My mother-in-law, who is a K-5 Literacy Coach, visited last weekend. She perused several review copies of professional books that were stacked on my desk while we talked shop. There were some pages in one of the books, Children's Literature in the Reading Program: An Invitation to Read, 3rd Ed. that piqued her interest since… Continue reading Endpapers
Author: Stacey Shubitz
Stacey Shubitz is a K-6 literacy consultant and former elementary teacher. She is the author of CRAFT MOVES and other professional books on writing workshop. Her forthcoming book, MAKE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WORK FOR YOUR CHILD WITH DISABILITIES (Guilford Press, 2026), empowers parents to navigate the special education system.
Believing In Them…
I've been going back-and-forth over e-mail with one of my former fourth graders for the past week. She started sixth grade last week -- middle school. I can hardly believe she has a locker & a free period! After all, it feels like just yesterday that she was sitting in the front row of the… Continue reading Believing In Them…
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Slicin’ on Tuesday
Happy Day-After-Labor Day. For many people, today is the first day back to school, while for others' it's the first day back after a long weekend. Regardless of your school status, please join us today for the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
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Back to School Week: Workshop + Parents
Yesterday, Jen asked: As you are blogging about back to school, I wondered if you have any hints/tips for a parent presentation or handout to be use on Back to School Night? We are transitioning into Writer’s Workshop using Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study in the upper grades from a more activity driven 6-Traits based… Continue reading Back to School Week: Workshop + Parents
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Back to School Week: Bursting With Excitement About Writing
Last week Literacy Spark posed this question: I’m always interested in how I can reach the kids at the two ends of the writing spectrum. i.e. addressing kids who struggle with writing, or the freedom of the writer’s workshop format, as well as those kids who are so far above grade level expectations that I… Continue reading Back to School Week: Bursting With Excitement About Writing
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Specific Examples of the Power of Three
Last week I wrote about the power of three in writing. I felt my post lacked specific examples of what this looks like in published writing. So, I looked back at Carmen Agra Deedy's newest book, 14 Cows for America (written in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah), which has examples where she writes in threes.… Continue reading Specific Examples of the Power of Three
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Back to School Week: Conferring
We received a couple of questions about conferring last week. They were: Michele wrote: I would like for you to share ideas about conferring. I love my conversations about books with my 4th and 5th grade students. They are rich and meaningful. I am longing for the same feeling from my writing conferences. How do… Continue reading Back to School Week: Conferring
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September’s First Slice of Life Story Challenge
Whether you're celebrating the first day of school or the first day of September, we hope you'll share a slice of your day with us.
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The Power of Three
When I was at the TCRWP's Writing Institute a couple of weeks ago, there was a buzz about the power of three. Funny how I've been in and around lots of writing-related professional development in the past five years and have never heard anything about the power of three until mid-August. I heard it first… Continue reading The Power of Three
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Another Tuesday. Another Call for Slice of Life Stories.
Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing! Last night, when Ruth and I were on the telephone, I informed her about an experience I had about a week-and-a-half ago at the TCRWP Writing Institute. I took a course with Mary Ehrenworth that dealt with breathing beauty and… Continue reading Another Tuesday. Another Call for Slice of Life Stories.
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Living Like a Writer: Goals for the Upcoming School Year
Raise your hand if your administration makes you do goal setting at the beginning of the school year? Okay. Now raise your hand if your administration collects the goal setting you do as a way to help you monitor those goals throughout the school year. Did you raise your hand both times? It's great to… Continue reading Living Like a Writer: Goals for the Upcoming School Year
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Professional Talk: Shared Writing 2.0
I recently received a review copy of Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom, which is edited by Anne Herrington, Kevin Hodgson, and Charles Moran. The text is comprised of short texts by a variety of teacher-authors who have mastered the art of using technology in their writing classrooms. The… Continue reading Professional Talk: Shared Writing 2.0
