agency · bulletin boards · charts · Resetting Our Workshop Practices Blog Series · writing workshop

The Importance of Charts in Classrooms: Resetting Our Workshop Practices

Within classrooms, charts are critically important elements for shifting the responsibility of learning.

bulletin boards · classroom environment · COVID-19 · independence · small group · writing workshop

Bringing Virtual Classrooms to Life

Is it possible to duplicate the live, in-person experiences? Of course not, but maybe some of you could feel the authenticity of a high-five or hug I'm sending your way. So let’s think about some ways to bring virtual classrooms to life, maybe thinking of it as duplicating some of the processes of your classroom in a virtual world.

academic choice · accessibility · audience · authentic writing · bulletin boards · classroom environment · EAL · low-stakes · writing workshop

Writing on the Walls

What we place on the walls of a classroom tells students, or any other person who enters the room, what is valued most, and what we should value most in our classrooms is student work.

bulletin boards · charts · classroom environment · independence · writing workshop

Personalizing charts to foster intention and independence

More and more, another way we’ve been making sure that charts become part of our writers’ toolbelts is to create individual ones that are either the same as the ones on the wall or close enough that they don’t require instruction for students to access.

blogging · bulletin boards · classroom environment · Creating Classroom Environments Blog Series · hopes and dreams · inspiration · mentor author · reading-writing connections · words of wisdom · writing workshop

Creating Classroom Environments: Places for Writers to Grow

Every summer I dream of my classroom. When considering my third grade writers, what do they need to grow and how can I provide classroom spaces for that?

bulletin boards · strategies

Empty Bulletin Boards

I took all of my strategy charts off of the walls last week. I realized that they were more like posters than instructional aids if I kept them up since they weren't created alongside my students. I cannot believe how barren my classroom's walls are, but I know that creating charts with my kids, rather… Continue reading Empty Bulletin Boards

bulletin boards · words of wisdom

A favorite end of the year activity: Words of Wisdom Bulletin Board

It's always amusing to see what kind of advice my students pass on to next year's class. Here's a picture of the Words of Wisdom Bulletin Board my students created for my incoming class. Words of Wisdom Bulletin Board, originally uploaded by teachergal. Speaking of bulletin boards, I put a few up yesterday inside and… Continue reading A favorite end of the year activity: Words of Wisdom Bulletin Board

bulletin boards · first day · poetry

Bio Poems: A great way to introduce yourself

I decided to have my students write Bio Poems on the first day of school this year in order to help them introduce themselves to me and vice versa. Like a "Where I'm From" Poem, this type of poem gives kids a "template" to use as a guide, which will help struggling writers with form.… Continue reading Bio Poems: A great way to introduce yourself

art · bulletin boards · lists · writer's notebook

power of place.

Today in a fourth grade classroom, the teacher let me experiment (play) a bit. We focused on places for our notebook entries. After all of the wn entries Stacey & I have posted about place (click here or here or here or here to read a few), the strategy has been yearning to get out… Continue reading power of place.

back to school · bulletin boards · jim vopat · writers

CWP Bulletin Board

Unlike New York City, my school doesn't require me to put a task card or list the standards for things I place on bulletin boards. Hence, I'm at a loss for what to do with the big open space on the Celebrity Writer Profile Bulletin Board I put in the hallway outside of my classroom.… Continue reading CWP Bulletin Board