A meeting place for a world of reflective writers.
As I think about returning to school, I want to be excited about the week to come. I want students to feel happy to be back together. Writing workshop is my favorite part of the day, and it’s the perfect place to infuse some intentional joy for all of us. I have a two part plan to do just that.
Sarah Zerwin is workshop to her core, and she has found ways to ensure that her assessment practices are not sending conflicting messages to kids. Point-Less will challenge readers to reflect and inspire them to advocate for change.
As we set off to create writers who write in tandem with the printed world and the digital world there are a few we need to consider.
Time is precious, and your mental energy even more so. Why waste either when others before you have learned through trial and error? Avoid common missteps by reading these simple tips.
I’ll be honest. I actually love on-demand writing assessments.
Digital tools can transform your teaching by allowing students to have a writing community beyond the classroom walls, be innovative, make meaningful connections to other writers and students, have more resources readily available, and have true, authentic reasons for writing.
A strong active engagement, and a routine for informally assessing student work during the minilesson can give you the tools you need to be sure that no student leaves the meeting area completely confused.
Of the many ways I gain an understanding of my writers, my favorite and most valuable is gathering up all the writing and diving into reading ALL the students’ work.
Valuable lessons can be learned when an assessment tool designed for one genre is used to assess another.
Mrs. V. left the following comment yesterday: “Thanks for your details. Could you tell me more about their idea notebook nightly assignment? What are the requirements and how do you … Continue Reading Just what are the kids writing in those notebooks?
Sometimes you have to let go of the reigns and allow your students to lead you, right. Well, I’m preparing to do just that tomorrow when I work with my … Continue Reading A New Writer’s Notebook Rubric
MOteacher’s comment on Ruth’s post last night reminded me of those demoralized kids and the children I used to spend countless hours preparing for City and State Tests. MOteacher wrote: … Continue Reading Students and Standardized Tests
It’s that time again… This-coming week is Mid-Year Self-Evaluation Time in my class’s Writing Workshop. I’ve revamped the Mid-Year Self-Evaluation to reflect the questions from not only Buckner’s Book (as … Continue Reading Mid-Year Self-Evaluation: Want a Copy?
The first unit of study is coming to a close. The summative assessment is two part. First, students are to create a multimedia presentation (text + image + audio) of … Continue Reading My Life as a Reader.
While at NCTE, I listened to Patrick Allen, Franki Sibberson, and colleagues discuss reading assessment. Here are some highlights: One assessment isn’t better than another and none can stand alone. … Continue Reading NCTE: Reading Assessment.
I’ve been going through some of my former students’ end-of-year self-assessments in writing (adapted from Buckner’s Book Notebook Know-How) that were completed in June 2007. I’m doing this to find … Continue Reading Preview: Reluctant Writers’ Self-Reflections
In response to Ali’s challenge this week, I’ve been thinking of stories which represent finding balance in life. This has stretched me as a writer. I find myself renewed by having … Continue Reading photos + words.
First day back . . . and I had the pleasure of working with all of the 4th & 5th grade teachers in our corporation to SCORE WRITING PROMPTS! (Does … Continue Reading prompt scoring.
Poetry Portfolio Originally uploaded by teachergal It’s May. National Poetry Month is over. However, that means that I’m just three weeks away from the start of our final unit of … Continue Reading Gearing Up for Poetry
Narrative Feedback to a Student Originally uploaded by teachergal When we returned from Winter Recess I had my students complete self-evaluations of their Writer’s Notebooks. (They do this in the … Continue Reading Narrative Feedback to a Student
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 