I have been in a lot of different writing workshops lately. Just this week I've been in 13 writing workshops and have met with 13 different teachers in either reflective practice meetings or planning meetings. Therefore, I have SO MUCH I want to record. Which leads me to my current dilemma: what do I not… Continue reading Highlights from the Week
Category: mentor author
Mentor Texts in the Midst of Writing
When we think of using mentor texts when teaching writing workshop, often our first thought is to use them at the beginning of a unit of study so students can gain a sense of the genre they are going to write. Recently, the stars have been aligned in my writing life. First I embarked on… Continue reading Mentor Texts in the Midst of Writing
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Letter to the Author: Part of the “Share a Story, Shape a Future” Blog Literacy Tour
Check out the "Share a Story, Shape a Future" Blog Literacy Tour. This post relates to today's theme, "Literacy My Way/Literacy Your Way," of the Tour, which is hosted by Susan Stephenson at The Book Chook. I loved to write as a child, but never had someone hand me a book and say, “You write… Continue reading Letter to the Author: Part of the “Share a Story, Shape a Future” Blog Literacy Tour
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Writing Inspiration
Last weekend, when we were getting hit with the first big snowstorm, I was looking through our cable guide to find a movie. A film starring Sean Connery, Rob Brown, and Anna Paquin, "Finding Forrester," caught my eye. I knew I could sell it to my husband since it wasn't just about writing, it was… Continue reading Writing Inspiration
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Author Studies Help Children Write Better
Last month I was consulting in a school with some primary grade teachers. They expressed concerns about infusing mentor texts into their classrooms. I provided them with some language for developing theories about what an author is doing in a text, as well as links to booklists I've created and a book that serves as… Continue reading Author Studies Help Children Write Better
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Meta-Language for Talking About Texts
I was just reviewing my notes from the course I took with Lucy at the TCRWP Summer Writing Institute last month. I came across a page of notes I took where Lucy summarized the best way she knows of to talk about texts with kids. I reviewed it and tried to make it my own.… Continue reading Meta-Language for Talking About Texts
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SOLS: Mine Forever.
Prior to adult writing time, I read aloud Jamie Lee Curtis' book, Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born. Then, thinking about SOLSC today, I decided to attempt to write about being given my son. It didn't work out so well as a narrative, so I switched genres. Here it is, in a… Continue reading SOLS: Mine Forever.
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Being inspired by a great picture book…
Today was spent immersing my students in the short fiction genre by reading picture books. Here are the texts my students read and enjoyed either by themselves or with a partner: Beatrice's Goat by Paige McBrier Betty Doll by Patricia Polacco * Duck and Goose by Tad Hills * Imagine A Day by Sarah L.… Continue reading Being inspired by a great picture book…
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WN Entry: Moving
Right now I feel like the young girl (actually Patricia MacLachlan) in Maclachlan's Memoir What You Know First. I'm preparing for a move from one east coast city to another and it feel so enormous and huge. My boxes are stacked up throughout my apartment leaving little room for me to walk. There is an… Continue reading WN Entry: Moving
