slice of life · Toni Morrison · writing workshop

It’s Tuesday! Join us for the Slice of Life Story Challenge!

Welcome to the Slice of Life Story Challenge. Write your post. Share it with the community. Comment on at least three other posts. This month, I have collected some quotes from Toni Morrison to inspire us. Some of them come from a 1993 interview in The Paris Review. If you have time, the entire interview… Continue reading It’s Tuesday! Join us for the Slice of Life Story Challenge!

social justice

On Becoming an Anti-Racist Teacher of Young Writers

A move to a school in my Brooklyn neighborhood has me questioning my role as a white teacher of young, Black writers -- and what my former role was as a white teacher of white students.

writing workshop

Read Alouds for Writers

For students, a read aloud is a serious tool. It is a source of building community, language, literacy, and much more. Read alouds offer a lot for the growth of a reader, but they offer much more than we think for writers, especially writers who are also EALs (learners of English as an Additional Language).… Continue reading Read Alouds for Writers

writing workshop

How do your students learn?

The more that we understand the distinctive characteristics of the intelligences, the better we can recognize ways to differentiate for learners, honoring the spectrum of learning styles that exist in not only our classrooms, but also our world.

revision · writing process

Spicing Up Revision

During the revision phase of the writing process, I find that many writers will often 'tinker' rather than really revise for meaning.  Perhaps you've see similar behaviors in your middle school writers? Read on to learn a few tips for spicing up revision!

Slice of Life Story Challenge

It’s Tuesday! Welcome to the Slice of Life Story Challenge

It's Tuesday! Time to write, share and give!

materials · toolkits · writing workshop

Writers Need Tools!

As teachers, we have tools we use across the day and toolkits we use within our writing workshop. As I get ready for my second week of school here is a glimpse at the tools my writers will be gathering this week as we get further into the routines of our writing workshop!

back to school

Launching Writing Workshop with Passion and Purpose

What are your hopes for your writers this year and how will you start the year with those hopes in mind? Read on to see my plans for starting writing workshop with passion and purpose.

idea notebooks · notebooks · seed ideas · story ideas · storytelling · topics · writer's notebook

Inspire Your Young Writers With A Wide Inclusive Range of Topics and Stories

One thing we can do to support all writers, is to be intentional in the topics and story ideas we use as models and mentors. Modeling a wide range of stories and ideas can help each of your writers be inspired.

ADHD · classroom environment · giveaway · picture book

How to Deal with “Too Much” Energy in the Classroom + a Book Giveaway

Every writing workshop I've ever taught or consulted in has had at least one child who is in perpetual motion. Many times, that child is the kid who talks their classmates during independent writing time, interrupts their teacher during a writing conference, or cannot respect their peers' space in the meeting area. The first few weeks of school are the perfect time to begin conversations about living in a classroom community where all learners have different needs. Susan Verde, author of Unstoppable Me, chats with Stacey about the ways we can build classroom writing communities that welcome kids with who are often seen as having "too much" energy.

Slice of Life Story Challenge

It’s Tuesday! Join the Slice of Life Story Challenge

It's Tuesday! Time to write, share and give!

EAL · ELL · writing workshop

English Language Development Frames

When my sister and I were kids, we played Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo. I witnessed her saving the princess at least three times during our summer video game marathons. I watched as she passed through all the levels seamlessly. She knew what was expected of her at each level that would prepare her for… Continue reading English Language Development Frames