When I visit a classroom, one of the first things I often say to kids is, "Today, please don't erase. I want to see ALL the great work you are doing as a writer. When you erase, your work disappears!" Often, this is what kids are accustomed to and they continue working away. But sometimes, kids stare at me as if I've got two heads.
Category: writing
How I Became An Author
Ralph Fletcher, who is a beloved trade and professional book author, steps into our Author Spotlight.
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Sustaining a Writing Habit
Do you need help sustaining a writing habit? Take a lesson from Jerry Seinfeld & "don't break the chain."
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What Will You Write This Summer?
Glue your butt to the chair, every day, or at least once a week, and you will not only become a better writer--you'll become a better teacher of writing.
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From Library Desk to Library Shelf: My 10-Year Path to Publication
We're delighted to have Augusta Scattergood kicking-off our new Author Spotlight Blog Series.
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7 Habits of an Effective Writing Critique Group
I've learned a few things about myself as a writer and a group member by being part of a writing critique group for the past nine months.
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Using Your Own Writing as a Teaching Tool
It seems appropriate that today's post should be related to using your own writing in the classroom. We are, after all, in the midst of the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. And what an amazing month it has already been. This year has been our biggest, most successful year yet! We have over 300 participants… Continue reading Using Your Own Writing as a Teaching Tool
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Behind the Scenes at the White House: A Q&A with Nonfiction Author Katherine L. House
Just in time for Presidents' Day, I chatted with nonfiction author Katherine L. House about her recent book, White House for Kids. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of her book.
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Setting the stage for writing about nonfiction
Writing about nonfiction elicits the same initial lack of enthusiasm from my students as reading about nonfiction - a nonfiction affliction that seems, at first, impossible to overcome. It’s the “dead Presidents and whales” syndrome that Donalyn Miller examines in Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits, in the… Continue reading Setting the stage for writing about nonfiction
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Getting Unstuck
"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." -Jack London
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Work Smarter: How To Wrap Up A Unit of Study
This week my colleagues and I are writing posts that we hope will make your life a little easier. We’re sharing some ways to work smarter, not harder.
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Teaching Writing in Middle School: Notes from the Saturday Reunion #TCRWP
By the time I arrived at Cornelius Minor’s TCRWP workshop, State-of-the-Art Workshop Teaching of Writing in Middle School, harnessing Methods Specifically Described in the New Units of Study, I had been up since the crack of dawn, and had already spent several hours racing from one great workshop to the next trying to learn as… Continue reading Teaching Writing in Middle School: Notes from the Saturday Reunion #TCRWP
