I purchased the original Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3 - 5 when they were published in 2006. In the early days, those books were like a Bible to me. I used them to help me plan the scope and sequence of many of the units of study I taught. When I moved… Continue reading New Units of Study
Category: tcrwp
Learning the Language of Lawyers: Writing Compelling Arguments
We are thrilled and honored to be guest blogging here this week. We are both huge fans of the blog, the Two Writing Teachers community and of Ruth and Stacey’s work. Having recently watched the Grammys, it feels a bit like we are hanging with Beyoncé and Jay-Z for a night! Many of us are… Continue reading Learning the Language of Lawyers: Writing Compelling Arguments
Share this:
Share this:
The Art and Science of Chart Making + A Giveaway
I started thinking deeply about the significance of classroom charts once I spent a week with Kristi Mraz who led a section, “Toolkits, Charts and other Resources That Support Writers in Revision and Writerly Craft,” at the writing institute back in 2011. Kristi, along with her TCRWP colleague Marjorie Martinelli, started a blog in 2011… Continue reading The Art and Science of Chart Making + A Giveaway
Share this:
Share this:
Digital Text Bins
I learned about digital text bins when I took Maggie Beattie Roberts’s session “Tap the Power of Technology and Media to Teach Higher Level Comprehension” at this past summer’s Reading Institute. Now that the leaves are changing color, it means that it’s time to start thinking about nonfiction reading in many classrooms. (Yes, I know… Continue reading Digital Text Bins
Share this:
Share this:
A Few Things from the Reading Institute
Spending a week at the TCRWP's Reading Institute is good for my soul. I always learn so much when I attend an institute. It's going to take time for me to sort through my notes (Yes, I still take notes with a notebook and a pen!) so I can share them with you in a… Continue reading A Few Things from the Reading Institute
Share this:
Share this:
Reading Institute
I will be attending the Teachers College Summer Reading Institute this week. While this will be my ninth summer institute, it's only going to be my third time attending their Reading Institute. Since I'm a NY State certified literacy specialist, which encompasses reading and writing, I decided it was time to pay more attention to… Continue reading Reading Institute
Share this:
Share this:
Blogs & Microblogs in the Classroom
"The act of telling your story and sharing part of your life with somebody is alive and well—even more so than at the dawn of blogging.” --Lee Rainie, director of the Internet and American Life Project This is my final post about the Saturday Reunion I attended back in March at TC. I'm slightly ashamed… Continue reading Blogs & Microblogs in the Classroom
Share this:
Share this:
What do you think of this minilesson?
I've been working on a few sample minilessons to give my grad students next month when I start teaching "Children's Literature in Teaching Writing." I've been making tweaks to the traditional minilesson structure I've used in the past based on Lucy Calkins's session, "In the Complicated World of Today, What's Changed and What's Stayed the… Continue reading What do you think of this minilesson?
Share this:
Share this:
Mini-Lectures
I’ve been meaning to share my notes from “Methods That Matter: Using Mini-Lectures, Interactive Video Alouds, and Centers to Raise the Level of Engagement in Social Studies” ever since I attended the TCRWP’s Saturday Reunion in March. Life got in the way of me putting them together in a meaningful way (i.e., so you wouldn’t… Continue reading Mini-Lectures
Share this:
Share this:
Saturday Reunion
I was on the phone with my friend Christina the other day. I told her I was coming to New York later this month for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Saturday Reunion. She hasn't attended one of the summer institutes before so she was unfamiliar with who was reuniting. While I think it… Continue reading Saturday Reunion
Share this:
Share this:
Interactive Charts
Taking Kristi Mraz's chart-making course at the July Writing Institute was so helpful to me. Kristi really got me thinking about having a take away item (made with a post-it note) that you can hand to kids if they need a reminder to do something. In addition, she encouraged the use of illustrations on charts. … Continue reading Interactive Charts
Share this:
Share this:
Say, Sketch, and Write
One of the many charts I made, with the help of some wonderful Kindergarten teachers, while I was taking Kristi Mraz's chart-making class at the July Writing Institute was a scaffold to get Kindergarten students ready to write an all-about book. Betsy Engel, who will be teaching Kindergarten in Manhattan this-coming school year, shared a… Continue reading Say, Sketch, and Write
