On Sunday, June 13th my husband and I attended a retirement celebration at Norwalk High School for Jeff Smith, who is retiring after 34 years as a music educator. My husband played saxaphone with the Norwalk Marching Bears throughout high school. He spent countless hours practicing for local football games and for special events, such… Continue reading The Life Lessons We Teach
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Finding Time to Write
Of all the things I've done to become a more proficient teacher of writing, the act of putting words on a page has had the biggest influence on my practice. As I've engaged in being a writer, I've learned the nuances of the craft. Being a teacher who writes influences my instruction more than anything else. However,… Continue reading Finding Time to Write
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Words that are Speaking to Me
It's over now. I'm at the end of the summer following my senior year; I have my diploma in a lockbox and the advantage of hindsight. But I want to tell it [the story] without that advantage -- tell it as it unfolded -- Mr. Simet says any story is only true in the moment.… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Make a Simple Summer Journal by Mary Alice Gruppi
Mary Alice Gruppi is a middle school language arts teacher who morphed into an elementary administrator. Currently she is the principal of a K-5 school. She blogs at There's a Pal in Principal. In addition to today's post, Mary Alice created a slide show with more samples of these journals. Make sure to click the… Continue reading Make a Simple Summer Journal by Mary Alice Gruppi
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Comprehensive Character Description
In order to create the world of a story for a reader, it's necessary to engage in character development. Writers must make characters come alive in their minds if they're going to create a movie in their readers minds. However, for many students, developing realistic characters becomes challenging. Many students have trouble weaving meaningful character… Continue reading Comprehensive Character Description
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Summer Reading
What are your reading plans this summer? I thought I'd take a minute to share some professional books about Writing Workshop. I've divided my "recommendations" into two categories. New-to-Writing Workshop-Philosophy Primary: About the Authors by Katie Wood Ray and Lisa Cleveland Intermediate: The No-Nonsense Guide to Writing Workshop by Davis and Hill Middle School: In… Continue reading Summer Reading
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Stave-off summer reading loss
The folks at Penguin Books recently alerted me to a fantastic new program you should tell your students about if school is still in session. We Give Books is a website that provides access to books for anyone who has a computer. If the library is inconvenient to get to and money isn't there for… Continue reading Stave-off summer reading loss
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A New SOLSC Button
We refurbished our blog (e.g., check out our more user-friendly blog roll) last week. Therefore, we figured we'd update the Slice of Life Story Challenge Button as well. Hope you like it!
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A Few Changes
If you look closely, you may notice a few changes around here. Our header is slightly different, we're sporting a new button for our motto, and the Slice of Life button is a new color. Most significantly, though, is the Blogroll on the right. It is organized by category. Keep an eye on it this… Continue reading A Few Changes
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Words that are Speaking to Me
Writing a first draft is very much like watching a Polaroid develop. You can't -- and, in fact, you're not supposed to -- know exactly what the picture is going to look like until it has finished developing. --- Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
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The Doors of Poetry: Guest Blog Post by Sarah Mulhern
Our first Guest Blog Post of the summer is written by Sarah Mulhern, who is a sixth grade teacher in New Jersey. Sarah blogs at The Reading Zone. When Stacey first asked me to write a guest blog for Two Writing Teachers I immediately accepted. Then I realized I would have to think of something… Continue reading The Doors of Poetry: Guest Blog Post by Sarah Mulhern
