Last Monday I wrote something on a whim...in a blog post...about offering a writing prompt. Your responses have had me thinking all week. Thoughts like this: Can I offer worthy prompts? Can I offer worthy prompts multiple times? What if it isn't worthy to anyone but me? And things like this: Do I believe in prompting… Continue reading Sundays for the Soul: Get Ready
Category: writer’s notebook
GUEST BLOG POST: My (Wanna Be) Writing Life–and How It Changed My Work with Kids
Ruth Metcalfe infuses her classroom with joyful and purposeful teaching. She is passionate about teaching and learning, and loves thinking about how theory looks when put into practice in the classroom—the place where theory and practice meet. In her 20 years as an educator, Ruth has taught first, second, and fourth grades and provided professional… Continue reading GUEST BLOG POST: My (Wanna Be) Writing Life–and How It Changed My Work with Kids
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Start a Notebook (Or Dust Off an Old One)
Summer always gives me a chance to reflect on my practice in a little more relaxed kind of way. For one thing, I'm pretty much caught up with my school work. This doesn't happen between the first day of school and the last. Even over breaks there is work to do. And yes, I have… Continue reading Start a Notebook (Or Dust Off an Old One)
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Bits of This & That
Remember this letter that Allie sent to Eve Bunting last fall along with The Ghostly Scary Mystery she wrote dedicated to Eve Bunting? Allie got a response! Yes, there was a form letter, but she also received a personal note from Eve. Wanna see the response? Click here. While getting to know characters, one fourth grader… Continue reading Bits of This & That
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Noticing the World
Last week, when the sun finally made an appearance on Friday afternoon, Christi and I ventured outside with her second graders and their notebooks. In the minilesson we talked about learning to write in new places. After all, I said to the class, summer break is coming and you'll want to find a place around… Continue reading Noticing the World
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Don’t Fall Apart Now!
This-coming weeks marks the time of the year that I recall a few of my former students falling apart. Why? Thanksgiving, which marks the beginning of the holiday season, falls out in the last week of November. When I was in the classroom I quickly came to learn that any child who had a home… Continue reading Don’t Fall Apart Now!
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Answers to a Variety of Workshop-Related Questions
When Ruth and I present, we always leave time for teachers to turn and talk. Our Monday morning session at KSRA was much smaller than our Sunday afternoon session, which meant we could walk around and listen-in to the teachers who were talking with each other. A variety of workshop-related questions were asked of me… Continue reading Answers to a Variety of Workshop-Related Questions
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Highlights from the Week
I have been in a lot of different writing workshops lately. Just this week I've been in 13 writing workshops and have met with 13 different teachers in either reflective practice meetings or planning meetings. Therefore, I have SO MUCH I want to record. Which leads me to my current dilemma: what do I not… Continue reading Highlights from the Week
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Bullying and the Writer’s Notebook
Pamela Paul wrote an article, "The Playground Gets Even Tougher," which appeared in the Sunday Styles section of today's New York Times. The article discusses mean-girl bullying, which has been seen as early as Kindergarten. This article is a must-read for anyone who has or teaches elementary school age girls. The article reminded me of… Continue reading Bullying and the Writer’s Notebook
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One Time Stories
Do you know the old saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" I'm experiencing it first hand. My oldest daughter, Hannah, was given a writer's notebook by her third grade teacher. She is in love. Serious love. Last Friday she asked her teacher if she could bring her notebook home over the weekend… Continue reading One Time Stories
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Quotations for Notebooks
I like collecting quotes, especially quotes about writing. If you like inspirational quotes, then here are a few about writing. Some of these would be perfect to paste onto the inside front cover of your students' writer's notebooks if you're planning to purchase notebooks or hand out school-issued writer's notebooks to them. "Stories are the… Continue reading Quotations for Notebooks
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A New Notebook for the New School Year
Some teachers buy them for their students. Some teachers have parents purchase their own. Some teachers have school-issued marble composition books. Regardless of where students' writer's notebooks come from, there should be some fanfare for utilizing them for the first time during a given school year. I wrapped up my students' notebooks, during my last… Continue reading A New Notebook for the New School Year
