Giving characters free will, instead of outlining them in detail before writing begins, allows the story to flow naturally and allows the characters to become more real and more interesting than they could be if they had to act within a rigid profile created in advance of the actual writing process. --- Dean Koontz Obviously The Tension of… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
Category: books
Words that are Speaking to Me
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you. --- Maya Angelou Remember awhile back when I shared about my YA reading life? I promised to share the way I'm closely rereading and studying a few of the books. One of the titles is Kristina McBride's (she's blogger!) The Tension of Opposites… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Fall Into Books with Your Students This Fall
Up until last week, if you had asked me what book I'd recommend you read to your students to get them excited about Reading Workshop (Yes, Reading Workshop. I know, I know, this is a blog about Writing Workshop, but sometimes we have to write about reading!), I'd suggest Wolf by Becky Bloom. Sure there… Continue reading Fall Into Books with Your Students This Fall
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Summer Reading
What are your reading plans this summer? I thought I'd take a minute to share some professional books about Writing Workshop. I've divided my "recommendations" into two categories. New-to-Writing Workshop-Philosophy Primary: About the Authors by Katie Wood Ray and Lisa Cleveland Intermediate: The No-Nonsense Guide to Writing Workshop by Davis and Hill Middle School: In… Continue reading Summer Reading
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Stave-off summer reading loss
The folks at Penguin Books recently alerted me to a fantastic new program you should tell your students about if school is still in session. We Give Books is a website that provides access to books for anyone who has a computer. If the library is inconvenient to get to and money isn't there for… Continue reading Stave-off summer reading loss
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Book Reviewing Policy
We've been reviewing a lot more books on this blog in the past year. Therefore, it's time for us to share a review policy, inspired by The Reading Zone and The Well-Read Child Blogs. Types of Books Ruth and I review professional teaching books, as well as books for children and young adults, which teachers… Continue reading Book Reviewing Policy
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Mentor Text Thursday: Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
Are you familiar with Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas' bookMuncha! Muncha! Muncha!? This fun, upbeat book has been a favorite of mine (and my kids) for many years. Not only is it a pleasure to read, but it is filled with potential minilessons. Here is the synopsis on the book from Candace's website: Tippy,… Continue reading Mentor Text Thursday: Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
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Always: A Mentor Text for Writing Questions and Repetition
Always Written by Ann Stott Illustrated by Matt Phelan Published by Candlewick Press in August 2008 Review copy provided by the publisher Always is a touching tale about a young boy who questions whether his mother's love (for him) is unconditional. He asks his mother a series of questions that include whether she loves him… Continue reading Always: A Mentor Text for Writing Questions and Repetition
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The Reading Zone.
Last weekend I was compelled to return to Nancie Atwell's book, The Reading Zone, in order to be inspired for this week's focus lessons. As I was reviewing it, I ran across this quote: For students of every ablility and background, it's the simple miraculous act of reading a good book that turns them into… Continue reading The Reading Zone.
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Personal Narrative Texts.
In many of the classrooms I'm working in, we are moving into a Personal Narrative study. I asked teachers to gather books they would like to use to anchor their teaching. Below is a list of some of the texts: A Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel and David Catrow Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,… Continue reading Personal Narrative Texts.
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Yo-Ho-Ho, A Pirate’s Life for Me!
Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day (link takes you to Wikipedia; here is the official site). Next to Christmas, this may just be my favorite! 🙂 A little known secret is that I'm an avid pirate-lover. I love all things Pirate (except for the baseball team)! Today my little family of five is celebrating. … Continue reading Yo-Ho-Ho, A Pirate’s Life for Me!
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Article About Characters Who Write
I just received the September 2008 Issue of The Reading Teacher. It's already accumulating sticky notes, tabs, and dog-ears since it's packed with a wealth of information. There's an article I highly suggest you read entitled "'To Be a Writer' Representations of Writers in Recent Children's Novels." Here's the abstract, which I took from the… Continue reading Article About Characters Who Write
