summer vacation · tcrwp · vacation · writing workshop

Summer Institutes Here We Come!

Whether it's an institute put on by your own district, or an expert is coming to town, or if you'll be traveling many miles to take part, I hope that you are as excited about attending your institutes as I am about teaching them.

balanced literacy · classroom · independent writing · lesson plans · lucy calkins · minilesson · organization · professional development · tcrwp · units of study · writing workshop

How To Read A Unit of Study

As the school year comes to a close, many of the schools I work with are launching into a week or so of in-service, summer institutes, and other professional development. It's "curriculum season" in many places around the country. For many writing teachers, that means diving into the Units of Study for Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing by Lucy… Continue reading How To Read A Unit of Study

authors · charts · classroom · Kristi Mraz · Marjorie Martinelli · strategy charts · tcrwp · writing workshop

Happy Charting: ‘Smarter Charts’ Authors Marjorie Martinelli and Kristi Mraz Share Some Tips for Your Classroom

It's always a joy to learn with Majorie Martinelli and Kristi Mraz. In this interview, they share some excellent advice on using charts to support independence in the classroom.

independent writing · prompts · tcrwp

Inspiring Independent Writing in a Jam-Packed Curriculum

Kristen Robbins Warren honors her middle school students' independent writing lives by incorporating three literary rhythms (Monday Morning's Muse, Wednesday's Writing Window, and Friday Favorites) into the school week.

minilesson · tcrwp

Using Illustrations to Trigger Memories

I met a fantastic educator, Susie Barcus, from Fort Worth, TX when I attended the August Writing Institute at TCRWP.  We worked together in a small group where we shared some of our favorite "early in the school year" minilessons.  She shared a minilesson with the following teaching point: Writers use illustrations to trigger memories and… Continue reading Using Illustrations to Trigger Memories

professional development · tcrwp · technology · writing

Sharing Some Thinking from the Writing Institute

I've been wanting to try out Storify for awhile, but haven't head a reason to use it.  Until now.  I decided to put together Storify some of my tweets and pictures from last week's TCRWP Writing Institute.  I hope it gives you a glimpse into some of the things I learned from my section leaders,… Continue reading Sharing Some Thinking from the Writing Institute

tcrwp

Tuesday Tidbits

Day one at the TCRWP Writing Institute was fantastic! Here are a few important take-aways I gleaned from yesterday's keynote and sessions. The TCRWP feels the same pressures all of us feel about getting kids to achieve as writers. Even though the CCSS places a greater emphasis on informational writing, the TCRWP still believes in… Continue reading Tuesday Tidbits