My students are in the heart of a study on persuasion.  They selected their own topics for their editorials.  What I've noticed this week is they are depending more on collecting facts and statistics to support their stance, rather than their own logical reasoning.  So minilessons have been centered around this issue.  We've discussed using evidence… Continue reading Why do you care?

A few years ago our county hosted Dr. Ruby Payne.  Every educator in the county was expected to read her book and attend the day-long training.  One of the things which stuck with me from this experience was the idea that teachers are often far-removed from the worlds our students live in.  The home I return… Continue reading The “Real” World

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. Thought I'd play along today, since it is a way to experiment using a new voice in my writing and relates to my… Continue reading Not Me Monday.

Yesterday I enjoyed some of the very best professional development in my career  -- and I didn't even leave the school building!  It began with a short meeting with two art teachers, Cindy Bryan and Bill Eby. As the meeting ended, I asked them about their own art work.  Cindy showed me a picture she demonstrated with… Continue reading Exceptional Professional Development

There are many lenses to look through when assessing student writers.  Here are some of the things I consider: How well students write when given time, choice, support, and unlimited resources, as well as how well they write on-demand. The effectiveness of their personal writing processes. Attempts at sophisticated craft moves, even if they fail.… Continue reading Narrative Assessment

Happy Friday! Today's post is a smattering of places across Cyberspace you may find interesting, fun, inspirational, OR perhaps they won't be your cup of tea. Regardless, have a great weekend! The Whole Child Blog: This blog from ACSD is designed to "raise awareness about the need to ensure each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and… Continue reading A Few Places in Cyberspace

I think often in life we can do things to get them done or we can do things to make meaningful changes.  Sometimes it's a difficult fight within ourselves.  Right now, in education, this fight is important. As more and more mandates and regulations "come down," it is tempting to simply shell-up and take it.  Close… Continue reading Fighting Apathy.

2010 has been off to a bit of a rocky start for me.  Now don't read that and think things have been bad.  They haven't.  Just rocky.  As in having a rough time finding my footing and feeling sure of the way things are going.  However, I'm pleased to say this weekend has been a… Continue reading These Things Make Me Happy.

Writing Workshop changed my life.  Through Writing Workshop I became a writer.  I learned how to mentor myself after my favorite writers.  I learned to collect the simple everyday moments, relish them, and use them to make sense of my place in the world.  This in itself made Writing Workshop worthwhile to me. Yet that's… Continue reading Purposeful Teaching

How vain is it to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. -- Henry David Thoreau In my 9th grade class, we are moving into a narrative writing unit this week.  I ran across this Thoreau quote tonight and thought it was a good reminder.  I hope to support my… Continue reading A Good Reminder