Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Author: Ruth Ayres
Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.
Structure + Choice
Here's what I've been thinking about lately: How do we provide both structure and choice in writing workshop? Both are essential to empowering young writers. Structure is necessary to lift the level of every writer in the classroom. Choice is crucial for writers to learn to write with energy and strength. Yet they sometimes seem… Continue reading Structure + Choice
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A Holiday
I hope you are spending your holiday in a way that restores your soul. I know I'm one of the earlier back-to-school people in our little community here. We've been back for three weeks. Some of you just started. And a few are still waiting for your first day of the new school year. Whatever… Continue reading A Holiday
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Words that are Speaking to Me
“In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn't a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is.” ― Neal Shusterman, Unwind Since I put Neal Shusterman's books in the hands of three different middle school kids today, I think it… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Hearing the Sound of Opinion Writing
Right now is the perfect time to begin sharing book reviews. Readers across the globe are making plans as they begin a new school year. Teachers are book talking. Kids are book talking. We begin lists in notebooks of favorite books, books we want to read, books we have read. Common core demands we take… Continue reading Hearing the Sound of Opinion Writing
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If I Didn’t Write Myself I Wouldn’t Know…
Here's a little list that is swirling in my mind... If I didn't write myself I wouldn't know how critical positive feedback is to the life of a writer. This weekend I received emails from three different people in response to a couple of different writing projects. One was from an editor who pushed me… Continue reading If I Didn’t Write Myself I Wouldn’t Know…
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Words that are Speaking to Me
"What's the point of living if you're going to hate the world? Guard your heart if you have to, but don't shut it away." ---Neal Shusterman, Bruiser I've been fighting to get this blog post up for the past 28 hours. So there's a quote by a new favorite writer of mine. Find out… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Writers use narrative, informative, and opinion modes of writing across genres.
Along with this slide, I said these words in the section of my key note called, "Using narrative, informative, and persuasion to tell your Story." One of the things unsettling to me is the segregation of the text types. Even though the text types appear to be separate, segregated into nice neat boxes, divided… Continue reading Writers use narrative, informative, and opinion modes of writing across genres.
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What are they hoping to get?
At my school, today marks day four for students. We are nearing the end of the honeymoon period. You know what I'm talking about, right? The newness of starting school is wearing off and we're starting to see the real kids behind the new school clothes. So how do we move past the honeymoon and… Continue reading What are they hoping to get?
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Starting Slowly
One of the things I realized about myself when I went to the Choice Literacy writing retreat is how quickly I speed through the day. I like to pay attention to the world around me, but sometimes I'm moving too quickly. For the past few weeks I've been trying to slow down my pace. It's… Continue reading Starting Slowly
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Fun with Language
Recently someone asked me about my writing routine. As I was responding to her email, listing the times I squeeze writing into the day, I added this line: I remember I'm doing this because I like to write. The minute it's lost its joy is the minute I know I something needs to change. It's… Continue reading Fun with Language
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Words that are Speaking to Me
Always and forever at the start of a new school year... If you want to teach me to write, first you must love me. ---Avi
