It begins with character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does. --- William Faulkner
Slightly Invisible
This book will be for sale on May 10 and I suggest you make a plan to get it! I've read it to my own kids more than ten times already and today I shared it with two second grade classrooms. True to Lauren Child's work, the illustrations + text are full of whimsy and… Continue reading Slightly Invisible
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Rereading. Rereading. Rereading.
Something that I've noticed about myself is the thing I do THE MOST when writing is rereading. I spend exorbitant amounts of time rereading. Then I reread some more. Then I reread it aloud. Something I've noticed writers in classrooms DON'T do is reread. Hardly ever. And when they do reread it is rarely worthwhile. Today I… Continue reading Rereading. Rereading. Rereading.
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Making Characters Come Alive
I liked this book. A lot. It's sweet and charming, and makes me realize that maybe there's a part of me that's a hopeless romantic. After I read it, I had to track down the author and was pleased to find her website, blog, and Twitter feed. The thing that stuck with me the most… Continue reading Making Characters Come Alive
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Ruth’s SOLS: I Love My Dad!
Last week my dad turned sixty. My brother, his wife, Andy, and I decided it called for a party. So we planned (and pulled off) a surprise party for him. Saturday evening nineteen people came to my house to celebrate with us. It was great. We serve prime rib (Andy is an expert at steak),… Continue reading Ruth’s SOLS: I Love My Dad!
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Slice of Life Tuesday
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Keynotes On My Mind
The first time I attended a conference for teachers (I was in college), I attended a keynote speaker lunch. At the end of it, I told the people I was with, "Someday I hope I can give a keynote for teachers." I love keynotes. I love when I laugh and cry and get goosebumps. I… Continue reading Keynotes On My Mind
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Nudging
I've been thinking about the difference between pushing and nudging lately. Last summer I listened to Katie Ray and Matt Glover talk about nudging primary students as writers. At first I didn't think much about the term. However, it has marinated inside of me and is now part of the fabric of my understanding of… Continue reading Nudging
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Words that are Speaking to Me
"Have compassion for yourself when you write. There's no failure -- just a big field to wander in." - Natalie Goldberg
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Train Books I Love (And Kids Do Too)
Do you know this book? My son loves it. Like serious love. So I brought it into a second grade workshop and they loved it too. In fact, this week Duck vs. Gum and Penguin vs. Airplane have emerged in the classroom. There are a million teaching points in this book, but one we highlighted… Continue reading Train Books I Love (And Kids Do Too)
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A Tough Conference
Today I conferred with a fourth grade girl who was doing her best to write a feature article. I watched her for a few minutes before I conferred with her and noticed she had several pages written, but also seemed to be copying the research she printed (at home) about her topic. I pulled up… Continue reading A Tough Conference
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Today’s Teaching Points
What were your teaching points in today's minilessons? Here were mine: 4th grade feature article (informational writing) unit: Writers use specific words about the subject when writing informational texts. 4th grade fiction unit: Writers can use the setting to help show the mood of the characters. Leave a comment to share your teaching point from… Continue reading Today’s Teaching Points
