A meeting place for a world of reflective writers.
April might seem a long time away, but now is the time to start preparing for the April 2021 Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge. Blogging is a way to help students develop voice, a sense of audience, build digital citizenship, sharpen writing skills and connect to each other in new ways. Are you ready to share this challenge with your students? Read more to find out all the details!
Our words to our students matter. What our students say to themselves matters. We can inspire and uplift the conversation by using affirmations throughout our teaching and in writing workshop.
Active engagement looks different now than it did pre-COVID-19. One digital tool for active engagement is Pear Deck. Read on to find out how I’m using Pear Deck with my third grade writers!
When we think of stamina, whether with exercise or writing, we might be tempted to think only of the moment – the moment of doing jumping jacks or moving the pencil across the paper. Yet, so much more goes into getting to that moment and then staying in that moment. Stay with me, as I compare trying to build up my stamina for daily movement to students growing in their stamina for writing.
Today I am introducing our November blog series, entitled “Meet Writers Where They Are.” The TWT co-authors envisioned this blog series to be responsive to this moment in time. As educators, we need to meet students where they are. We need to know the students in front of us (or on the screen with us) and understand where they are as learners. Our teaching needs to be focused and directed to what the students need.Join us on November 1 as we launch this series! Read more to learn about the fabulous blog series giveaway, generously donated by Heinemann.
Our instructional minutes count more than ever this year. Read on to discover a new professional book that will help you maximize your teaching in reading and writing while helping your students grow in character and mindset. JoEllen McCarthy’s new professional book, Layers of Learning, is a must read! Comment on the post for a chance to win your own copy.
A back to school 2020 problem for those of us teaching in person- what do you do during masks breaks? A reflective journal that connects to character traits was my solution! Read on for resources I am sharing that match character traits with read alouds and reflective journal prompts.
If ever there were a moment in education to pay attention, be astonished, and tell about it in our writing, I wager it’s now. This is the season of school evolving and changing. This is the back to school season with words we never imagined before- sneeze guards, Zoom breakouts, synchronous and asynchronous, mask breaks, temperature checks, distance learning, hybrid model. What we always knew is no longer, for the most part. What remains? How do we teach well in a COVID-19 world? What matters? What doesn’t? This year, we need to write the moments.
As the 2020-2021 school year sets to start, we recognize that educators need each other more than ever. We need to hold onto our beliefs about the teaching of writing … Continue Reading Inviting Voices from the Community
The 2020-2021 school year will likely be different than any other school year we’ve ever known. While last year ended with emergency remote learning in most places due to COVID-19, … Continue Reading Seen, Valued, Heard: Poetry to Establish Community
It’s Tuesday! Time to write, share and give! The Two Writing Teachers team returns from our summer break on August 2nd with our new blog series “Seen, Valued and Heard: Writing to Establish Community.” We hope you will join us and offer your ideas, thoughts and questions.
It’s Tuesday! Time to write, share and give!
It’s Tuesday! Time to write, share and give!
It’s Tuesday! Time to write, share and give!
As this historic school year comes to a close, the TWT team is taking a break through the rest of June and July. We will return on August 2nd. Of course, we will still be here each Tuesday for Slice of Life through June and July and we look forward to connecting through stories.
Have you been a reader of our annual Author Spotlight Series? How have you used these posts to inspire your teaching? Read on to find a collection of the Author Spotlight posts and ideas for using these treasures with your students.
My beliefs about teaching and learning have grounded the decisions I make, in the classroom and now during this time of remote learning. Come with me on a video tour of how my beliefs are shaping my actions. Share in the comments how your beliefs are influencing the instructional decisions are you are making.
In these days where we are home so much, take your class on a virtual field trip or two and allow them choices of what they will write about! This post includes 6 trips all ready to go with writing menus for each trip. Many thanks to Clare Landrigan and Pernille Ripp who both inspired what I am sharing here with you today.
We are heading into our second week of blogging in the Classroom SOLSC during extraordinary times. Please let us know in the comments how we can best support you and your students at this time.
Can digital badges that focus on writer’s craft inspire students to try new techniques in their writing? Read more to see how I created new badges for the Classroom SOLSC that emphasize writer’s craft.
