A meeting place for a world of reflective writers.
Right now, I want more than Hallie did when she wrote to her sister, Codi in one of my favorite books of all times, Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver. That being said, I will continue down my own hallway, running harder, stretching my arms further. And my hope is that there are more of us who are doing the same.
When the COVID-19 crisis hit, probably like many of us, I sought out voices of hope. For me personally, I knew one of those voices would be Cornelius Minor. I knew him to be the kind of teacher with the capacity to help us all see things in a new way during this unfamiliar period of virtual teaching. Fortunately, I was able to reach him by text. We sat down recently on a Zoom call to discuss his views on teaching remotely, his book, and a way forward.
Have you been a reader of our annual Author Spotlight Series? How have you used these posts to inspire your teaching? Read on to find a collection of the Author Spotlight posts and ideas for using these treasures with your students.
The idea of creating anything at all that motivates children to continue learning and developing themselves as writers has kept me awake over the last few nights. And after a … Continue Reading Some Summer Writing Motivation
Today I share a poetry lesson from one of my favorite resources. This lesson is ready to use in your classroom too!
It’s the end of a memorable Teacher Appreciation Week. In the spirit of appreciation, I’m sharing a few of my favorite things so far during distance learning.
Taking care of yourself is a lot of work. Our school nurse shared a tool with us today that I hope you’ll find helpful.
My beliefs about teaching and learning have grounded the decisions I make, in the classroom and now during this time of remote learning. Come with me on a video tour of how my beliefs are shaping my actions. Share in the comments how your beliefs are influencing the instructional decisions are you are making.
Twenty-five days of student writing are now behind us, and we are closing in on the end of the 2020 Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge. Students have worked hard … Continue Reading Classroom SOLSC: Closing In On the End – Week 5
Is it possible to duplicate the live, in-person experiences? Of course not, but maybe some of you could feel the authenticity of a high-five or hug I’m sending your way.
So let’s think about some ways to bring virtual classrooms to life, maybe thinking of it as duplicating some of the processes of your classroom in a virtual world.
In these days where we are home so much, take your class on a virtual field trip or two and allow them choices of what they will write about! This post includes 6 trips all ready to go with writing menus for each trip. Many thanks to Clare Landrigan and Pernille Ripp who both inspired what I am sharing here with you today.
At the start of April, students around the world began the journey of storytelling, connecting them to each other, teachers, and families in important and meaningful ways. Students are writing during this historic month of April, as we all live history through a global pandemic.
Like many of you, I am learning how to teach my own two kids at home. I’m a little hesitant to say “homeschool” because what I’m doing isn’t really the … Continue Reading Writing With My Kindergartener At Home
By now, you’ve probably made a video lesson, or at least you’ve woken up feeling stressed about the prospects of doing it. You can do it. Here are a few tips.
What a month it was… Thank you to all who participated, filled out forms, and shared their stories. More than any other year, we needed stories. Thank you to the … Continue Reading Slice of Life Story Challenge 2020: Prize Reveal
This is an invitation to write a poem with me today! You might also find this post helpful to you as a teacher and wish to share it with your students.
