A six to eight-week writing unit may not be the equivalent of running a marathon, although some may beg to differ this year, but it still requires some creativity for strong and energetic finishes. As I work with several teachers who are in the final third of their information writing units across a variety of grades, here are a few ideas for maintaining energy.
Category: goals
A Review of Teaching Writing in Small Groups
Jennifer Serravallo's newest book, which focuses on small-group instruction, is a text that explains the fundamentals of small-group work and then provides teachers with support for implementing a variety of small groups that will help students grow as writers.
Share this:
Share this:
Point-Less by Sarah M. Zerwin: A Review and Giveaway
Sarah Zerwin is workshop to her core, and she has found ways to ensure that her assessment practices are not sending conflicting messages to kids. Point-Less will challenge readers to reflect and inspire them to advocate for change.
Share this:
Share this:
Moving Along — and Backing Up — in Information Writing
When any task involves many skills, there are a lot of places for a metaphorical bump in a straw. When we break the task down, the final product involves many potential downfalls!
Share this:
Share this:
Entry Points to Build Independence: Reaching Your Writers
Where are the places your writers find themselves stuck? Identifying our writers' sticky spots can help us determine entry points for writers to pull themselves out of being stuck and instead strive!
Share this:
Share this:
Questions as Learning Target Prompts
Learning targets, Post-Its, and I Can statements live in classrooms everywhere. Consider building those together through questions and prompts!
Share this:
Share this:
What’s in a Strategy?
Do your writers know how strategies can help them reach their destination? Better yet, do they know where they are going?
Share this:
Share this:
Taking Stock: Moving Forward
As teachers, how might we reflect on our own practice in a way that could make a difference for our students next year? Here are a few lenses for setting some goals...
Share this:
Share this:
Empowering Writers
As we approach the end of the year, it could be a great time to challenge students to think about who they are as learners, what helps them hold on to new concepts, and how they do their best work. That being said, this knowledge could empower students at any point in the year.
Share this:
Share this:
Creating Clarity for Writers
Having and stating goals takes courage, but this practice also leads to higher levels of learning and achievement.
Share this:
Share this:
A Few Ways to Empower Writers Using Mentor Texts
It could be said that what sets a writing workshop apart from other approaches to teaching writing is a focus on empowerment. Here are a few ways to empower writers when it comes to mentor texts...
Share this:
Share this:
A few ideas for conferring
Potentially, one of the most impactful opportunities we have for making a lasting difference on our students as writers is when we pull up next to them and confer with them. It's SO worth spending some time reflecting, setting goals, and developing tools and strategies for the conferring work we do as teachers.
