Billy Collins' Poetry continues to inspire me. The following Collins Poem, "Earthling" was published in The Apple That Astonished Paris. It resonated with me yesterday since I spent a great deal of time working with one of my colleagues to further plan out our Solar System Unit. It's definitely a teaching tool (i.e., when we… Continue reading Poetry Friday Is Here! (Please scroll down to submit your poem using Mr. Linky.)
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 new book, MAKE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WORK FOR YOUR CHILD WITH DISABILITIES (Guilford Press, 2026), empowers parents to navigate the special education system.
Personal Essay Rubric
Using the rubric I created for the personal narrative unit of study as a skeleton, I created a personal essay rubric a few days ago. I tweaked it with Kate yesterday afternoon and this is what I came up with for my kids. Again, there's a row so that each student can self-assess their writing… Continue reading Personal Essay Rubric
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21st Century Literacies (NCTE’s Nov. 2007 Council Chronicle)
If you blog, then you know that websites are no longer the sole way to get information out into the world. We're living in a Web 2.0 World. Today we have blogs, wikis, podcasts, and many other tools that allow us to not only communicate, but to collaborate with others around the globe. Ruth and… Continue reading 21st Century Literacies (NCTE’s Nov. 2007 Council Chronicle)
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Creating Folders for “Patches of Thought”
During my first year of teaching I attended a Calendar Day hosted by the TCRWP where I got the idea for creating portable folders for my students to use in Writing Workshop to assist them with collecting "patches of thought" for each of their subordinate ideas during the personal essay unit of study. Though Lucy… Continue reading Creating Folders for “Patches of Thought”
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Take Note of What Surrounds You
My students have been doing a lot of noticing in Writing Workshop since we began our Personal Essay Unit of Study last week. Hence, I created this Motivational Poster (of sorts) online. I hope it inspires you to notice what surrounds you this week and to write about it. Here's a potential charge for :… Continue reading Take Note of What Surrounds You
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Customized Spelling Lists
I've been grading my students' personal narratives this morning using the rubric I created last month. That being said, I decided not to just grade their personal narratives, but also to use them as a way to create lists of misspelled words so that I can differentiate their weekly spelling lists. My colleague Kate gives… Continue reading Customized Spelling Lists
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Gifts from the Heart
On November 14th I received funding, through DonorsChoose, for the "Writing Gift Center" I blogged about in October. I was delighted that someone who didn't know me or my students was inspired by this proposal to donate the funds so that my students could have the supplies they needed to jazz-up their writing and give… Continue reading Gifts from the Heart
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Thanksgiving: A List Poem
On this day, I am thankful for so many things. I figured I'd create a list poem, with my ideas clustered in stanzas, of what I am thankful for. (I decided not to use ending punctuation for this poem.) Freedom Being an American The right to practice my own religion Driving where I want, when… Continue reading Thanksgiving: A List Poem
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WNW: Mapping Your Teaching Heart & Writing About One Item in Your Heart
Please use Mr. Linky and/or post a comment with your entry. Thanks for participating today! Ruth's entry can be found by clicking here. Stacey's entry can be found by clicking here.
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Stacey’s WN Entry: The Sadako Project… A Reflection
Coming together, as a class, to do something worthwhile... I wanted all of my students to see what teamwork was about. I wanted them to do something as a group to see the amazing results. But was it art for art sake? (Don Graves told me it wasn't when I shared my original entry with… Continue reading Stacey’s WN Entry: The Sadako Project… A Reflection
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A Twist on Heart Maps
Georgia Heard came up with the idea first. Penny Kittle adapted it. I'm bringing it from NCTE to you. Create a Map of your TEACHING Heart. Record the places you've worked, the people who've inspired you, special moments, memorable students, etc. Here's the one I created on Sunday (and colored last night): A charge for… Continue reading A Twist on Heart Maps
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Our thinking is evolving
I noticed that Ruth posted her raw thinking earlier today. Let's just say that there's a lot of meta-cognition happening for both of us now that the NCTE Conference is over. I think the Session that got both of us thinking the most was the one with Peter H. Johnston, Katie Wood Ray, and Ralph… Continue reading Our thinking is evolving
