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.
friday poetry · poetry · writer's notebook

Poetry Friday: It’s Autumn Here in New England

Stacey Shubitz

The school year started exactly one month ago today (yes, I'm posting my Poetry Friday post an hour before it's actually Friday). During that time I've been watching a small tree's leaves change colors as I descend the stairs to the parking lot of my apartment building. For some reason, it caught my eye while… Continue reading Poetry Friday: It’s Autumn Here in New England

christina l. rodriguez · standardized tests · writing about reading

The Test

Stacey Shubitz

When I lived in NYC, I never had to prepare my fifth graders to do writing on the State ELA Test since there was only a graphic organizer and a short response that the kids had to write about a passage. However, here in Rhode Island, we're preparing our fourth graders to take the New… Continue reading The Test

artifact · small moment · writer's notebook

Write about it in your notebook!

Stacey Shubitz

One of my students got injured in the classroom yesterday. Hence, he had to make a trip to the hospital emergency room. I visited him in the evening and found that he had two hospital bracelets on. I suggested that he tape them into his writer's notebook after he got discharged and then use those… Continue reading Write about it in your notebook!

wn entry · Writer's Notebook Wednesday

Writer’s Notebook Wednesday: Week Three

Stacey Shubitz

Please comment with your WN entry in the comment section OR hit the Mr. Linky Widget and enter the URL where your entry resides. Here's where you can find our entries: RUTH: Click here. STACEY: Click here. We look forward to sharing our writing (with you and from you).

personal essay · wn entry

Stacey’s WN Entry: Making Lists and Growing Thinking

Stacey Shubitz1 Comment

I just recorded an entry in my writer's notebook about some amusing things I've observed in my classroom in the past week. Then, I grew some thinking about each of the three ideas. I noticed that Ruth scanned-in her entries from her notebook last week. Hence, I'm copying her and doing the exact same thing.

Blogroll

Reminder about Writer’s Notebook Wednesday

Stacey Shubitz

Check back here tomorrow and read through the pages of our notebooks and the notebooks of our blog readers. Mr. Linky is working so be sure to link us to your post OR just post your entry as a comment. 🙂

DonorsChoose.org · Rhode Island

Launch

Stacey Shubitz

DonorsChoose officially launched in Rhode Island today. (Note: DonorsChoose went national on Labor Day.) Very exciting!!! Just wanted to post that up here since the Rhode Island Foundation, as per this article in the ProJo, has given $30,000 to D.C. to get things up and running here in Rhode Island. For more info on DonorsChoose… Continue reading Launch

Cybils · picture book

Cybils Nominations Began Today!

Stacey Shubitz

Be sure to nominate your favorite new picture book for a Cybil. To nominate new books from other genres, click on this link. Quoting Jen Robinson's Post: "Nominations close November 21st. You can nominate one title per person in each of eight categories (click here to find the nomination posts). If you are nominating titles,… Continue reading Cybils Nominations Began Today!

aimee buckner · assessment · rubric · writer's notebook

Working Lunch: Checking Writer’s Notebooks

Stacey Shubitz1 Comment

It's October and that means that it's time for me to start checking my students' writer's notebooks once/week. Today was the first day of it. (I'm using the rubric I used last year, which is loosely based off of the work of Aimee Buckner.) 1 of the 4 students was absent (who was supposed to… Continue reading Working Lunch: Checking Writer’s Notebooks

Blogroll · month-long planning · plan · revision · units of study

Pacing

Stacey Shubitz1 Comment

I received an e-mail from another blogger who teaches middle school who asked about the pacing of the teaching points and units of study. Specifically, she wanted to know, "What if they don't finish in that time period? Do they finish it at home for homework?" I wrote her back, but figured this might be… Continue reading Pacing

lucy calkins · personal narrative · process log

Demonstration in Minilessons: my personal narrative

Stacey Shubitz3 Comments

When I attended T.C., I took "The Teaching of Writing" with Lucy Calkins, who truly taught me how to write better (not to mention how to be a better teacher of writing!). We wrote personal narratives for her class in which we went through many drafts and had to keep a log of our process.… Continue reading Demonstration in Minilessons: my personal narrative

family · parent involvement · Writer's Notebook Wednesday

Hosting a Writing Night

Stacey Shubitz2 Comments

My October newsletter is being translated right now. I expect to be sending it home to my students' families sometime next week. I'm excited about it since I'm announcing a Wednesday Writing Night for late November in there. My colleagues, Kate and Felicia, and I will be hosting it for all of the fourth grade… Continue reading Hosting a Writing Night