It's been hard for me to watch the news reports of the devastation Hurricane Sandy caused for the New York Metropolitan Area. My hometown and the state I grew up in were ravaged by the storm. So many people lost property and memories when the water came rushing into their houses and apartments. Living three… Continue reading Assistance After Super Storm Sandy + Service Learning Projects
The Call for Slice of Life Stories
Please remember to get out and vote today!
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Foundations of Writing Workshop
I'm looking forward to the next few days. It's a workshop where old meets new. I've been leading beginning writing workshops for nearly a decade. I'm looking forward to making some shifts to include Common Core thinking, while at the same time holding on to the aspects that make workshop powerful. Tomorrow is all about… Continue reading Foundations of Writing Workshop
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Please help a teacher whose classroom was impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
DonorsChoose has created a page on their website where citizen philanthropists, like YOU, can go to fund a project for a teacher whose school was impacted by Hurricane Sandy. As you may know, numerous schools along the Jersey Shore, New York City, and Connecticut are coping with power outages and flooding as a result of… Continue reading Please help a teacher whose classroom was impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
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An Inspiring Mentor Text, an Interview, and a Giveaway
I love, LOVE, L-O-V-E Ralph Tells A Story (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012), which is a story about a boy, Ralph, who has trepidation about writing. (It’s already become a book I suggest to teachers when I speak about mentor texts!) Ralph is that kid in your writing workshop who claims he doesn’t have anything to… Continue reading An Inspiring Mentor Text, an Interview, and a Giveaway
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A Month of Thanks Begins Today.
Every day in November, I mine my day in order to craft a thankful status update on Facebook. I approach this task like a writer. I walk through my day with a heightened awareness – just like I do when I craft slice of life stories. I savor a funny joke or the feel of my daughter's hand in mine. This allows me to capture moments and live with a sense of gratitude for the little things.
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Vintage Ayres {2007}: The Heart of It All
I'm smiling at the phrase Vintage Ayres. It's a little bit of a smirk because, really, am I old enough to qualify as vintage? Maybe not. But definitely so in blog years. I began blogging in March 2006. My first blog was called Inspiring Readers and Writers and it has since been moved to private… Continue reading Vintage Ayres {2007}: The Heart of It All
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Rest.
Rest. Why does this seem like a dirty four letter word? I've been doing a lot of thinking about rest. We were on fall break last week. You might think I took rest to the extreme considering I checked-out and didn't even blog on Friday. Unfortunately this isn't the truth. I crammed in as much… Continue reading Rest.
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Slicing Early: Thanks to Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy is looming. Excessive rain, high floods, and massive flooding are very real threats for over 60 million people who live in the Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Therefore, I've decided to host our weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge early this week. While I could simply set a SOLSC post to automatically go… Continue reading Slicing Early: Thanks to Hurricane Sandy
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Crafting a Tribute Poem
Did you read Katherine Sokolowski's Slice of Life post this past Tuesday? She crafted a poem that was a tribute to a dear family-friend, Vel, who passed away. Crafting the poem was a way for Katherine to practice what she preached, by writing beside her students during independent writing time. The poem she wrote was… Continue reading Crafting a Tribute Poem
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Words that are Speaking to Me
Back on the rez, I was a decent player, I guess. A rebounder and a guy who could run up and down the floor without tripping. But something magical happened to me when I went to Reardan. Overnight, I became a good player. I suppose it had something to do with confidence. I mean, I'd… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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What kinds of online technology are you using in writing workshop?
I was searching for something in our blog's archives when I came across a video Ruth and I made about Bubbl.us, an online brainstorming tool, nearly four years ago. (Click here to watch that video. It's one of the first ones we placed on TWT. We also created our first digital story on Movie Maker,… Continue reading What kinds of online technology are you using in writing workshop?
