Yesterday Lori Hickman and I launched a poetry unit of study in her kindergarten classroom. Since we wanted to see what they already knew about writing poetry, we decided to have them write a poem. This made me a little nervous. What if they just stared at the paper or chaos ensued because they had… Continue reading First Attempt at Poetry
Category: minilesson
The Book Stack
I have three gems for you. I. LOVE. These. Books. Love them. Micah Player previously worked for Paul Frank Industries. His illustrations and story are whimsical made me fall in love on the spot. Check out Chronicle Books website for more information on CHLOE INSTEAD. I'm looking forward to using this text in writing workshop for these… Continue reading The Book Stack
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Opinion Writing in Kindergarten
In one of the kindergarten classrooms I've been working in, we've been learning: Writers share their opinions. This has been a unit of study inspired by the Common Core State Standards, which place a heavy emphasis on opinion writing. What does that look like in kindergarten, I wondered. So I've been trying out a few… Continue reading Opinion Writing in Kindergarten
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Mr. Stowlkey and Mr. Smith
Mr. Stowlkey and Mr. Smith were the teachers in one of the kindergarten writing workshops I was in today. They are incredible teachers. They are both six. (Normally I don't refer to students as Mr. or Miss...but since they were acting as teachers today, they wanted to go with this form of their names. I'll… Continue reading Mr. Stowlkey and Mr. Smith
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Review Mentor Texts
I'm excited to share this with you. It was one of those times when things just worked out in writing workshop. In one of the third grade classes studying reviews, we began talking about using details to support your opinion. I try to avoid the word details as much as possible. I think it's an… Continue reading Review Mentor Texts
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Common Core + Students’ Needs
Much of my time this school year has been devoted to studying Common Core Standards, as well as keeping up with the ever-changing discussion about the PARCC assessment. I've been thinking about the influence these things have on our writing curriculum and the implications for writing workshop. One thing is for certain, Common Core Standards… Continue reading Common Core + Students’ Needs
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Writing Process in Action
A few posts ago I shared my evolving thoughts about the writing process. Last week I was able to put my thinking to the test. In third grade, kids were getting ready to move from notebooks to drafts. It was a little bit of a painful process because I was breaking the news to them… Continue reading Writing Process in Action
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Labor Day
In honor of Labor Day, I'm writing a little post about the kinds of "labor" I expect to see in writing workshop. Early on in the school year, it's important to define student and teacher roles in writing workshop. With the holiday, this may make a perfect minilesson in your workshop this week. The teaching… Continue reading Labor Day
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Today’s Teaching Points
What were your teaching points in today's minilessons? Here were mine: 4th grade feature article (informational writing) unit: Writers use specific words about the subject when writing informational texts. 4th grade fiction unit: Writers can use the setting to help show the mood of the characters. Leave a comment to share your teaching point from… Continue reading Today’s Teaching Points
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Plotting Short Fiction
Last month at MRA, I listened to Jacqueline Woodson speak about her writing process. It wasn't the first time I heard her speak and I hope it won't be my last. She is one of the writers I consider as my personal mentor. Not to be over-dramatic, but listening to her last month changed my… Continue reading Plotting Short Fiction
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So What?!?
I've noticed many of my conferences this week have centered around purpose. I've found myself asking again and again and agian, "So why are you writing this? Why is it important?" Nancie Atwell in her lesson set, Lessons That Change Writers, teaches students to ask: "So what?" when they are writing. I think this sticks with… Continue reading So What?!?
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Dunk ‘Em!
When I first began coaching, Barb Bean and I worked together. Throughout the year, we were intentional about immersing students in the kind of writing they were making. Often this meant genre, but sometimes it was a particular author or craft move. During her poetry unit, Barb brought in a pack of Oreos and some… Continue reading Dunk ‘Em!
