Earlier this week my schedule was changed, so I used the unexpected time in the high school classroom I've been in the last several months.  We are in the middle of major research projects, with the end result to be a video.  After the initial surprise of seeing me, the teacher's and my conversation unfolded and I asked about… Continue reading Minilesson Power!

What do these people all have in common? Carl Anderson Max Brand Aimee Buckner Dan Feilgeson Candace Fleming Kelly Gallagher Lester Laminack Stephanie Parsons Gary Schmidt Frank Serafini Jacqueline Woodson Besides being leaders in the field, they are all going to be speaking at the All-Write Summer Institute on June 22 - 23 in Northern… Continue reading All-Write Summer Institute.

A few minutes before 7:00 am and I hear the pitter-patter of feet making their way down the stairs.  I look up and see two giant smiles, "Good morning, Mom," they say in unison. "Good morning!" I respond as they run to hug me, "You guys are up early." The five year old begins pleading… Continue reading Ruth’s SOLS: Saturday Morning

Both of my daughters are in school.  One attends a Christian preschool and the other attends public school.  Being on the "other side" of the school gig has opened my eyes to many, many things that I would have never been able to predict.  However, the number one thing I've realized is how essential communication is.… Continue reading communicate!

So you know those cheapie photo albums -- the plastic ones that sell for a buck?  I think they are perfect for publishing writing.  There's about 32 pages in one & 4 x 6 index cards would fit into each sleeve.  This makes it handy for kids to write their words on a page +… Continue reading Create a Poetry Collection.

The last one!  🙂  Today's challenge is to mentor yourself after a favorite poem.  It could be one of the poems people have shared in our challenge or it could be your self-portrait poem or it could be anything else.  When you share your poem, please identify your mentor poem + what you emulated from… Continue reading Poem a Day 8.

Today's challenge is to think COLOR.  Write a poem inspired by color.  It could be your favorite color, a happy color, or a color that represents your day (hey . . . that would be including symbolism too!).   Happy Writing.

I used the same topic for my slice as I did my PAD.  (Hey, Ruth, where are your PADs?  I've collected them and put them together to share on the last day of the challenge as inspiration to others to "publish" their PADs.)  So my slice . . . Tonight, after finally coming downstairs from… Continue reading Ruth’s Slice of Life: Walking.

The challenge today lies in creating an acrostic poem which is meaningful.  As opposed to using a single word for each letter, attempt to string phrases together which still achieves an acrostic poem, but also includes meaning.  Here are some Stacey and I have written in the past.  To further the challenge, in honor of… Continue reading Poem a Day 7

Today's challenge is to attempt some personification.  Can't wait to see the poems linked via the comments.  Happy writing!

For today's poetry inspiration, put on your poetry glasses and see something in the world in a new way.  Often times this is easiest achieved by using a comparision.  I tried this with my three and five year olds:  Hey guys, how do you think a poet would see those dandeloins?  They look like .… Continue reading Poem a Day Challenge: 3