Slice of Life Story Challenge

SOL Tuesday

Write. Share. Give.

Author Spotlight Series · character development · Maribeth Boelts

Creating Characters as Real as Spit by Maribeth Boelts

Maribeth Boelts provides us with tips for creating authentic, unforgettable characters in stories.

art · Author Spotlight Series · research

Research is My Friend by Lauren Castillo

Lauren Castillo, a Caldecott Honor author and illustrator, kicks off this year's Author Spotlight Series with a piece about how important research is to her artistic process.

authors · community

Live From #KidLitPalooza!

Stay tuned this morning as I add to this post about #KidLitPalooza, live from this amazing event that connects children's authors to students!

play · writing workshop

Purposeful Play: A Review and a Giveaway

In the new book Purposeful Play: A Teachers Guide to Igniting Deep & Joyful Learning Across the Day, Kristine Mraz, Alison Porcelli, and Cheryl Tyler have laid out the research and practical advice that many of us have been looking for.

writing workshop

Why Would Writing Stop When School Ends?

"Janie, you have a lifetime of writing. Writing, collecting stories, and sharing with others is a gift of life, and it never ends. Aren't we lucky Janie?"

vocabulary · word study

In the Classroom We Are All Learners: Reflecting on a Year of Becoming Word Conscious

Elizabeth Siracusa, a fourth- and fifth-grade looping teacher, reflects on the ways she infused vocabulary instruction into her classroom this year.

Slice of Life Story Challenge

It’s SOL Tuesday!

It's time to share your slice of life stories!

poetry · writing workshop

A Poetry Break: If I Were…

Making space for poetry.

argument writing · immersion · informational writing · narrative · persuasive writing · picture book · poetry · primary grades · Read Aloud

Teaching the Four Types of Writing Through Texts

Janiel Wagstaff's books will help you teach primary writers about the four types of writing in an engaging way. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win her series of Stella books.

writing workshop

Book Review: The Journey is Everything by Katherine Bomer

In her brilliant new book, The Journey Is Everything :Teaching Essays That Students Want to Write for People Who Want to Read Them, Katherine Bomer makes a powerful and passionate case for the joyful embrace of a new vision for teaching our students how to write (and read) the essay.

early childhood · preschool · writing workshop

Emergent Writing and Star of the Day

My son, Alex, will be starting kindergarten this coming September, and I find myself thinking back to what I did to help those four and five year old emergent writers. With rising expectations for what incoming kindergarteners can do, I've been dusting off my kindergarten bag of tricks to work with Alex, to help him feel confident and ready when school starts.