Wishing you a very happy, healthy, and writing-filled new year!
Category: writing workshop
Writing Groups + Classrooms
My writing group is an important part of my life as a writer. It's more than just accountability, but feedback and camaraderie and, well, if I'm super honest, fun. When I was a classroom teacher, I didn't do a very good job of establishing writing groups, or crit partners, for my students. I see now they were… Continue reading Writing Groups + Classrooms
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What fuels writing workshop?
Around my school, we have three more Mondays of school left in 2011. That's not much, and yet, during this season of grey days, holiday excitement, and indoor recess, it can seem so l o n g. It has me thinking about the energy level in writing workshop. Is it high or low? Like other… Continue reading What fuels writing workshop?
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Right Back At It…
I figured by now I would have time to write a post reflecting on NCTE. However, I apparently forgot (once again) that there are a limited number of hours in a day. The post will have to wait. Instead, here is a brief list of highlights. Laurie Halse Anderson, Katherine Patterson, and David Levithan hosted… Continue reading Right Back At It…
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Word Count
I've had a daily word count for awhile. I'm not sure exactly when it started, but I think it was while writing Day by Day. However, it was while becoming serious about writing fiction that my word count became as much a part of my day as brushing my teeth. I think this is true… Continue reading Word Count
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11 on 11.11.11
It's kind of been a long week, so I'm going to save the blog post that has been tumbling around in my mind until I have a little more time to pull it together. Instead I'll give you 11 snippets on 11.11.11. Thank you for the comments and feedback on this post. I'm glad the… Continue reading 11 on 11.11.11
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Conquering Fear — Pilates & Writing Series: Part 4 of 5
Sometimes Pilates exercises are downright scary. I have a short list of things I refuse to do when I go for a Pilates session. They are as follows: I will not... 1) Do anything that requires me to lower my back side into the well of a reformer. Why? It creeps me out. 2) Hang… Continue reading Conquering Fear — Pilates & Writing Series: Part 4 of 5
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Filling Needs.
I have this job that I'm incredibly thankful for. It gives me a chance to focus -- really focus -- on the teaching of writing. Naturally I'm interested in all areas of literacy, as well as other content areas (for those of you who don't know I'm a licensed biology and chemistry teacher), but my… Continue reading Filling Needs.
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Forty Years.
Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! Forty years ago today they were married. It's kinda a big deal, you know, to be married for forty years. It gives me pause and makes me think about what it takes to have that level of commitment. Like usual, my thoughts swirl around to teaching writing. What does my… Continue reading Forty Years.
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Concrete Tools – Pilates & Writing Series: Part 3 of 5
On pages 62 - 63 of Day by Day, I talked about the role of Pilates and its connection to writing workshop in a detailed discussion called "Concrete Images for Support." Here I talked about one of many concrete tools, a ball, I used to help support my body as I did Pilates. I want… Continue reading Concrete Tools – Pilates & Writing Series: Part 3 of 5
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Storytelling
One of the ways Martha Horn suggests launching workshop is to spend a significant amount of time steeping the workshop in storytelling. In fact, she suggests every child tell a story aloud to the entire class. She shares this approach along with Mary Ellen Giacobbe in their book Talking, Drawing, Writing (Stenhouse, 2007). She also… Continue reading Storytelling
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Modifications – Pilates & Writing Series: Part 1 of 5
I began working with one-on-one with a Pilates instructor in August 2008, just 15 months after I had an artificial cervical disk replacement in my neck. In an effort to regain the strength I lost as a result of the surgery I was told to try Pilates (since physical therapy alone wasn’t cutting it). At… Continue reading Modifications – Pilates & Writing Series: Part 1 of 5
