After yesterday's writing, I was reminded of something I read in Ralph Fletcher's A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. (Since this is the second reference for this book in less than a week -- Stacey's post is here -- you may want to consider buying it! Wink . . . Wink!) He writes:… Continue reading Old Photos
Author: Ruth Ayres
Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.
Memoir Monday: How things used to be.
From my writer's notebook yesterday: Today I came across an old mini-golf score card from when I beat Andy. (This doesn't happen very often, so I stuck it in my very first writer's notebook in order to remember.) Like a whoosh from opening a bottle of pop, I was flooded with feelings of how things… Continue reading Memoir Monday: How things used to be.
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Thank You!
Little did I know what I was in for when I asked for response. Thank you! Thank you! I cannot even begin to tell you how your response has stretched me as a writer and gave me insight as a teacher. What a neat little community we have here of teachers and writers together. Thank… Continue reading Thank You!
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Response PLEASE!
I was asked to submit a piece of writing for a little newsletter the All-Write Consortium is putting together. The focuse for this issue is Why Workshop? So I refined a poem that I think fits with the theme. I would love some feedback before I submit it. Here are some questions I have: Do… Continue reading Response PLEASE!
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Take off the Top of Your Head!
After all of the writer's notebook work and the storyboard work and the oral storytelling, it sometimes seems as though students don't realize how they then need to craft their draft. I've found that explicit teaching of this idea is important. Today I did just that with some third graders. I showed them my storyboard… Continue reading Take off the Top of Your Head!
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Ruth’s SOLS: Shopping Fools.
On Saturday morning the little guy wanted to join me on some errands. I relented. Even though I was looking forward to some time alone, just browsing through stores, I chose him instead. I told myself, Someday you'll have plenty of time to browse through stores, but you won't always have a little boy who… Continue reading Ruth’s SOLS: Shopping Fools.
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frustration.
This weekend, during rest time, I heard a few sobs from my youngest daughter's room. The sounds were odd, so I went to check on her. As I approached her door, I heard a bit of pounding and -- oh dear! -- was that a growl? Opening the door and peeking in, I asked, "Is… Continue reading frustration.
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Writing That Matters
Yesterday I worked with three students, from different classes, who were writing about the death of a parent. That's rough. My first thought is sometimes: Who's encouraging topic choice? No thank you! I didn't sign up for this. Anyone who knows me, knows that's not what I really believe. First, I'm the one encouraging topic choice. … Continue reading Writing That Matters
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Ruth’s SOLS: Good Mail.
It's unexpected time alone right now. I was headed off to grab my laptop in order to get some work done and not be sucked into the blog world. On the way, I stumbled across the pile of today's mail. Sticking out was a manila envelope with just an "R" visible, written in the black… Continue reading Ruth’s SOLS: Good Mail.
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Wow!
Check out this Providence Journal article about a student who wrote a persuasive letter to Lowe's and was granted a response bigger than he ever imagined. Bernardo Garcia wanted mulch for their outside play area, so he wrote a persuasive letter to the executive vice president of store operations for Lowe's, Michael K. Brown. Brown, upon returning… Continue reading Wow!
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Write for a Purpose
Most of us know the importance of writing with our students. However, there is a significant difference between being a genuine writer and writing simply for the sake of having an model to share with students. When we enter focus lessons with a piece of our writing in tow, and yet already have all of… Continue reading Write for a Purpose
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Be a GENUINE Writer.
What is the one thing that will make the biggest, lasting impact in our writing workshops? Being a writer ourselves. Now I'm not talking about writing in order to be an example or a model to our students (although this is a positive side-effect). No, the kind I'm talking about is writing for a purpose greater than… Continue reading Be a GENUINE Writer.
