What’s in a Strategy?
Do your writers know how strategies can help them reach their destination? Better yet, do they know where they are going?
Category Archive: strategies
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Memory Chains: A Strategy for Writer’s Notebooks
Here’s a fun strategy you can try to generate writing in your notebook this summer. Come back-to-school time, you can teach your students how to use this strategy if they get stuck.
What Are They Looking At? Tackling Slow Starters
Helping students take back their writing time when they are a slow starter.
Showing Not Telling: Demonstrations Matter
We’ve all likely taught ‘show, don’t tell’ lessons in our narrative units. But showing not telling can have instructional meaning, as well…
The Writing Strategies Book + Giveaway!
Ever wish you could have all the best strategies from your favorite writing teachers in one place? Atwell, Fletcher, Ray, Calkins, Heard and more are among the many hat tips in Jen Serravallo’s newest publication, THE WRITING STRATEGIES BOOK. Come take a look at how Jen expertly weaves her own expertise and ideas along with tried and true favorites from the best of the best.
The Reading Strategies Book
Have plans mid-June? Cancel them and prepare to run to your nearest bookstore. The Reading Strategies Book by Jen Serravallo is a must and is intended for grades K-8!
Structure + Choice
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately: How do we provide both structure and choice in writing workshop? Both are essential to empowering young writers. Structure is necessary to lift the level of… Continue reading
Supporting ELL Students in Writing Workshop
One of the best closing sessions I attended at the Writing Institute was given by Amanda Hartman. “Scaffolds and Supports We Can Put in Place to Support Our ELLs (K-2)” was a 45-minute… Continue reading
Follow the Dialogue
Tomorrow morning in Reading Workshop, I’ll be teaching a lesson with the following teaching point: Readers keep track of who is speaking in a text, regardless of whether or not there are dialogue… Continue reading
Back to Basics: Strategy Charts (Part of TWT’s Big Picture Series)
Memoir: Early Strategy Chart Originally uploaded by teachergal I tend to have a lot of mini-charts for my students’ notebooks rather than hanging large ones around the room (these days). However, I thought… Continue reading
Getting Back to Basics: Structures & Routines (Part of TWT’s Big Pictures Series)
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
Sundays are for chart-making.
Prompts for Writing About Reading Originally uploaded by teachergal I’ve been cranking-out charts for the past hour or so: News & Announcements Charts, as well as strategy charts. Just thought I’d post a… Continue reading
Stacey’s Memoir Monday Post
Looking at Your Place – Grandpa’s 80th Birthday0001 Originally uploaded by teachergal I’m teaching George Ella Lyon’s “Looking at Your Place” Lesson later today. Therefore, I thought it would be nice for me… Continue reading
Empty Bulletin Boards
I took all of my strategy charts off of the walls last week. I realized that they were more like posters than instructional aids if I kept them up since they weren’t created… Continue reading
Sharing a Notebook Lesson
Aimee Buckner’s Book, Notebook Know-How, is an excellent resource for providing kids with strategies for generating notebook writing. Since many folks who took our poll asserted that they wanted more info on units… Continue reading
Pin-Drop Quiet in W.W.
My room was pin-drop quiet during Writing Workshop today. Why? I did that great Katherine Bomer Activity I blogged about earlier this week entitled “Inside Me/Outside Me.” The kids not only pushed themselves,… Continue reading
I’m finally using it today!
I’m finally using that notebook. You know, the one with all of the recopied entries, today in my WW Demo. (Here’s an image of the entry.) However, since 2005 I’ve added a few… Continue reading
Look what I found
When I came back for a visit the other day, Christina had a bunch of things I had inadvertently left behind in the classroom waiting for me. One of those items was this… Continue reading
Sketching the exterior of your school
My students finished the NECAP Reading Test today. The sun also came out too. (I was on the verge of building an arc since there had been a lot of gray skies this… Continue reading
Strategy: Write Using A Photo
Whenever I want my students to bring in a photograph to help them write, I usually say NO PORTRAITS since there are rarely good stories that come from them. Hence, I put together… Continue reading