A Writer’s Purpose.
I remember the day I ran over to my partner teacher’s classroom. If my memory serves me well, I may have darted over to her classroom, flailing a single sheet … Continue Reading A Writer’s Purpose.
Providing Tools for Writing and Sharing Writing Through the Pandemic
Calling all primary writing teachers. Today Janet Ahn shares how she worked with her Kindergarteners to continue thrive in writing workshop through the pandemic. These young scholars continued to draft pieces, engage in conferring, collaborate to mark up mentor texts, and publish their writing through online platforms. Their dedication to continuing the writing workshop virtually was a reflection of how they truly saw themselves as writers.
10 Strategies to Help Keep All Students Learning and Growing, Especially EALs
There are many strategies we can use to help us be the best teachers we can be for all of our students, but keeping good strategies in the forefront can be especially helpful for EAL students. By adding some simple strategies, we can also help EALs enjoy rich and meaningful learning experiences in the classroom.
Inviting Voices from the Community
As the 2020-2021 school year sets to start, we recognize that educators need each other more than ever. We need to hold onto our beliefs about the teaching of writing … Continue Reading Inviting Voices from the Community
Ending Our Pandemic School Year
Now our year is coming to a close and we are having to find new ways to end the year and say goodbye. With another change comes another opportunity for trauma… it is important to remember that the health and welfare of every person comes first, even and especially as we bring the school year to a close.
Widening the Classroom Community to Include Families
In the last two months, our world has required us to live in the space of continuous new experiences. All of us, but especially the world of education, have taken a hard and immediate shift. It would be blind denial to say it has been easy, but this past week has taken me by surprise.
Reaching EALS During COVID-19
Meeting the needs of our students may sometimes require much more than paper or pencils, but it is not always as hard as we might think.
Translanguaging, EALs, & Testing
All I wanted was for their pencils to keep moving, for the writing to flow without stopping. For a short while, that proved to be difficult, but not impossible.
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.
Putting Away the Deficit Lens in Culturally Diverse Classrooms
All students have stories to share. All of them. Our challenge may be to undo what has been done to have students believe they have nothing of value to share.
Wait Time
There have been many times I have had to hang on to patience, hold my breath, and wait. I have had students that do not hesitate to jump into writing … Continue Reading Wait Time
Spelling in a Writing Workshop
The truth… I’d rather not talk about spelling. There are more important things in a writing workshop, than to talk about spelling. Spelling well is a good thing. When we edit what we write, it is profusely important, but it has nothing to do with growing a writer.
When we focus on spelling or grammar correctness, the growing writer becomes stifled.
English Language Development Frames
When my sister and I were kids, we played Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo. I witnessed her saving the princess at least three times during our summer video game marathons. … Continue Reading English Language Development Frames
Supporting EAL Students in Writing Workshop
Eight educators share their expertise to help us understand the way to meet the needs of students who are learning English within the context of writing workshop.
