Strong relationships are the foundation of effective writing instruction. This post shares concrete routines and research-based strategies to help teachers get to know their students as people and writers from day one.
Category: choice
Poop, Gamers, and Guns, OH MY!
Yes- writers in my class write about uncomfortable topics. Here's why.
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Play Up Partner Time! 3 Quick Games That Yield Joy, Ownership, & Success
Finding small ways to infuse a playful spirit into writing workshop keeps me (and students) feeling excited about each day’s experience. When we tinker with new ways of approaching workshop learning routines, everyone wins! Today’s tips are focused on simple ways to play up partner time.
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A Writer’s Choice: Amping Up Agency Blog Series
It is by making choices that students build agency within our workshops and learn how to navigate the struggles that all writers encounter.
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PBL in the Writing Classroom
Real world, authentic opportunities to engage in writing with the goal of enacting change is something all students can really sink their teeth into. PBL and writing workshop go hand in hand.
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Freewrite Fridays: The Freedom Writers Deserve!
Happy Friday! Learn about how Freewrite Fridays offer writers a much-needed pause at the end of a week.
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Designing Writing Units Where Students Choose the Product
Many of today’s students crave choice, freedom, and the excitement of exploring something new. This year, as you prepare to roll out your writing units, you may also want to reconsider the level of constraints within each unit. How and when might you invite students to choose the product that best fits their personal preference and intended audience?
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Graphic Organizers Limit Creativity: Resetting Our Workshop Practices
Many teachers assign graphic organizers to help students learn about structure and organization. But do these organizers actually impede authentic writing and student agency? Read about why Leah chose to stop mandating graphic organizers, and some tips for letting go!
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(Re-)Launching our Writing Workshops With Joy in January
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.
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When Writing Feels Right: Exalting Choice and Purpose in Workshop
When writers feel empowered to write for their own personal catharsis, it matters. When writers know they will have the opportunity to strengthen their writing alongside peers, it matters. When writers have greater degrees of choice around topic and genre, it matters. And when, at times, there’s a wider audience for writing, beyond classroom walls or the teacher’s eyes alone, there is often deeper motivation.
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Family Resources for At-Home Learning: Reflections and Shifts As We Move Forward
This post is a look back at the resources I created to support families with at-home learning throughout the pandemic, and some ideas for supporting families in the future.
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Becoming Writers Together: The Joyful Writers’ Club
Carving out space and time for experiences that honor student agency and their diverse writing lives is not only empowering but also gifts them with the habit of writing and the identity as writers. We can write our way through this pandemic, together and emerge as writers.
