I was recently offered a position as an adjunct professor starting in 2012. I will be teaching a graduate course about using children's literature to teach writing. As I prepare to teach this course, one of the things I have to think about are the professional texts I will require my students to read, as… Continue reading New Thinking About Mentor Texts + a Giveaway
Category: professional books
Blog Tour
Ruth and I were thrilled that four blogs decided to host stops on our blog tour last week. A big thank you to the following bloggers who read our book and posed thoughtful questions: Franki Sibberson of A Year of Reading Julie Johnson of Raising Readers and Writers Karren Colbert of The Write Brained Teacher… Continue reading Blog Tour
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An Inspirational Professional Text + A Giveaway
When I was a classroom teacher I had my fair share of challenging students. Through the years I taught had quite a few students with social-emotional issues, learning disabilities, and discipline problems. I've had students hide underneath desks, crawl on the floor of the classroom, and who've screamed at classmates when things haven't gone their… Continue reading An Inspirational Professional Text + A Giveaway
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Katherine Bomer Speaks About Her Newest Book
I have admired Katherine Bomer's work for a long time. Her books are exquisite. Her love of children shines through when she speaks in front of a small group or delivers a keynote address to a huge audience. Her warmth is genuine from the moment you meet her. Hidden Gems: Naming and Teaching from the… Continue reading Katherine Bomer Speaks About Her Newest Book
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Book in Progress
A few people have left us comments asking about the writing process for our forthcoming book, Day By Day: Refining Writing Workshop Through 180 Days of Reflective Practice, since we announced that we were writing one last summer. These folks have queried us about everything from how we went about writing the proposal for our… Continue reading Book in Progress
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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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A New Source for Finding Mentor Texts
I’m not recommending a children’s book you can use in your classroom today. Instead, I have something better. It’s a professional book about children’s books that every writing teacher needs to have improve their use of teaching with mentor texts needs to have. Earlier this year Susan Ehmann and Kellyann Gayer published I can write… Continue reading A New Source for Finding Mentor Texts
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Do You Ever Wonder If Kids Have Time to Wonder Anymore?
This past summer Pam Munoz Ryan, author of two of my favorite read aloud books (i.e., Becoming Naomi Leon and Esperanza Rising) spoke at the TCRWP Writing Institute. Her speech, "Reading to Write, and Writing to Read" took the audience on a journey of what she called "an unchoreographed childhood," which was the result of… Continue reading Do You Ever Wonder If Kids Have Time to Wonder Anymore?
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Would you like to be a better writer?
Ruth and I have completed about 25% our manuscript. We’re in the midst of working on the section of Writing 180 that deals with conferring. Even though we’re in the thick of writing, we’re both constantly trying to make our writing better by reading books about writing. I’m unsure of which professional book Ruth’s reading… Continue reading Would you like to be a better writer?
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Professional Book: Crafting Writers K – 6 by Elizabeth Hale
As I settled in my chair with a highlighter, pen, and sticky notes, I cracked open Crafting Writers K - 6 by Elizabeth Hale. I started reading and was soon totally immersed in the book and the work Elizabeth was describing. In her introduction she writes, As students need less instruction on how to write… Continue reading Professional Book: Crafting Writers K – 6 by Elizabeth Hale
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Professional Talk: Shared Writing 2.0
I recently received a review copy of Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom, which is edited by Anne Herrington, Kevin Hodgson, and Charles Moran. The text is comprised of short texts by a variety of teacher-authors who have mastered the art of using technology in their writing classrooms. The… Continue reading Professional Talk: Shared Writing 2.0
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Greater Expectations
Greater Expectations by Robin Turner is an excellent resource for secondary Writing Workshop teachers. As a high school teacher, he shares real life experiences, authentic teaching points, superb advice, and high quality rubrics and units. The subtitle of the book is Teaching Academic Literacy to Underrepresented Students. He offers practical, wise advice for preparing this… Continue reading Greater Expectations
