Today I read a few pages from Peter Johnston's book, Choice Words. You know this book, right? If not, it is a small, powerful read that can change your teaching life forever. (If you click on the link, you can preview the book online.) In the excerpt I read, Johnston writes: Of course, if students… Continue reading Keep Learning
We Write the Slices.
On the final day of the March SOLSC, Amy Rudd crafted a parody of Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs." (Click here if you are unfamiliar with the song.) She changed it to "I Wrote the Slices." I'll be honest. I've been a Manilow fan ever since I found his records in my parents' house. I've… Continue reading We Write the Slices.
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Pretend it is Friday
So I was planning to try a new kind of post last Friday. And then Friday came and went. How does this happen? So right now, let's just pretend it is Friday. Or bookmark this post and save it for a Friday. I thought it would be fun to start a Friday Favorites post. So… Continue reading Pretend it is Friday
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Are you ready to unplug?
How do we teach kids (and ourselves) to unplug from media in an effort to interact with others, not just screens?
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Words that are Speaking to Me
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Conferences are dialogues.
[Conferences] are not mini-lectures but the working talk of fellow writers sharing their experience with the writing process. At times, of course, they will be teacher and student, master and apprentice, if you want, but most of the time they will be remarkably close to peers, because each writer, no matter how experienced, begins again… Continue reading Conferences are dialogues.
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How does writing feel to you?
On the final day of the challenge, Rissa Zimmerman, who was a first-time Slicer this past March, crafted a thank you note to me and Ruth for providing her with a forum to try on her "writer’s outfit". She compared the fit to different styles of jeans. In case you missed Rissa's poem, here it… Continue reading How does writing feel to you?
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Bad Word Club
This weekend I learned of a first grade club. "The teachers don't know about it," Sam (my first grade son) said, "So keep it quiet." "What is it?" "It's the Bad Word Club. I'm not in it, though." But you know a lot about it, I thought. "How do you know about it?" "Ohhhh, you… Continue reading Bad Word Club
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Turn off screens and LIVE life.
Screen-Free Week goes from 4/29-5/5. While it might seem drastic and unfeasible to completely unplug, think about what steps you can take to be less connected next week.
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New Units of Study
I purchased the original Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3 - 5 when they were published in 2006. In the early days, those books were like a Bible to me. I used them to help me plan the scope and sequence of many of the units of study I taught. When I moved… Continue reading New Units of Study
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Trusting Myself
Expectations of common core, teacher evaluation, and what it means to be literate in the 21st century can sometimes pile up and overwhelm me. There is so much new information coming at me -- things to consider about text types, what opinion writing looks like with primary students, how to use technology as a tool… Continue reading Trusting Myself
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Running Towards Danger
After writing “My Advice to New Moms in the Wake of the Terror in Boston,” I didn’t think I had much else to say about yesterday’s terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon’s Finish Line. But then I started reading newspaper articles and watching more accounts of heroism from yesterday’s Marathon and I realized I wanted… Continue reading Running Towards Danger
