I'm looking forward to the next few days. It's a workshop where old meets new. I've been leading beginning writing workshops for nearly a decade. I'm looking forward to making some shifts to include Common Core thinking, while at the same time holding on to the aspects that make workshop powerful. Tomorrow is all about… Continue reading Foundations of Writing Workshop
Author: Ruth Ayres
Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.
Vintage Ayres {2007}: The Heart of It All
I'm smiling at the phrase Vintage Ayres. It's a little bit of a smirk because, really, am I old enough to qualify as vintage? Maybe not. But definitely so in blog years. I began blogging in March 2006. My first blog was called Inspiring Readers and Writers and it has since been moved to private… Continue reading Vintage Ayres {2007}: The Heart of It All
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Rest.
Rest. Why does this seem like a dirty four letter word? I've been doing a lot of thinking about rest. We were on fall break last week. You might think I took rest to the extreme considering I checked-out and didn't even blog on Friday. Unfortunately this isn't the truth. I crammed in as much… Continue reading Rest.
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Words that are Speaking to Me
Back on the rez, I was a decent player, I guess. A rebounder and a guy who could run up and down the floor without tripping. But something magical happened to me when I went to Reardan. Overnight, I became a good player. I suppose it had something to do with confidence. I mean, I'd… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Christy Is…
Last week I had the privileged of observing Christy Rush-Levine with her eighth grade language arts classes. Deb Gaby, the reading coach in my district, along with two middle school teachers went with me to check out Christy's approach to remediation. At the heart of her work is reading and writing workshop. I began a list a… Continue reading Christy Is…
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Nudging Joy: A Student Group
I've been thinking a lot lately about the things I know because I write. I've been keeping a little list of these ideas as a crude plan for an article about the topic. When Christy Rush-Levine invited me to lead a study group at her school, she suggested the topic of being a teacher who… Continue reading Nudging Joy: A Student Group
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Word Play (a writing night for families)
Tomorrow night I've been invited to talk with parents and host a mini-writing workshop for families. You must know, about a week ago, our youngest, Sam (a first grader), gave two slips of paper to each family member, along with a pen, and said, "Write two titles or story ideas on these slips. I'll be… Continue reading Word Play (a writing night for families)
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Modeling Writing Workshop
Last week I spent a day at Southbury Elementary School in Illinois. (Hello Southbury!) They had students for half a day and the afternoon was a time for us to come together for professional development. In the morning, though, with students, I modeled writing workshop in a fourth grade classroom and a second grade classroom.… Continue reading Modeling Writing Workshop
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Steph Harvey
I just spent the last two days learning from Stephanie Harvey. (Am I lucky or what?) There are so many big things I'm thinking about. Here's there: We must live curious lives. Not curious like odd...curious like wondering and imagining and questioning. I'm planning to pay attention how curiosity plays out in my ordinary life.… Continue reading Steph Harvey
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Conventionally Speaking
Just a little list of some things that are on my mind about conventions and teaching conventions and using (or not using) conventions. Conventions are important. Learning to use them in Standard English is even more important. Conventions are power. If you write with conventions, you are more likely to influence others. You should use… Continue reading Conventionally Speaking
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Is it Wednesday?
Dang. It's Wednesday. I supposed you can blame my writing group for the late post. It couldn't have anything to do with me forgetting it's Wednesday. So here's a little quote for you in order to salvage my bloggy-day. “It is worth mentioning, for future reference, that the creative power which bubbles so pleasantly in… Continue reading Is it Wednesday?
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Honoring Experiences
A long time ago I shifted my language from talking about "low" or "weak" writers to inexperienced writers. The shift in language is significant. It's not about kids being good enough or capable of writing, but rather it is about gaining experience and becoming stronger writers. At the same time, it's about honoring the experiences… Continue reading Honoring Experiences
