Slice of Life Story Challenge · writing workshop

DAY 7 OF THE MARCH SOLSC! #SOL20

And the first week is winding down! Woo hoo! Welcome to Day 7 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge 2020.

goals · informational writing · writing workshop

Moving Along — and Backing Up — in Information Writing

When any task involves many skills, there are a lot of places for a metaphorical bump in a straw. When we break the task down, the final product involves many potential downfalls!

writing workshop

DAY 4 OF THE MARCH SOLSC! #SOL20

Write. Share. Give. Today's the first day we're doing a mid-month prize. Check out the details in the body of the post.

giveaway · Joy · writing workshop

Start With Joy: Book Review and Giveaway

Even if you don’t win the copy of Start With Joy as a giveaway from us, I hope you will consider adding it to your collection of professional books. Students face so many pressures and challenges in their daily lives, both in and out of school. Ultimately, we want them to learn, for sure, but we also want them to find joy in the process. This book not only reminds us of the importance of happiness, it also provides ways to design for joy.

immersion · informational writing · nonfiction · nonfiction writing · noticings · writing workshop

The Immersion Phase of a Unit: Reading and Writing Collide

The immersion phase of a unit allows us all to get to know our subject. For students, it might be ideas they have and for teachers, it is about getting to know their writers a bit better.

teacher writing · Teachers who write · writing workshop

Teaching Writing: A Review and Book Giveaway

"The most important belief is that kids need the opportunity to grow up as writers, writing a lot, just as they talk and read and do math a lot," (Calkins, '20).

writing workshop

How-To Writing for All Ages: Expand the Possibilities of Genres You Teach

I was surprised to discover that some kids see How-To's as something that is only for kindergarteners. I wonder how many teachers might also think of How-To's as something that is too easy for older writers.

Expand the Possibilities of Genres You Teach · informational writing · narrative · writing workshop

Narrative Writing: Expand the Possibilities of Genres You Teach

So many stories, so many possibilities for weaving narrative writing into other genres-- and so much fun we can have doing it!

Expand the Possibilities of Genres You Teach · personalization · process log · writer identity · writing process · writing workshop

The Writer’s Process: Expand the Possibilities of the Genres You Teach

What do you find most challenging when it comes to the writing process? Have you considered a writer's process as personal and unique or a step-by-step path rarely disrupted?

giveaway · interview · language · mentor texts · poetry · precise language · writing workshop

On a Snow-Melting Day + Giveaway

Prepare yourself for some exquisite words to get your writing week off to a wonderful start.

academic choice · accessibility · audience · authentic writing · bulletin boards · classroom environment · EAL · low-stakes · writing workshop

Writing on the Walls

What we place on the walls of a classroom tells students, or any other person who enters the room, what is valued most, and what we should value most in our classrooms is student work.

audience · authentic writing · coaching · collaborative planning · content-area writing · engagement · Innovators · motivation · student engagement · writing workshop

Thinking Big About Writing

The writing work in our building is transforming, and it is exciting to be a part of the change, to witness the impact on kids as we make our workshops increasingly authentic and compelling. We are constantly reflecting on what’s working—what’s leading to measurable shifts in how we plan for writing (and how kids experience writing)—as well as where we might be getting stuck: places there is genuine motivation to transform the task, and yet, our best intentions are still missing the mark in some significant way.