I've been home sick with a horrendous cough and cold this week. I've had to cancel everything for the past three days in an effort to get well. Needless to say, I got bored very quickly. However, my boredom has afforded me with an opportunity to learn more about "Waiting for 'Superman'," the documentary that's… Continue reading The Stir Over Superman
Planning Read Alouds that Support the Workshop Model
lock·step noun, often attributive \ˈläk-ˌstep\ Definition of LOCKSTEP 1: a mode of marching in step by a body of persons going one after another as closely as possible 2: a standard method or procedure that is mindlessly adhered to or that minimizes individuality — in lockstep : in perfect or rigid often mindless conformity or… Continue reading Planning Read Alouds that Support the Workshop Model
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Time for the Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
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Let’s Celebrate!
How are you planning to celebrate the authors in your classroom? The longer I'm a part of writing workshops, not to mention the more I write, the more I believe in the importance of celebration. Celebration fuels writers. When I first started, I used to think perfection was needed to celebrate. Since becoming a recovering… Continue reading Let’s Celebrate!
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Words that are Speaking to Me
Giving characters free will, instead of outlining them in detail before writing begins, allows the story to flow naturally and allows the characters to become more real and more interesting than they could be if they had to act within a rigid profile created in advance of the actual writing process. --- Dean Koontz Obviously The Tension of… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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WIP?
The past few months I've been reading several authors' blogs and I keep coming across the abbreviation W.I.P. Finally I figured out it means Work In Progress. WIP is part of the language of writers, therefore I introduced the term to fourth graders today with this chart: W.I.P. Decisions Topic --- What will I write… Continue reading WIP?
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Recap: Guest Blog Posts
Tomorrow will be the first Friday in over three months that there will not be a guest blogger posting. Ruth and I are going back to posting on alternating Fridays. However, I wanted to take a moment to recap all of the guest blog posts in case you missed one. They're ALL worth reading, as… Continue reading Recap: Guest Blog Posts
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What is MOST important?
This question has been tumbling around in my mind lately: What is most important when it comes to literacy instruction? It stems from state mandates, district expectations, curriculum guides, and instructional minutes being cut. More importantly, though, I believe it is a question each of us ought to answer. Years ago I read a book… Continue reading What is MOST important?
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Joining-in & Sharing a Slice of Life
Welcome to our weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge. If you're a regular participant, then go ahead and link away. However, if you're new, or are thinking about sharing your writing with this online community for the first time, then WELCOME. In the past few weeks, I've received a few emails wondering what a "slice… Continue reading Joining-in & Sharing a Slice of Life
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Mentor Texts in the Midst of Writing
When we think of using mentor texts when teaching writing workshop, often our first thought is to use them at the beginning of a unit of study so students can gain a sense of the genre they are going to write. Recently, the stars have been aligned in my writing life. First I embarked on… Continue reading Mentor Texts in the Midst of Writing
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An Education Reform Article Worth Reading
Everywhere I turn these days, I seem to be faced with another article about education reform. From Time Magazine to The New York Times, it seems everyone is covering education a lot more than they used to... or perhaps it's just that I'm paying more attention than I used to because I'm shocked about the… Continue reading An Education Reform Article Worth Reading
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Remembering: Nine Years Later
A view of the Lower Manhattan Skyline on the evening of September 11th, 2010 (from Jersey City, NJ): From 09-11-10 I am one of the New Yorkers who did not personally lose a family member or close friend on Tuesday September 11th, 2001. Nine years later, I remember the innocent people who died or were… Continue reading Remembering: Nine Years Later
