I have been a bit of a mentor text aficionada for the past three and a half years. It all started when I asked an incoming class of fifth graders this question at the end of fourth grade: “What have you learned about writing from reading?” Every-single-kid’s-response can be boiled down to one word: “Nothing.” … Continue reading Planned & Unplanned Mentor Text Conferences
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.
Slice of Life Story Challenge – Join Us!
Share this:
Share this:
Author Studies Help Children Write Better
Last month I was consulting in a school with some primary grade teachers. They expressed concerns about infusing mentor texts into their classrooms. I provided them with some language for developing theories about what an author is doing in a text, as well as links to booklists I've created and a book that serves as… Continue reading Author Studies Help Children Write Better
Share this:
Share this:
Tweets
I credit Kylene Beers with being the first person to tell me about Twitter in the Summer of 2007 when I was enrolled in a week-long course she was teaching at the TCRWP Summer Reading Institute. Beers took some time to explain a variety of Web 2.0 technologies. Until Beers talked about tweeting, I thought… Continue reading Tweets
Share this:
Share this:
It’s December. It’s Tuesday. It’s Time to Write!
Share this:
Share this:
A Different Kind of Pen Pal
I was so honored to chair "Integrating Blogs, Podcasting, and Digital Videos into Fourth and Fifth Grade Language Arts Classes" at NCTE this year. I learned a tremendous amount about the right way to integrate technology into classrooms from these California educators (i.e., Carl Withaus, Gail Desler, Aparna Sinha, Manuel Senna, and Lesley McKillop). What… Continue reading A Different Kind of Pen Pal
Share this:
Share this:
A Thanksgiving Wish for You!
Special thanks to Bonnie Kaplan for this photo. Make a Smilebox greeting
Share this:
Share this:
Mentoring Primary Writers
The past eight days have been exceedingly busy, while also being exceedingly great. First, Ruth was here and we spent a lot of time planning out the final third of our book. Then, I traveled to Philadelphia for the NCTE Annual Convention. On Monday, I was in a new school working with a dynamic group… Continue reading Mentoring Primary Writers
Share this:
Share this:
Join us for today’s SOLSC!
Share this:
Share this:
Poetry Party
Sylvia Vardell chaired "Poetry Party! Celebrating 2009 NCTE Poetry Award Recipient Lee Bennett Hopkins," which Ruth blogged a little bit about on Friday. This was by far the most fun I've ever had at an NCTE Session since it was complete with food, party favors, and distinguished children's poets who all read original poetry paying… Continue reading Poetry Party
Share this:
Share this:
Independence in the Primary Classroom Through Talk, Text, and Motivation
Katie Wood Ray, Matt Glover, and Isoke Titilayo Nia hosted a session entitled "Independence in the Primary Writing Workshop," which Ruth and I attended yesterday morning. Ray, Glover, and Nia provided information about the ways to increase young children's independence within the context of a Writing Workshop. Here are my notes from the session, which… Continue reading Independence in the Primary Classroom Through Talk, Text, and Motivation
Share this:
Share this:
Creating Comics from a Real Life Experience
We were fortunate to cross paths into Kevin Hodgson when we were walking through the Convention Center at NCTE this afternoon. He was leading a Tech on-the-Go Presentation about creating digital comics with students. When Kevin asked for a volunteer to make a comic, we stepped up to the plate, creating a comic about our… Continue reading Creating Comics from a Real Life Experience
