An End of the Year Writing Check
At the end of the school year, we are often faced with pages and pages of student writing. Most of it may have gone home already, but now is a great time to… Continue reading
Category Archive: writing process
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Writing Fiction? Author Megan Jean Sovern Provides a Host of Inspiration
Today’s interview holds a host of insights into the way in which Megan Jean Sovern, author of The Meaning of Maggie, develops characters, brings themes to the fore, and plans plot trajectory. Suffice it to say, I came away more than a little inspired.
What’s Your Process?
Listen to a group of 6th graders discuss their writing process.
Writing Unapologetically
One of the lines from the Voices Strong class mantra, taught by Christy Rush-Levine is Write Unapologetically. I love these two words side-by-side standing for genuine marks on the page. Today, I planned… Continue reading
Best First Draft
When students move from their notebook to draft, I encourage them to write their best first draft. (Click here to see other posts I’ve written about best first drafts.) Something that I’m always… Continue reading
An Interview with Maribeth Boelts + a Giveaway of Happy Like Soccer
Maribeth Boelts will be the visiting author for the graduate course I’m teaching about children’s literature and the teaching of writing this summer. I’m SO EXCITED to meet her in person since I’ve… Continue reading
Mr. Stowlkey and Mr. Smith
Mr. Stowlkey and Mr. Smith were the teachers in one of the kindergarten writing workshops I was in today. They are incredible teachers. They are both six. (Normally I don’t refer to students… Continue reading
I’ve been studying sentence structure…
I was watching or listening or reading something this week — I don’t remember what — but the message was: You can’t be a writer if you’re not a reader. True. (And probably… Continue reading
Word Count
I’ve had a daily word count for awhile. I’m not sure exactly when it started, but I think it was while writing Day by Day. However, it was while becoming serious about writing… Continue reading
Drafting
If you are a regular reader, you know a lot of my thinking lately has been about writing process, and specifically nudging third grade writers into more traditional drafts. Today’s post is a… Continue reading
Writing Process in Action
A few posts ago I shared my evolving thoughts about the writing process. Last week I was able to put my thinking to the test. In third grade, kids were getting ready to… Continue reading
Sometimes It Gets Messy
Sometimes writing workshop gets a little messy. At least it does for me. I think we are trucking along, working our way through a unit of study, learning as writers, preparing for a… Continue reading
Taking Time to Reflect Leads to More Accurate Teaching Decisions
Today I found myself understanding the writing process more deeply. Primary writers work through the writing process by layering each phase on a single copy of their writing. They plan a story across… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
Draft More Than You Publish
You know how athletes practice more than they play in games? The same is true for writers, especially our student writers. They must write more than they publish. When I first started following… Continue reading
(Writing) Center Time for Older Students
Whenever I used to hear the words “Center Time” I immediately thought about early childhood classrooms. However, that notion changed in 2008 when I created a Poetry Station for my fourth graders. The… Continue reading
Reflection after Returning the Manuscript
According to Merriam-Webster Online: Main Entry: copy editor Function: noun Date: 1899 1 : an editor who prepares copy for the typesetter According to me: Main Entry: copy editor Function: to prevent me from being… Continue reading
The Final Unit of Study
My students are embarking on their final unit of study of the school year. We’re doing research-based essays, which I’m attempting to tie-into the “This I Believe” Style. I have my teaching points… Continue reading
From the Notebook to a Final Copy
Yesterday, Katie left the following comment: Stacey is there a post or can you post your process for students’ writing. What I mean is where do they draft, what do you collect and… Continue reading