I met a fantastic educator, Susie Barcus, from Fort Worth, TX when I attended the August Writing Institute at TCRWP. We worked together in a small group where we shared some of our favorite "early in the school year" minilessons. She shared a minilesson with the following teaching point: Writers use illustrations to trigger memories and… Continue reading Using Illustrations to Trigger Memories
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.
Instagram Can Help Treat Writer’s Block
Encourage students to snap photos and save on Instagram, which they can revisit later when they need writerly inspiration.
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On-Demand Performance Assessments & the Norming Meeting
I've administered and reviewed many on-demand pieces of writing. However, I've never engaged in a norming meeting until two weeks ago. Learn more about the ways in which we can work with our colleagues to assess on-demand assessments so they can drive our instruction.
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Would you share a slice of your life today?
WRITE your slice. SHARE your link. GIVE some comments to (at least three) other slicers.
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Sharing Some Thinking from the Writing Institute
I've been wanting to try out Storify for awhile, but haven't head a reason to use it. Until now. I decided to put together Storify some of my tweets and pictures from last week's TCRWP Writing Institute. I hope it gives you a glimpse into some of the things I learned from my section leaders,… Continue reading Sharing Some Thinking from the Writing Institute
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Gardens of Young Writers
Teaching writing is a lot like gardening. It requires constant attention.
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Writing Connections
This week, consider commenting on at least one person's slice of life story who you haven't commented on in the past.
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Conferring Notes Go High Tech
There are a variety of record-keeping apps, which make it possible to monitor your students' writing progress. Confer, DailyNotes, Evernote, and Notability are four popular apps that promise to make it easier, dare-I-say a pleasure to maintain meaningful conferring notes on all of your students. Have you made use of any of these apps in… Continue reading Conferring Notes Go High Tech
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Author & Illustrators as Mentors
It is important to say the name of the author and the illustrator when you read a picture book.
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Tuesday Tidbits
Day one at the TCRWP Writing Institute was fantastic! Here are a few important take-aways I gleaned from yesterday's keynote and sessions. The TCRWP feels the same pressures all of us feel about getting kids to achieve as writers. Even though the CCSS places a greater emphasis on informational writing, the TCRWP still believes in… Continue reading Tuesday Tidbits
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Slice of Life Story Challenge
Share your story.
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Looking Forward
August is here! What are you eagerly anticipating this week, later this month, and this-coming fall?
