Next Week: Agh!!!!!!!!!!! Originally uploaded by teachergal Farjeon wrote a poem called "There Isn't Time," which has always resonated with me since I try to multi-task all of the time -- sometimes successfully and sometimes I just don't get everything done. At the end of every school year, because I've got this demented idea that… Continue reading There Isn’t Time… The Gates Are Closing… Teaching ’til the End…
Category: reflections
The Queen of Forms Page Led Me to Create This!
elementary school version of the end of the year reflection tool that ruth created Originally uploaded by teachergal I went to Ruth's Queen of Forms Page, as per her earlier post today, to take a look at the Year-End Writing Evaluation that she has for middle school students. I adapted it to my elementary school… Continue reading The Queen of Forms Page Led Me to Create This!
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“Responding to Poetry” – Form Evolution
Kate and I have been going back-and-forth with "the best" format we can use for getting our kids to start responding to poetry. After something didn't work as well with my fourth graders (as it did with my fifth graders), we worked together to recreate the fifth grade sheet I had so that it would… Continue reading “Responding to Poetry” – Form Evolution
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Writing Workshop Teacher – Reflection
A few days ago Ruth blogged about "end of the year reflections," where she posted a link to her wiki where one could download an end of the year teaching reflection about Writing Workshop. Still wound-up from my day in Boston, and needing to get focused back on preparing for the week ahead, I decided… Continue reading Writing Workshop Teacher – Reflection
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end of year reflections.
Here in Indiana, we are wrapping up our school year. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, in ten more happy-wake-ups, school will be out for the summer! Don't the weeks leading up to the end of a school year hold such a grab bag of emotions? At any given point in the day, we can feel… Continue reading end of year reflections.
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Writing About Reading: It’s Time to Kick It Up A Notch (or two)
Jacquie McTaggart published an article in Reading Today's April/May 2008 Issue entitled "Appeal to Students' Pride with Online Book Reviews." This was a timely article for me since I just put together the May newsletter for my students' parents stating that I'd like to see my students doing more reading responses (i.e., each and every… Continue reading Writing About Reading: It’s Time to Kick It Up A Notch (or two)
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reflective practice.
A few months ago I attended a two day workshop with Debbie Miller. It was phenomenal. The thing I was struck by the most, however, was her commitment to reflective practice. Everyday after school, she paused to consider how the day went. She considered her lessons and conferences and reactions to students. She considered the… Continue reading reflective practice.
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confidence.
I had an interesting phone call yesterday afternoon. Upon answering the phone, the voice on the other end identified herself and went on to tell me, "I'm not sure why I feel the need to call you, but I think you can help me. I've lost all confidence in myself as a teacher. I was… Continue reading confidence.
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relax.
I'm not sure what the weather has been like in your corner of the world, but here in the Midwest, it has been bizarre! (Which may be a bit of an understatement!) Last Friday schools were cancelled because of snow. Yesterday they were delayed because of ice. And today they were delayed due to fog… Continue reading relax.
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share your stories.
Sometimes I feel that as teachers we are so focused on preparing kids for the next level that we forget what writing can do for them right now. And even more often, we forget what a gift we are giving them by instilling the habit of writing everyday. This weekend my husband's 88 year old grandparents… Continue reading share your stories.
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Self-Assessing Their Notebooks
Inspired by Davis and Hill's Book The No-Nonsense Guide to Teaching Writing: Strategies, Structures, and Solutions, which is published by Heinemann, I began giving my students weekend writing assessments last year. One of the girls in my class suggested that I change-up the Weekend Writer's Notebook Assessment Form (which I had already modified from Davis… Continue reading Self-Assessing Their Notebooks
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WN ENTRY: Remembering
I've been celebrating a lot lately... My wedding, My students' amazing achievements, and as of 5:40 this morning, my snow day. However, amid my joy, Ruth has been going through a more painful time, experiencing the loss of several loved ones over the holidays. She blogged about the tragic loss of her cousins' young children… Continue reading WN ENTRY: Remembering
