As an observant Jew, I will observe Yom Kippur, which begins today at sundown. The Days of Awe, which is a ten day period that begins with Rosh Hashanah and ends with Yom Kippur, is a time for introspection, where Jews think about the year that has passed, make amends for sins they’ve committed, and… Continue reading An Edge of the Seat Mentor Text + a Book Giveaway
Category: mentor texts
Facebook Event – Day 4
Our Stenhouse Facebook Event continues today. Today's downloadable, printable writing tip is entitled "Organizing Teacher-Written Mentor Texts." This tip will help you create a system, using hard copies or electronic files, for organizing YOUR writing that you share with students. You can find this tip on our Facebook Page. Here's what you need to do… Continue reading Facebook Event – Day 4
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Fear as Inspiration {Discover. Play. Build.}
One of the basics I've stumbled across while writing fiction is to know what your characters' fears are. Often tension is built around fear, making stories weave around and get to the heart of the matter. Considering our own fears, as well as ways we have overcome past fears, also make worthy writer's notebooks topics.… Continue reading Fear as Inspiration {Discover. Play. Build.}
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An Interview with Meg Medina + a Giveaway
Every now and then I receive a review copy of a book that wows me. When Tía Isa Wants a Car arrived at my doorstep from Candlewick Press a few weeks ago, I cracked it open and was smitten with the book by the end of the first page. As I turned the pages, I… Continue reading An Interview with Meg Medina + a Giveaway
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Noticing the World
Last week, when the sun finally made an appearance on Friday afternoon, Christi and I ventured outside with her second graders and their notebooks. In the minilesson we talked about learning to write in new places. After all, I said to the class, summer break is coming and you'll want to find a place around… Continue reading Noticing the World
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Making Characters Come Alive
I liked this book. A lot. It's sweet and charming, and makes me realize that maybe there's a part of me that's a hopeless romantic. After I read it, I had to track down the author and was pleased to find her website, blog, and Twitter feed. The thing that stuck with me the most… Continue reading Making Characters Come Alive
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Train Books I Love (And Kids Do Too)
Do you know this book? My son loves it. Like serious love. So I brought it into a second grade workshop and they loved it too. In fact, this week Duck vs. Gum and Penguin vs. Airplane have emerged in the classroom. There are a million teaching points in this book, but one we highlighted… Continue reading Train Books I Love (And Kids Do Too)
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Mentor Text: Spork
Spork is a book about coming to terms with being yourself. I loved it the first time I read it. My kids loved it so much that I've read it enough times to not love it any more, but I still do. Since it's one of those books for me, I looked at it with… Continue reading Mentor Text: Spork
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Mentor Text Thursday: Voice
My husband picked up Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (Delacorte Press, 2010, Books for Young Readers is an imprint of the Random House Children's Books Division of Random House) and read it the same day it arrived at our house. This is unusual. He is not a fiction reader. He is really not… Continue reading Mentor Text Thursday: Voice
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Mentor Text Thursday: Find a Personal Mentor
Here's how some of the conversation went: Student: I'm writing a legend. Me: Wow, so what exactly is a legend? Her: Shrug. Me: Wait. Her: I guess it's like an explanation of something that happened, but the story doesn't have to be true. Me: Have you read many? Her: Yeah, some. Me: So what I'm… Continue reading Mentor Text Thursday: Find a Personal Mentor
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President Obama’s Book + the Final Giveaway of 2010
Last month President Barack Obama published a picture book, of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, which is illustrated exquisitely by Loren Long. I received a review copy of it while I was at NCTE. Since my husband was with me, I shared the book with him. We were both impressed by the… Continue reading President Obama’s Book + the Final Giveaway of 2010
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Baseball & Two December Holidays
Family. Friendship. Generosity. The great American pastime. Interracial and interfaith friendships. All of these topics are woven together artfully by Sharon Robinson in a new book, Jackie's Gift. This is a true story about Sharon Robinson's father, the great baseball player Jackie Robinson, and her family's first Christmas in Brooklyn, NY. The Satlows are a… Continue reading Baseball & Two December Holidays
