaching small groups in writing workshop feels a little like the Rubik's Cube; like this famous puzzle, there is a sense that small groups are doable (somehow, maybe?), yet the orchestration of all the many parts can make them feel overwhelming and perhaps even insurmountable. If you feel this way, know that you are not alone.
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What’s the Keynote of the Unit?
Hurriedly making my way through the front door of the majestic Riverside Chapel on Manhattan's Upper West Side, I glanced at my watch. Late, I thought to myself. Oh well, I'm sure I can still find a seat. To my surprise, I was politely directed not to the actual main body of the chapel, but… Continue reading What’s the Keynote of the Unit?
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Some Issues to Consider: Homework and the Writing Workshop
Pushing the dance studio door open, I watched my two daughters and their two best friends bound playfully out to the parking lot. Walking next to me was Jamie, their mother. "Sorry," she whispered, "we can't do dinner tonight. Blake's got homework." Blake, a fourth grader, after attending school all day and now having finished… Continue reading Some Issues to Consider: Homework and the Writing Workshop
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Fitting It All In: Solving Predictable Problems
For many of us, especially in middle school, trying to fit all the pieces of writing workshop into, say, a 41-minute schedule, can feel daunting. How can we teach a minilesson, get our kids working, confer with individuals and small groups, provide a mid-workshop interruption, and facilitate a teaching share…all in that tight time frame?
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The Power of Language Revisited
When it comes to the teaching of writing in a writing workshop, language is everything. It is through the words we teachers choose that writers are created, built up, encouraged, and inspired.
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Lights, Camera, Action! 3 Tips for Creating Maximum Effect During a Writing Lesson
Walking ourselves through and rehearsing what we will model for young writers so as to create the desired effect(s) can be extremely helpful. Whatever curriculum we are using, it's just so important to walk through the big steps of our teaching ahead of time so that we plan for maximum learning impact. But what type of "effects" might be desired?
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Putting the Large Stones In First: A September Check-In
Nervously lowering myself into a chair, I scooted myself closer to the table. Around me sat three new colleagues. My new 7th grade teaching team. Having moved from my familiar home in small-town Oregon to a strange and exciting new land called New England, I wasn't sure quite what to expect. Our team leader, a… Continue reading Putting the Large Stones In First: A September Check-In
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Not All Writers Are the Same! Ideas for Differentiating in the Writing Workshop (Part 2)
The fact is, just like athletes that show up to the first day of practice, writers bring different skill sets. Some arrive to middle school not knowing where to put a period, while others already know how paint vivid pictures with words that knock our socks off. How do we plan for such a wide variety of writers?
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Not All Writers Are the Same! Ideas for Differentiating in the Writing Workshop (Part 1)
Celebrating differences among our writers can sometimes be difficult for teachers of writing. But by expecting and planning for differences, we can set our students on trajectories more matched to who they are as writers. Here are a few ideas...
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Risk-taking in the Writer’s Notebook
We learn when we experiment and take risks. The writer's notebook could be a place worth considering as a place to do some risk-taking!
