Prizes for the 6th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge

Tuesday February 12, 2013Wednesday February 20, 2013 Stacey Shubitz18 Comments

The Sixth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge runs from Friday, March 1st – Sunday, March 31st. Anyone who participates in the adult challenge (not the classroom challenge) for all 31 days of the month will be eligible for a prize. In order to be in the running, you have to do a little more… Continue reading Prizes for the 6th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge

Slice of Life Story Challenge

Why bother with a hashtag when you post your slice?

Tuesday February 12, 2013Tuesday February 12, 2013 Stacey Shubitz53 Comments

I'm nearing 1,000 Tweets. This is shocking to me since I was resistant to signing up for a Twitter account. I had a-go with it and got into a groove with it in December. I follow other educators, writers, publishers, chefs, news organizations, etc. While I could spend hours clicking on links I find on… Continue reading Why bother with a hashtag when you post your slice?

conferring

Conferring

Monday February 11, 2013 Ruth Ayres2 Comments

Deb Gaby said this to me last week: Conferring is the heartbeat of workshop. I have to agree. Conferring is the way we gauge if our instruction is effective. It is the way we figure out what the writers in our classrooms need next. Without conferring we lose the pulse of workshop. Without conferring, workshop… Continue reading Conferring

Slice of Life Story Challenge · SOLSC Classroom Challenge

Braving the Challenge: A Guest Post by Beth Scanlon

Sunday February 10, 2013Sunday February 10, 2013 guestteacher3 Comments

Braving the Challenge Inspired by my writing and the other Slicers’ work during the Slice of Life Challenge (SOLC) in March 2012, I decided to attempt the same with my ninth grade students on a smaller scale last May. My colleague, Lee Ann Spillane, and I designed a ten day SOLC for our student using… Continue reading Braving the Challenge: A Guest Post by Beth Scanlon

minilesson · procedures · routines · writing workshop

Finding a Space to Write

Friday February 8, 2013 Ruth Ayres4 Comments

I'm a big advocate for writers to find a space that works best for them. I also think it's important for students to learn to write anywhere. I'm productive as a writer because I have very few needs when it comes to environment. I can write anywhere. I prefer a large block of time with… Continue reading Finding a Space to Write

giveaway · haiku · mentor texts · poetry · process

Behind the Scenes of I Haiku You + a Giveaway

Thursday February 7, 2013Friday February 15, 2013 Stacey Shubitz41 Comments

Betsy Snyder shares a behind-the-scenes process for writing and illustrating I Haiku You, her newest picture book published by Random House. Read through her post and then leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of this book.

conferences · professional development

All-Write Summer Institute 2013

Wednesday February 6, 2013 Ruth Ayres10 Comments

I know I'm a little bias, but this is one of my favorite conferences. It is a little like summer camp for teachers. I think the reason why it's so great is because the speakers are top in the field, and yet the conference is still small enough that you feel like you matter. Like… Continue reading All-Write Summer Institute 2013

commenting · Slice of Life Story Challenge

Slicing & Kind Comments

Tuesday February 5, 2013Monday February 4, 2013 Stacey Shubitz45 Comments

Anyone who's completed the month-long Slice of Life Story Challenge knows the greatest prize comes in the form of a writing community. I recently reflected on the way this writing community has helped me grow as an educator, parent, and writer. I hope you'll take a moment to read what I wrote, which is over… Continue reading Slicing & Kind Comments

slice of life · Slice of Life Story Challenge · Write: It's good for you! · writing

You Have Time.

Monday February 4, 2013Sunday February 3, 2013 Ruth Ayres13 Comments

One of the biggest barriers between us and the Slice of Life Challenge is TIME. We look at our schedules, we look at other's slices, and we quickly jump to the conclusion that we don't have time to add one more thing, especially something like a daily writing challenge to our already too full schedule. Although… Continue reading You Have Time.

blogging · Slice of Life Story Challenge · SOLSC Classroom Challenge · writing

Ten Tips for Creating an Electronic SOLSC for Your Students

Sunday February 3, 2013Saturday February 2, 2013 guestteacher9 Comments

A Note from Stacey: I recently asked teachers who've led an blog-based Slice of Life Story Challenge, or SOLSC, with their students to share their expertise with me. After all, I've only led a notebook-based Challenge with my students. Two teachers, Amanda Cornwell and Beth Scanlon, volunteered to write guest posts about their experiences about… Continue reading Ten Tips for Creating an Electronic SOLSC for Your Students