COVID-19 · EAL · end of year reflection · remote learning

Ending Our Pandemic School Year

Now our year is coming to a close and we are having to find new ways to end the year and say goodbye. With another change comes another opportunity for trauma... it is important to remember that the health and welfare of every person comes first, even and especially as we bring the school year to a close.

charts · COVID-19 · mentor texts · summer vacation · Writing contests · writing workshop

Some Summer Writing Motivation

The idea of creating anything at all that motivates children to continue learning and developing themselves as writers has kept me awake over the last few nights. And after a conversation with a few VERY trusted colleagues, I'm thinking sleep is going to be intermittent tonight, too. (Why can't I just turn off?) I know… Continue reading Some Summer Writing Motivation

strategies · writer's notebook

Journal Writing Strategies While Living Through a Pandemic

"Writing about distressing events and how we feel about them is the only kind of writing that clinically has been associated with improved health," Louise DeSalvo

caregivers · COVID-19

Do the Most Good and the Least Harm During Remote Instruction

How can we do the most good and the least harm when communicating with caregivers, hosting virtual meetings, and planning remote writing instruction?

Slice of Life Story Challenge

Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge

Join us each Tuesday for the Slice of Life Story Challenge! It's never too late to start!

poetry · writing workshop

Teaching From Home: Another Poetry Lesson

Today I share a poetry lesson from one of my favorite resources. This lesson is ready to use in your classroom too!

Author Spotlight Series

The Keeper of Wild Words: Celebrating the Lost Words of Nature

Author Brooke Smith hopes to bring a little nature into children’s lives, by introducing them to wild words that were taken out of the Oxford Junior Dictionary and are now celebrated in this joyous picture book.

Author Spotlight Series

Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable in Writing a Professional Book

Writing a professional book can feel like jumping from a high-dive. Author Katie Cunningham explains how it requires getting comfortable with the uncomfortable including having the courage to start, the vulnerability to keep going, and the willingness to receive feedback from a place of humility.

Author Spotlight Series · biography · picture book

The Threads of Writing a Picture Book Biography

Kelly Starling Lyons shares about her experience of writing Dream Builder, a picture book biography about Philip G. Freelon, an architect who created he National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Author Spotlight Series

One Little Bag, One Little Story

Henry Cole’s childhood paper lunch bag is the main character here. Find out how something so mundane can end up being a connection to the past, and a symbol of planet conservancy.

Author Spotlight Series

Writing About Your Past

In this behind-the-scenes glimpse, author Helena Ku Rhee delves into her process of writing The Paper Kingdom. The book is based on her childhood memories of accompanying her parents to their job as night janitors.

Slice of Life Story Challenge

Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge

Join us every Tuesday for the Slice of Life Story Challenge!