The most important minutes of your writing workshop require zero hassle and no prep–only precious time. The minimal investment is worth its weight in gold. Welcome to the sharing circle with guest teacher Lori VanHoesen: The bridge builder you didn’t know was doing the hardest work all along.
The heart map is a great tool for helping students find personally meaningful topics, but used year after year, it might feel a little stale. Writing territory maps is another option!
Long ago, most teachers I knew had a ritual that they held near and dear to their hearts. At the end of every writing workshop, a child sat in the Author’s Chair and… Continue reading
There are lots of things to keep top-of-mind when you’re leading a writing workshop. Are all students engaged? Are they crafting pieces that hold meaning and value to them? Are kids constantly adding… Continue reading
I love, LOVE, L-O-V-E Ralph Tells A Story (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012), which is a story about a boy, Ralph, who has trepidation about writing. (It’s already become a book I suggest to… Continue reading
We’ve been researching in Keith Bollman’s 5th grade class. Because Keith and I have been working together for years, I know he will let me play a little in writing workshop. I can… Continue reading
My writing group is an important part of my life as a writer. It’s more than just accountability, but feedback and camaraderie and, well, if I’m super honest, fun. When I was a classroom teacher,… Continue reading
This week I conferred with the student (K.) who wrote the above spread. The illustrations prior to this spread were rich with setting details. I was surprised when I turned to these pages… Continue reading
Robert B. Parker. There is no one right way. Each of us finds a way that works for him. But there is a wrong way. The wrong way is to finish your writing… Continue reading
My parents stopped by their classroom to meet my students yesterday. They were supposed to stay for a few minutes. In reality, they stayed for over thirty. There was no plan for their… Continue reading
I’m teaching memoir right now. It falls into our schedule early this year… and I love it! On Friday I had four conferences, two of which my students didn’t follow through with, which… Continue reading
Katherine Bomer said, “Writing celebration is the most important part of the writing process” (TCRWP Key Note Address, 7/8/08). Bomer suggests that this is because every writer writes for the purpose of having… Continue reading
Structures and routines need to be clear in your head so they can be implemented when you start Writing Workshop. You can shift to a new routine or modify one that’s not working… Continue reading
A few years ago I often began asking my students to tell me what I did well as a writer and what I could work on as a writer when I gave them… Continue reading
Deb has a great post that contains some prompts, from Corgill’s Book Of Primary Importance, to help kids when they’re sharing. Click here to read the list of prompts, which I know I’m… Continue reading
Tomorrow is the first “real” day of Writing Workshop in my classroom. My students will be mapping their hearts. Hence, I decided that I will also conduct our first, of many, structured shared… Continue reading
May I just say what a gift it is when we share our writing with others? Today in the BWWT, we opened up an “Author’s Chair.” The readings were amazing. Some gave me… Continue reading
Publishing Party – October 2004, originally uploaded by teachergal. Katherine Bomer spoke about the celebrating the work our young writers do when she delivered the Keynote Address at the TCRWP July Writing Institute.… Continue reading
I just received a mailing from my school over the weekend with our summer professional reading. There’s an excerpt from The Art of Teaching Reading, as well as a copy of Leah Mermelstein‘s… Continue reading
This will be the cover page for the eight slice of life stories I wrote this past week. I’m going to be sharing them with my students so that they, too, can take… Continue reading
