Play along here -- Wordless Wednesday
Author: Ruth Ayres
Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.
share your stories.
Sometimes I feel that as teachers we are so focused on preparing kids for the next level that we forget what writing can do for them right now. And even more often, we forget what a gift we are giving them by instilling the habit of writing everyday. This weekend my husband's 88 year old grandparents… Continue reading share your stories.
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Poetry Friday: Something New
Yesterday I checked in on a blog that is becoming a favorite -- Cool People I Know. Little Purple Cow (aka Stephanie) had posted a poem in a form called etheree. (It's a focus on syllables. Each line gains a syllable until you reach the last line of 10.) Her poem inspired me to write one… Continue reading Poetry Friday: Something New
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Ruth’s WN Entry: Bath Time Routine
So, I totally forgot to take photos of the pre-dinner routine. I'll try for it this weekend & make another post on Inspiring Readers & Writers. So the bath time routine will have to suffice, which is fine, because I wanted to document this too. Let's try this entry in a different format -- a… Continue reading Ruth’s WN Entry: Bath Time Routine
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Some Websites
Here are a few websites I thought may interest readers of this blog. Mary Helen Gensch, a writing coach for Whitko School District, shared this site for Graphic Organizers. There are maybe a ba-jillion (and that's a technical count) different graphic organizers for all of your organizing needs. Phil Metcalf, the vocational director at Wawasee… Continue reading Some Websites
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reading research.
Today's lesson in the sixth grade class went along the lines of Ways to Be a Good Researcher. I taught: Complete your source sheet only when you know you'll be taking notes from the source. Determine if your subtopics are worthy. Will they offer you the chance to collect several bits of information? Are… Continue reading reading research.
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WNW Challenge: Routines.
Our once peaceful dinner-time was beginning to be a point of contention for our almost-two-year-old who is becoming more and more independent with each passing minute. Monday night it reached a new height when just coming to the table provoked a fit and then holding hands for prayer ensued into a battle of wills. Luckily… Continue reading WNW Challenge: Routines.
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research mania.
Let's be honest. How many of you out there about lose your mind during the research phase of expository writing? Here in Indiana, it is expected that beginning in 3rd grade, students use the Internet to find facts for their expository writing. Now I'm all for technology . . . and learning to integrate it… Continue reading research mania.
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interviews + personal essays.
Dave Eldridge & I have been working on a personal essay unit in his sixth grade class. As the week went on, I've gotten more & more excited about this unit of study. Dave wanted to included the opportunity for students to interview their family members from another generation. At first I wasn't sure how… Continue reading interviews + personal essays.
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keeping interest.
My colleague, Lori Dixon, directed me to this February 2008 Vanity Fairarticle, "Keys to the Kingdom" by Jim Windolf. It is a long article, but this quote especially highlights the importance of story elements in the development of a plot that holds interest. What a cool way to connect the world of entertainment to our… Continue reading keeping interest.
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OLW (One Little Word).
Last week Stacey posted about using Ali's OLW challenge in her classroom. It's a very cool post & if you missed it, take a few minutes to check it out by clicking here. 2008 marks my third OLW. In 2006 the word was GRACE. 2007's word was GENUINE. And in early December I chose the… Continue reading OLW (One Little Word).
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I’m Back.
In a recent email, I explained to Stacey that life has just consumed me recently and the blogging end of it has taken the hit. The past few weeks have been bittersweet. The joy of the holidays could not be beat. I absolutely loved celebrating with our extended family, our friends, and our little family of… Continue reading I’m Back.
