Sometimes when students visualize an elaborate plan it is frustrating when that doesn’t just happen on the page. Here are some tips to get students closer to their vision.
Category: writing workshop
Student Self-Assessment: Introducing the Writing Checklist
Ever since I first received my copy of the middle school Units of Study in Argument, Information, and Narrative Writing , this book has been in my book bag and on my desk, read and re-read, marked up and festooned with post it notes for quick reference : Why? Because once our writing year begins… Continue reading Student Self-Assessment: Introducing the Writing Checklist
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Creative Scheduling in Middle School
The one question that comes up again and again, no matter what part of the country I happen to visiting, is TIME.
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Visualizing a Plan
Visualizing a plan helps students see their story before putting it to paper.
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Some Notes from the September 22nd, 2014 TCRWP Conference
Some notes from the September 22nd. TCRWP one-day conference, Units of Study: Implementing Rigorous, Coherent Writing Curriculum for Grades 6-8 presented by Mary Ehrenworth. Something worth charting - a visual for how workshop goes: is it clear to us? is it clear to our students? This graphic comes from the notebook of my colleague Rosemarie, who… Continue reading Some Notes from the September 22nd, 2014 TCRWP Conference
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A Tool for Talking During the Workshop
Kathy Collins inspired a new writing tool in my classroom!
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Write, Share, Give: It’s SOL time
"You are an expert at your own life. Nobody else is." --Jen Bryant
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Starting the year with Slice of Life writing.
As I mentioned in my post last week, my students’ first day of school writing surveys revealed a strong aversion to writing and a sense of “I have nothing to really write about.” So, we have spent most of our writing workshop time collecting writing ideas and storytelling; my sixth graders have learned, much to… Continue reading Starting the year with Slice of Life writing.
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Top Five Lessons to Teach to Writing Partners of All Ages Right Now
Writing partners can be an important source of inspiration and support for your kids. It's the rare kid who truly wants to work alone all the time. Writing requires an audience, someone to give a response, someone to read your work. There's no need to wait to get writing partners going. There are no "prerequisites" to… Continue reading Top Five Lessons to Teach to Writing Partners of All Ages Right Now
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Sometimes we don’t write in writing workshop
On our first full day of sixth grade, I hand each of my students a reading and writing survey and ask them to tell me a little bit about themselves as readers and writers. Their answers, as they slowly filter in over the course of the week, allow me valuable insights. I learn about how… Continue reading Sometimes we don’t write in writing workshop
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Fox’s Garden Book Review and Giveaway!
Give a wordless book a try during your next writing workshop and see the possibilities.
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So, what does it take to be a great writing teacher? Students’ point of view.
For the past many years, writing workshop in our middle school ended in sixth grade. They would, of course, continue to write in seventh grade, but that every other day of writing workshop ritual - the writer’s notebook, the sketching and exploring of their writers’ identities through different genres of writing - would now be… Continue reading So, what does it take to be a great writing teacher? Students’ point of view.
