Every day in November, I mine my day in order to craft a thankful status update on Facebook. I approach this task like a writer. I walk through my day with a heightened awareness – just like I do when I craft slice of life stories. I savor a funny joke or the feel of my daughter's hand in mine. This allows me to capture moments and live with a sense of gratitude for the little things.
Category: writing
Celebrate the National Day on Writing! #WhatIWrite
I write... a lot. I blog every day on a private, family-only blog I created for my daughter when she was born. I blog about the teaching of writing here and about early childhood literacy over at Raising a Literate Human. I Tweet and use Facebook. I make lists. I craft letters and jot notes… Continue reading Celebrate the National Day on Writing! #WhatIWrite
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Capital Area Writing Project’s Annual WordFest
Come and join the Capital Area Writing Project for its annual WordFest on Thursday evening, October 18th. This year's theme is "Reading and Writing Now for Their Future." The evening is a three-hour conference that celebrates writers and the teaching of writing. There are sessions for all grade levels, including one I'm leading for elementary… Continue reading Capital Area Writing Project’s Annual WordFest
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Facing Discouragement
I hesitate to write this blog post. Yet it needs written. Maybe for you or for the teacher next door. Definitely for me. This week I've had too many conversations with teachers who are feeling discouraged. They do not have gender, teaching experience, grade level, or administration in common. They don't even come from the… Continue reading Facing Discouragement
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A Holiday
I hope you are spending your holiday in a way that restores your soul. I know I'm one of the earlier back-to-school people in our little community here. We've been back for three weeks. Some of you just started. And a few are still waiting for your first day of the new school year. Whatever… Continue reading A Holiday
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Guy-Write: Chatting About Male Writers with Ralph Fletcher
Anyone who has ever read Ralph Fletcher's books for young writers (e.g., A Writer's Notebook, How Writers Work, Live Writing), will find his newest book, Guy-Write: What Every Gut Writer Needs to Know (Holt), to be a welcome addition to a classroom's writing center. Fletcher writes this book for boys who love to write who… Continue reading Guy-Write: Chatting About Male Writers with Ralph Fletcher
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An Interview with Tad Hills + a Book Giveaway
Tad Hills's new book, Rocket Writes a Story, is as touching and well-written as the first Rocket book, Rocket Learned to Read. This book is sure to become a mentor text in primary writing workshops since Rocket has trouble generating ideas for writing and moving through the writing process. I am quite sure that the tale… Continue reading An Interview with Tad Hills + a Book Giveaway
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Author Visit
Maribeth Boelts gave an engaging and thought-provoking talk to my students and I last week. She talked about so much more than just her books and her process -- though she did that too. She talked a lot about writers and writing, which inspired me to pull out the manuscript I finished in November and… Continue reading Author Visit
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Summer Writing Camp
My summers away at sleep away camp were some of the best of my life. However, sleep away camp gave way to summer internships, which eventually gave way to jobs. Ah, the passage of time and how our summers change! Ssince 2005, I have spent at least one week of every summer engaged in professional… Continue reading Summer Writing Camp
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Pathways to the Common Core + a Giveaway
I’ve been working hard to prepare lectures for my graduate students that address the Common Core State Standards, or CCSS, with regard to the teaching of writing. While I have read through the writing standards many times, I wanted to delve deeper into the CCSS so I could help my students understand the implications of… Continue reading Pathways to the Common Core + a Giveaway
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Prizes for the Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge
It's my pleasure to announce the winners of the prizes from the 5th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. While I thought about using technology for the giveaway, I opted to do it the old fashioned way... pulling names out of a hat (well, in this case, an envelope). Here's a look at my not-so-high-tech… Continue reading Prizes for the Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge
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Prizes for the Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge
The Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge, which will run from Thursday, March 1st – Saturday, March 31st, begins a week from today. Anyone who writes (and links to their posts by leaving a comment on this blog daily) for the entire month of March will be entered into a drawing for one of… Continue reading Prizes for the Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge
