Mary Anne left this comment: Mary Anne, on August 17th, 2008 at 8:56 pm Said: Here is what I would love to hear more about. Can you talk a little about your experience with Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study? I am using it for the first time and, although I have lots of experience teaching… Continue reading Units of Study: A Writing Coach’s Perspective
Author: Ruth Ayres
Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.
Ruth & Units of Study.
Earlier today Stacey posted an introduction about units of study. I'll use Stacey's post as a "mentor" for this one. First my background: I was first introduced to Writing Workshop through the All-Write Consortium, which is an organization dedicated to providing classroom teachers with professional development about the teaching of writing. When the consortium began, they… Continue reading Ruth & Units of Study.
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the big picture.
The first day of school is tomorrow and I can hardly wait. Bags are loaded, clothes are pressed, lunch is packed and since this is my 9th first day of school (as a teacher), I know that I will sleep lightly and wake up well before the alarm clock. Going into the new year, I… Continue reading the big picture.
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The Gift of Sharing.
May I just say what a gift it is when we share our writing with others? Today in the BWWT, we opened up an "Author's Chair." The readings were amazing. Some gave me goosebumps, others, made me tear-up, some made me laugh -- all soothed my soul. When we are brave and bold in the… Continue reading The Gift of Sharing.
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Writer’s Notebooks, Art Journals, Scrapbooking, Blogs???
Liza Lee Miller said: Okay . . . here’s a question for you. As a teacher, as a writer, as an artist . . . what is the difference between a Writer’s Workbook and an Art Journal. My mother and sister keep art journals and ephemera is a huge part of that for them. I… Continue reading Writer’s Notebooks, Art Journals, Scrapbooking, Blogs???
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Looking for Something?
If you're looking for information about a specific topic or a post you've seen in the past, you may want to use the search box in the top right corner, just under our header. Also, if you're interested in the kinds of topics we're currently writing about, you may want to check posts from this… Continue reading Looking for Something?
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SOLS: Mine Forever.
Prior to adult writing time, I read aloud Jamie Lee Curtis' book, Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born. Then, thinking about SOLSC today, I decided to attempt to write about being given my son. It didn't work out so well as a narrative, so I switched genres. Here it is, in a… Continue reading SOLS: Mine Forever.
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Ruth’s MM: A Safe Home
The light-hearted air that usually surrounded me during the first day of summer vacation was missing. My mom and I sat on the floor of my bedroom, surrounded by all of the collected papers, art projects, and tid-bits from my third grade year. "Did you have a good year in third grade?" my mom asked.… Continue reading Ruth’s MM: A Safe Home
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My Thoughts on Writing.
One of the initial writer's notebook entries I ask that we create in the BWWT (I'm so sick of typing: Beginning Writing Workshop Training) is to think about our past writing experiences. Yesterday, here's what flowed out of my pen. Please understand this was a quick writing time and in it's raw form: I think I have… Continue reading My Thoughts on Writing.
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Beginning Writing Workshop Training: Day Two.
I've posted two more slide presentations from the workshop today over on our Presentations Page. Below are links: Establishing a Community Getting Started with Focus Lessons I'm not sure how useful these will be, because they are brief overviews and then the participants roll up their sleeves and get to work. I allow the same… Continue reading Beginning Writing Workshop Training: Day Two.
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Recommended Professional Resources.
Here are my recommendations for those new to Writing Workshop and wanting to jump in with both feet. Each of the books are recommended due to their easy organization and the impact they had on me as I guided teachers in Writing Workshop. A curriculum set (choose the ONE which meets your needs). This is… Continue reading Recommended Professional Resources.
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Teacher Testimony: Christi Overman.
Today, Christi Overman spoke to the teachers in the Beginning Writing Workshop Training. A year ago, Christi occupied a seat in the workshop. At the time she thought she would be teaching kindergarten . . . a few days before school started, she learned she would be in first grade. Along with the whirlwind grade… Continue reading Teacher Testimony: Christi Overman.
