Connecting Through Story
“Story is the basic unit of human understanding.” – Drew Dudley, Day One Leadership. We have been learning through story for thousands of years. Our innate fascination for wanting to know what happens… Continue reading
Category Archive: common core
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The Story of the Giant Sequoia + a Giveaway
Tony Johnston and Wendell Minor’s new book, Sequoia, will be published later this month. Recently, both of them were gracious with their time and granted me interviews. Hear what they have to say about writing and illustrating. Get a sneak peek at this exquisite text you can use to infuse your students’ informational writing with poetry.
Force Field for Good and a Giveaway!
Learn about Barry Lane’s newest book, Force Field for Good and enter for the giveaway!
Get Out Your Calendars! It’s June Planning Time!
If we do nothing else, we do this one thing…Read this post to find out what it is!
Celebrating The National Day on Writing: Bottom Lines Beliefs
Happy National Day on Writing! One way to celebrate this day is to take a moment to reflect on your bottom line beliefs about quality writing instruction.
Word Nerds Review + a Giveaway
Word Nerds: Teaching All Students to Learn and Love Vocabulary is filled with fresh ideas for ways to teach vocabulary so the meanings of the words stick with kids. It is a resource that will help you develop an innovative and meaningful vocabulary curriculum for your students. Read a review of the book and preview sections of the text. Then, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Word Nerds.
Coverage of the Core
The New York Times and The Washington Post have been covering the Common Core a LOT lately. You’ll see, if you read them all, they provide different view points. Here are the ones… Continue reading
New Units of Study
I purchased the original Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3 – 5 when they were published in 2006. In the early days, those books were like a Bible to me. I… Continue reading
Common Core — Appendices
Many of us are digging into Common Core Standards. We are spending time reading the standards, figuring out what they mean, and noticing how they grow from grade to grade. Indiana (my state)… Continue reading
Choice Literacy: Coaching the Common Core {Part 3 of 3}
The third part of the conference was led by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan. They inspired me to stick to my beliefs. One of the ideas they talked about is a Framework for… Continue reading
Choice Literacy: Coaching the Common Core {Part 2 of 3}
The second portion of the Choice Literacy workshop, Coaching the Common Core was led by Heather Rader. Heather is the author of Side By Side: Short Takes on Best Practice for Teachers and… Continue reading
Choice Literacy: Coaching the Common Core {Part 1 of 3}
Recently Deb Gaby and I attended a Choice Literacy Workshop called Coaching the Common Core. It was one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended (and I’ve attended a lot of really great… Continue reading
Talking Poetry with Lynne and Rose + a Giveaway
Poetry Mentor Texts: Making Reading and Writing Connections, K-8 is the latest gem from Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli. Not only does their book help you hone your poetry workshop instruction using mentor… Continue reading
The Intersection of Poetry and Informational Writing + a Giveaway
When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders can be used as a mentor text to help students craft poems, instead of biographies or informational reports, about people they read about and research.
Information Charts: A Guest Blog Post by Kristi Mraz and Marjorie Martinelli
We are so delighted to be guest blogging here at Two Writing Teachers. We know many teachers who use this invaluable resource and are honored to lend our thoughts on writing. It’s that… Continue reading
Pathways to the Common Core + a Giveaway
I’ve been working hard to prepare lectures for my graduate students that address the Common Core State Standards, or CCSS, with regard to the teaching of writing. While I have read through the… Continue reading
Approaching Common Core + PARCC
Yesterday I heard James Kofi Annan tell his story of child slave to business man to freedom fighter for the children in Ghana. Check out this CNN video for a taste of what… Continue reading
Common Core + Students’ Needs
Much of my time this school year has been devoted to studying Common Core Standards, as well as keeping up with the ever-changing discussion about the PARCC assessment. I’ve been thinking about the… Continue reading