Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion, by Mo Willems, was released last week. This book is the final part of the Knuffle Bunny Trilogy. Initially I felt sad when I learned Knuffle Bunny Free would be the final installment of the "series." After all, I had such joy reading aloud from the first two books… Continue reading Winding Down the Knuffle Bunny Trilogy
Category: mentor texts
Polacco’s Newest Book
Patricia Polacco's newest book, The Junkyard Wonders, can be used during the first month of the school year when you're teaching students about the climate of respect (for differences) you expect*. This exquisite picture book, based on a real-life event from Polacco's life, is an excellent companion to Thank You Mr. Falker, a book I… Continue reading Polacco’s Newest Book
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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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Words that are Speaking to Me
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you. --- Maya Angelou Remember awhile back when I shared about my YA reading life? I promised to share the way I'm closely rereading and studying a few of the books. One of the titles is Kristina McBride's (she's blogger!) The Tension of Opposites… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Interrupting Chicken Blog Tour
David Ezra Stein wrote Leaves, which was one of my favorite picture books in 2008. Therefore, I was excited to read his newest picture book, The Interrupting Chicken, which was released this week. Stein was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about The Interrupting Chicken, as well as a few other things… Continue reading Interrupting Chicken Blog Tour
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Things I’ve Learned from Summer Reading
Two months ago, on the first Monday of my summer holiday, I blogged a post titled, "Summer Reading." Today is my last Monday of summer vacation, so it seems fitting to reflect on my summer reading. Although it'll take more than a single post to capture my reflections, so today is a simple list about… Continue reading Things I’ve Learned from Summer Reading
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An Interview with the Author of The Cupcake Queen
Heather Hepler, author of The Cupcake Queen, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about her new young adult novel, which I enjoyed reading not only for its storyline, but for the incredible writing craft it contains. This is the kind of book that should be placed in students' (ages 10-15) hands… Continue reading An Interview with the Author of The Cupcake Queen
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Comprehensive Character Description
In order to create the world of a story for a reader, it's necessary to engage in character development. Writers must make characters come alive in their minds if they're going to create a movie in their readers minds. However, for many students, developing realistic characters becomes challenging. Many students have trouble weaving meaningful character… Continue reading Comprehensive Character Description
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Journey Around a Topic
Earlier this month, The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice, which is written by Wendy Pfeffer and illustrated by Linda Bleck, was released by Dutton Children's Books. The Longest Day is non-fiction, but it reads like fiction since Pfeffer paints vivid in the reader's mind with the language she purposefully selects. The vivid language she… Continue reading Journey Around a Topic
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Inspiration for an Independent Writing Project
With the school year wrapping up, I'm assuming that many of you are starting your final units of study. I'm sure many of you are doing an independent writing project unit so as to get your students ready to go off and write independently this summer. When I received a review copy of Todd H.… Continue reading Inspiration for an Independent Writing Project
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Read as a Writer Any Time You’re Faced with a New Writing Challenge
May 1st, 2010 has come and gone, which means Ruth and I submitted our manuscript to our editor at Stenhouse! The book now has an official title. It's going to be called Day by Day: Refining Writing Workshop Through 180 Days of Reflective Practice. It will be available this October. The weeks leading up to… Continue reading Read as a Writer Any Time You’re Faced with a New Writing Challenge
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An Exquisite Touchstone Text for Memoir
I've long enjoyed reading aloud from What You Know First and When the Relatives Came when teaching memoir. I now have another text, Grandma's Scrapbook written by Josephine Nobisso and illustrated by Maureen Hyde, that has been added to my list of favorite memoir touchstone texts. While Nobisso's book is not new (It was published… Continue reading An Exquisite Touchstone Text for Memoir
