A few months ago I ran into Cindy Minnich who was attending a professional development seminar I lead. We chatted for awhile after the workshop. She encouraged me to write something for the Nerdy Book Club, which is an incredible blog she facilitates with Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp. I took a look at the… Continue reading Ten Best @ Nerdy Book Club
Three Things
Today is one of my first days of summer break. I woke up early, even before the alarm and wrote 1000 words. We read a collective total of 5 books. The kids and I: rode bikes for an hour; had a picnic lunch by the waterfall in the park; and played at the skate park.… Continue reading Three Things
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Q&A with Patricia Polacco + a Giveaway
Patricia Polacco has long been one of my favorite children's authors. I've led author studies of her works with my former students in both reading and writing workshop. I have used books like Mrs. Katz and Tush and The Butterfly in my consulting work. She an author whose books take up a good deal of… Continue reading Q&A with Patricia Polacco + a Giveaway
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The Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
Please link the Slice of Life Story you write today to this post by leaving a comment. Be sure to check out other bloggers’ writing by clicking through the links in the comment section of this post. Come back later today (or even tomorrow) to read through the links of a few other Slicers who… Continue reading The Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
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Summer Reading Plans
Do you have summer reading plans? Like most things in life, it's important to make a plan in order to meet your goals. In my little corner of the world summer is almost a synonym for reading. Before I had kids, I used to send my books with Andy when he left for work in order to… Continue reading Summer Reading Plans
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How many exclamation points should one use to end a sentence?
I changed the way I used exclamation points as a result of reading Dan Feigelson's Practical Punctuation: Lessons on Rule Making and Rule Breaking in Elementary Writing. Prior to reading Feigelson's book I was guilty of using multiple exclamation points to express enthusiasm on students' papers and my excitement when crafting e-mails to other adults. Tsk… Continue reading How many exclamation points should one use to end a sentence?
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Summer Writing Camp
My summers away at sleep away camp were some of the best of my life. However, sleep away camp gave way to summer internships, which eventually gave way to jobs. Ah, the passage of time and how our summers change! Ssince 2005, I have spent at least one week of every summer engaged in professional… Continue reading Summer Writing Camp
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End of the Year Reflection
I think reflective practice is the heart of a growing teacher. Without reflection, we stagnate. Over time, reflection has become a state of mind for me. However, if I never write it down, I fear I'm missing deepening my understanding. Writing strengthens reflective practice. Will you take some time to write a reflection from this… Continue reading End of the Year Reflection
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The Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
Please link the Slice of Life Story you write today to this post by leaving a comment. Be sure to check out other bloggers' writing by clicking through the links in the comment section of this post. Come back later today (or even tomorrow) to read through the links of a few other Slicers who… Continue reading The Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
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The Book Stack
No surprise here that this was in my book stack this week. If you missed the interview on Ruth Ayres Writes, click here. If you missed the way John influenced my thinking about notebooks, click here. Sometimes when I post oldies, I feel late to the party. Oh well. These are BIG right now around… Continue reading The Book Stack
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Words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Last week I traveled to Washington, DC for a family vacation. While we were there we visited the Washington DC Martin Luther King National Memorial, which opened since our last trip to DC. As I walked through the memorial, I paid close attention to the quotations on the inscription wall. One of the quotes spoke… Continue reading Words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Deeper Thinking About Notebook Work
This week I had the opportunity to interview author John Claude Bemis. This is is latest book: I asked him about notebook work and his response led me to a deeper understanding of the importance of notebook work. John said: I jot ideas down in the notebook, not because I’m worried I’ll forget them, but… Continue reading Deeper Thinking About Notebook Work
