As I considered what to write this week, I decided to share a piece I was crafting for back to school, as an instructional coach/remote kindergarten teacher this year. The process helped me to focus on what families might need, as they experience writing workshop in new ways (i.e. at their kitchen tables).
Category: writing workshop
Writing About Reading: Building a Resource Toolkit for Middle School
Calling all middle school teachers! Today I'm sharing a ready to use resource toolkit for adolescent readers and writers featuring the book, Look Both Ways, by Jason Reynolds.
Share this:
Share this:
Wordless Slides: Another Way To Get To Know Students
No matter where or how the year begins for classrooms, getting to know students is one of the most important parts of teaching. Wordless slides worked great!
Share this:
Share this:
Write the Moments: Documenting a Most Unusual School Year
If ever there were a moment in education to pay attention, be astonished, and tell about it in our writing, I wager it's now. This is the season of school evolving and changing. This is the back to school season with words we never imagined before- sneeze guards, Zoom breakouts, synchronous and asynchronous, mask breaks, temperature checks, distance learning, hybrid model. What we always knew is no longer, for the most part. What remains? How do we teach well in a COVID-19 world? What matters? What doesn't? This year, we need to write the moments.
Share this:
Share this:
Oral Storytelling Before Writing
“Let me tell you a story…” are some of the first words that make their way out of my mouth and into the imaginations of students who don’t quite know what to think of me at the start of the year. They come in cautious. In a few days, they will come to school carrying far beyond the simple feeling of cautiousness. They will, many of them, bring with them fear, worry, and anxiety. #TWTBlog
Share this:
Share this:
Point-Less by Sarah M. Zerwin: A Review and Giveaway
Sarah Zerwin is workshop to her core, and she has found ways to ensure that her assessment practices are not sending conflicting messages to kids. Point-Less will challenge readers to reflect and inspire them to advocate for change.
Share this:
Share this:
Belief Statements: The Breadcrumbs of Teaching Near and Far
No matter where we gather to teach children, the values we have for children and education should not change.
Share this:
Share this:
Seen, Valued, Heard: Leveraging Shared Writing to Build Community
In my experience, many young writers struggle to use a writer’s notebook as a tool. They’re excited to have a notebook but unclear about what to “do” in there. Shared writing can be a powerful way to teach writers how to generate ideas for writing and to get themselves started, based on the books we are reading and discussing as a community.
Share this:
Share this:
Seen, Valued, Heard: Creating Heart Maps to Build Identity
What do you notice in the world that you would like to change?” “Are there examples of injustices, inequality, or prejudice in my school, neighborhood, town or city?”
Share this:
Share this:
Seen, Valued, Heard: Honoring Identity to Establish Community
More than ever, identities matter, and more than ever, we must rise to the challenge of learning about our students, valuing them, and inspiring them to share all that matters in their worlds.
Share this:
Share this:
Look Harder, Be Braver, and Speak Louder: My Challenge to Myself
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.
Share this:
Share this:
Thoughts on a Way Forward: An Interview with Cornelius Minor
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.
