A recent visit to San Francisco inspired me to think about oral story telling, publishing, an persuasive writing. Here are five things my trip left me thinking about. PLUS, leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win a copy of a new picture book from Chronicle Books.
Category: mentor texts
Five on Friday: Picture Books Edition
Find out which five, NEW picture books I'm fawning over this Friday.
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First Graders Get Crafty
First graders use a mentor text to get crafty during a unit on informational writing.
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The Meaning of Maggie Book Review + Win a Copy of a Fabulous Read
Soon-to-be-released The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern is a lovely book that offers plenty of opportunities to study high-level character development.
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The Opposite of Loneliness + a Book Giveaway
I rarely read collections of short stories or essays, but I made an exception for The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan. It's a book written by a debut author. Unfortunately, it's her final title since she died tragically in 2012.
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Sharing Some Exciting News
I'm proud to announce my second professional book with Stenhouse Publishers will be coming to you in the winter of 2016.
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Interview with Susan VanHecke + a Giveaway
I'm always looking for exemplary informational mentor texts. When Under the Freedom Tree crossed my desk, I knew I found one I wanted to share with you. It's the story of the first contraband camp during the Civil War. Even though my college minor was American History (with most of my coursework focused on the Revolutionary… Continue reading Interview with Susan VanHecke + a Giveaway
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Biographies with Heart
Using mentor texts and a notebook entry to think about biographical writing
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Valentine’s Day Writing + a Book Giveaway
Valentine's Day is on Friday! Consider doing a read aloud to inspire your students to write poems, comic books, or short stories they can give to a special friend or close family member in lieu of a box of chocolates. Here are five books that will inspire primary, upper elementary, and middle school writers to craft writing that expresses heartfelt emotions.
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Tailoring Our Teaching: Strategy Lessons Support Writers
Strategy lessons allow you to meet with a small group of writers during independent writing time. They're essentially small-group minilessons based on needs you notice several writers exhibiting.
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A Mentor Text You Can Use in Many Ways + a Book Giveaway
The Invisible Boy, a new book that deals with the isolation quiet children can feel, is the kind of book that serves multiple purposes in an elementary school classroom (e.g., interactive read aloud book, teaching demonstration text, mentor text for strategy lessons). Previews of the book and giveaway information come at the bottom of the post.
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Three “just right” texts to investigate the craft of memoir.
I love our writing workshop shift from personal narrative to memoir. It comes at the perfect time of year: our notebooks have filled up with writing lists and entries, our weekly slice of life writing has opened us to new writing possibilities, and we have grown into a writing community ready, willing, and able to… Continue reading Three “just right” texts to investigate the craft of memoir.
