Personal Writing Calendars for Each Student
With a personal writing calendar, each kid can see what is going to happen in the unit of study, and has the power to adjust it.
There Is No Finish Line
Using student work as feedback for our teaching informs us. It empowers us. In a way, it allows young writers to become our teachers…
Three Ways To Increase Instructional Clarity
Teaching is an art, and sometimes tweaks don’t work as we hope or envision. However, I hope that these three ideas do increase the clarity of instruction in ways that help all students learn to be independent confident writers.
Celebrating the Unsung Hero of Writing: The Process
Instead of a typical publishing party, fifth-grade teacher Christina Nosek and her students held a writing process celebration.
When to Pop Out of the Notebook
As much as I LOVE notebooks, even I have to admit there is a time in every writer’s process when it is time to pop out of the notebook and onto a laptop or lined paper.
The Freedom That Comes With Constriction: Flash Fiction
Writing flash fiction can be liberating, exhilarating, and great writing process practice.
An Eraser-Free Workshop and the Language We Use for Talking About It
When I visit a classroom, one of the first things I often say to kids is, “Today, please don’t erase. I want to see ALL the great work you are doing as a writer. When you erase, your work disappears!” Often, this is what kids are accustomed to and they continue working away. But sometimes, kids stare at me as if I’ve got two heads.
Q&A with the Author of “Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?” + a Giveaway
Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell is an expertly crafted biography that can be used to teach students a variety of craft moves during a biography writing unit of study.
Behind the Scenes of I Haiku You + a Giveaway
Betsy Snyder shares a behind-the-scenes process for writing and illustrating I Haiku You, her newest picture book published by Random House. Read through her post and then leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of this book.
Independent Writers
I used to dream of reaching a point in my writing workshop instruction where kids were all working as writers, but they weren’t all doing the exact same thing. This … Continue Reading Independent Writers
Author Visit
Maribeth Boelts gave an engaging and thought-provoking talk to my students and I last week. She talked about so much more than just her books and her process — though … Continue Reading Author Visit
It’s Late…
One of my professional goals this summer is to get ahead on my blog posts. So far I’m failing miserably at this. We’ve been out of internet since 6:17 am. … Continue Reading It’s Late…
Talking Poetry with Lee Bennett Hopkins
I’ve hiked alongside a black bear, who was fishing for salmon in a stream, in Alaska. Maybe it was because I was with a group of people, but the bear … Continue Reading Talking Poetry with Lee Bennett Hopkins
I’ve been studying sentence structure…
I was watching or listening or reading something this week — I don’t remember what — but the message was: You can’t be a writer if you’re not a reader. … Continue Reading I’ve been studying sentence structure…
What are you writing?
Short post since my internet is slow at best, although nonexistent is more accurate. My school was canceled today. I spent a lot of my day writing. I’ve been revising my query … Continue Reading What are you writing?
Word Count
I’ve had a daily word count for awhile. I’m not sure exactly when it started, but I think it was while writing Day by Day. However, it was while becoming … Continue Reading Word Count
Differentiation – Pilates & Writing Series: Part 2 of 5
If you do a Google image search for a “Teaser Pilates,” hundreds of photos will come back to you. Many of the photos are of a person sitting on a … Continue Reading Differentiation – Pilates & Writing Series: Part 2 of 5
Drafting
If you are a regular reader, you know a lot of my thinking lately has been about writing process, and specifically nudging third grade writers into more traditional drafts. Today’s … Continue Reading Drafting
Sometimes It Gets Messy
Sometimes writing workshop gets a little messy. At least it does for me. I think we are trucking along, working our way through a unit of study, learning as writers, … Continue Reading Sometimes It Gets Messy
Planning Idea
I’m super fortunate to be working with a couple of third grade teachers (Hi Sandy & Dan!) who are interested in helping their writers to naturally develop more sophisticated writing … Continue Reading Planning Idea
