A place to make meaning of ourselves and the world around us, writing is a powerful tool for self-discovery. However, when idea-collection tools and drafts are stored in folders, we miss a valuable opportunity to make the diverse lives and experiences of our communities visible. Instead, we can rely on classroom as a tool for making children, their identities, and experiences seen.
I want to see others first and I want to see everyone for who they are and how they want to be seen.
We hope you enjoyed our February Blog Series!
Today I continue our conversation with mentor texts when teaching writing through a social justice lens. Empathy is the first step toward building understandings beyond ourselves. It takes imagination and compassion.
As we think about our implicit biases, maybe the most important thing is that we increase our awareness and act from a place of humility and reflection– with a willingness to take a look at parts of our belief systems and behaviors that are uncomfortable, at best. When we know better, we do better. And isn’t that the goal?
Throughout our posts this week, you may read the refrain, “When we know better, we do better.” We are on the continuum of growing our own understandings and practices around the importance of social justice, cultural awareness, empathy, and inclusion. We hope you join the conversation. Please comment. Please share your own experiences and resources. Please begin conversations within your own environments and practices.
Camila, a kindergartner, returned to her fictional book about a dinosaur and butterfly day after day, adding a bit more detail to each picture, stretching through more sounds in each word. The kind… Continue reading
Disclaimer: you’re not going to find the miracle cure for getting students to use conventions in their writing within this post. I don’t have one. And I’ve read a lot, researched a lot, and tried a lot of things. That being said, you may come across some ideas that apply not only to conventions, but also to the writing process as a whole, and maybe even to life. (That might be a stretch…but maybe—)
So here we are in January! The year is flying by, but don’t fret, it’s not too late to relish new possibilities and embark on a something that’s been nagging you!
This year, the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge is making a move from March to April! Read to find out more about the challenge and how you can take part!
My students have been getting sparked by a character to develop believable stories in their realistic fiction unit.
March is coming at us! Maybe more quickly than we realize… Among other things, March brings the Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC)! At Two Writing Teachers, we hope you are planning to participate… Continue reading
Will you consider being part of the March SOLSC Welcome Wagon?
The cornerstone of writing workshop is that students get to choose their own topics rather than be assigned a topic by the teacher.
The three seeds I offer can be done without planning, and promise to inspire the writers in your room. So, no matter how busy we get, we can be sure we are doing great things for the writers in our classrooms!
Fast forward, ten months and today I offer you another powerful tool for today’s multimedia writer.
In the opening pages of Maja Wilson’s book, REIMAGINING WRITING ASSESSMENT, Thomas Newkirk gets the ball rolling with this statement, “Rubrics regularly fail to offer help to a writer because they focus on what writing has (features) not what writing does (effect).” Today I’m sharing my reflections as well as offering a giveaway to one lucky reader.
How do you when you are a writer? I’ve been following my daughter’s journey and watching her grow in her belief she is a writer. I’m a believer, too.
What areas of independence do you wish writers took on more freely in your workshop?
“Show don’t tell,” we say over and over to students but–it’s harder than it sounds, though, maybe for multiple reasons.
