When I think about what I first want my students to know, what matters most to me as a teacher of writing, more than capital letters or topic sentences or punctuation, I want them to believe they have ideas worth sharing and stories worth telling. I want them to know their voice matters and their words can make a difference. I want them to believe they are writers, right now, whatever their reading proficiency, whatever their language background, whatever their home circumstances. WE ARE WRITERS HERE. We all matter, we all belong, we all can and should write.
Category: writing workshop
Active Authentic Audience: Starting with What Matters Most
Once an audience is established it becomes omnipresent in your classroom, the effects aren’t limited to the one sharing; they reach the community as a whole.
Share this:
Share this:
New Blog Series: Starting with What Matters Most in Writing Workshop
Over the next eight days, my friends and I at Two Writing Teachers will share what goes into developing writers who work with agency, purpose, and independence in our Blog Series: Starting With What Matters Most. Set a reminder or mark your calendars, you won't want to miss a day of these timely posts.
Share this:
Share this:
July Blogging Break
Announcing a short pause in our regular blogging schedule
Share this:
Share this:
Micro-Workshop: Making Time for Conventions and Grammar
How do you find time to put a focus on the littlest pieces of our writing to create big pieces of work?
Share this:
Share this:
Three Tips for Summer Storytelling Practice
Whether you tell stories with the children in your life, or share stories with other adults, these tips will get you started and keep you going all summer long.
Share this:
Share this:
Have Charts, Will Travel. Mentor texts? Even better!
My last post was about some of the reflections that I want to remember when I teach any genre of writing, but I also wanted to share more of our poetry workshop and some of the amazing poems students wrote during our time by the lake. Teaching poetry in an outdoor education setting to fifth-grade students is… Continue reading Have Charts, Will Travel. Mentor texts? Even better!
Share this:
Share this:
Where Have All the Narratives Gone?
I've been thinking about why young writers struggle with personal narrative and realistic fiction writing.
Share this:
Share this:
Writing Our Way to Goodbye
Today is my last day of school! My third grade students and I have been writing our way towards goodbye over the last few weeks.
Share this:
Share this:
Reflecting & Raising Clarity: Parent Communication
I began to see what my parent communication was missing. The families have various opportunities to see what we do in first grade, but I have not provided consistent access to the thinking and rationale behind my teaching practices.
Share this:
Share this:
Literacy Coaches: Three Ideas for Next Year’s Goals
Are you a literacy coach? Here are three ideas to try next year.
Share this:
Share this:
Respect, React, and Write–My Three Reflections
Three important reflections inspired by teaching poetry to fifth-grade writers
