This post is as much for me as anyone. I believe in finishing the school year strong. However, this belief tends to conflict with a natural urge to shut down as the end of the year approaches. I'm vigilant in fighting this urge and ask that you will join me. Here are some ways I… Continue reading Keep Going ‘Til the End!
Author: Ruth Ayres
Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.
Words that are Speaking to Me
"This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about Love." ---Walt Disney's Cinderella Retold by Cynthia Rylant
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Year-End Student Reflection
An integral part of being a writer is taking time for reflective practice. The end of the school year is one time to ask students to reflect on their lives as writers. Take some time to consider which aspects of their writing lives you would like students to consider. Here is a PDF of a… Continue reading Year-End Student Reflection
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Celebrate!
Today I attended a second grade Popcorn Poetry Party. All the second graders gathered in the shade outside with parents and fans (i.e., teachers) surrounding them. They took turns "popping up" to the mic to share their poetry. As a light breeze swept over us I was reminded of the importance of celebrating student writing.… Continue reading Celebrate!
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You Won’t Want to Miss This!
My daughter brought this home in her backpack. She reads 10 books this summer, completes this, takes it to a Borders, Borders Express, or Waldenbooks, and gets a free book. If your students are 12 or under, then click here to print the form to send home in their backpacks. 🙂
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Words that are Speaking to Me
Words tickle him like fingertips in the ribs. --- Jerry Spinelli, Loser
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Share Your Story
Stories are as unique as the people who tell them, and the best stories are those in which the ending is a surprise. At least, that's what Travis Parker recalled his dad telling him when he was a child. Travis remembered the way his dad would sit on the bed beside him, his mouth curling… Continue reading Share Your Story
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Ruth’s SOLS: 16 May 2010
Late, I know, but sometimes things are just too fresh to write about on demand. Here is what I was hoping I could get out yesterday. Grey skies surrounded our little gathering. Some were missing, yet even though they were half a globe away, they still seemed present. There were thirteen of us. Three daughters. Two sons-in-law.… Continue reading Ruth’s SOLS: 16 May 2010
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What Goes in a Writer’s Notebook?
One of the things which took me a few years to really understand is what goes in a writer's notebook. It was one of those thinking journeys which twisted and turned through many ideas, brainstorms, trials, and errors and eventually emerged on the other side with a basic understanding that seems simplistic. Everything I put… Continue reading What Goes in a Writer’s Notebook?
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Words that are Speaking to Me
"Indeed, the more she wrote, the louder the stories seemed to grow, swirling in her mind, pressing against her head, anxious for release. She didn't know whether they were any good and in truth she didn't care. They were hers, and writing them made them real somehow. Characters who'd danced around inside her mind grew… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Procedures
My school is putting together pertinent lessons for the first few weeks of school to make launching Reading and Writing Workshop more succinct. So for the past few weeks I've been considering the most important procedures to ensure a solid Writing Workshop. I believe procedures will make or break Writing Workshop. So, I'm wondering, what… Continue reading Procedures
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How’s Your Writing Workshop Going?
As the year winds down, now is a perfect time to reflect on your Writing Workshop. Here are a few questions I'm mulling over this week. What did I do well this year as a writing teacher? What did I do differently this year in Writing Workshop? Why did I try this new idea? Will I… Continue reading How’s Your Writing Workshop Going?
