I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about literary essays lately. The topic first came up in early May when I was consulting with a third grade teacher who I had worked with earlier in the school year. I asked her how her year had been going and she lamented about having so many… Continue reading When’s the right time to start writing literary essays?
Inspiration for an Independent Writing Project
With the school year wrapping up, I'm assuming that many of you are starting your final units of study. I'm sure many of you are doing an independent writing project unit so as to get your students ready to go off and write independently this summer. When I received a review copy of Todd H.… Continue reading Inspiration for an Independent Writing Project
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Share Your Story
Stories are as unique as the people who tell them, and the best stories are those in which the ending is a surprise. At least, that's what Travis Parker recalled his dad telling him when he was a child. Travis remembered the way his dad would sit on the bed beside him, his mouth curling… Continue reading Share Your Story
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Ruth’s SOLS: 16 May 2010
Late, I know, but sometimes things are just too fresh to write about on demand. Here is what I was hoping I could get out yesterday. Grey skies surrounded our little gathering. Some were missing, yet even though they were half a globe away, they still seemed present. There were thirteen of us. Three daughters. Two sons-in-law.… Continue reading Ruth’s SOLS: 16 May 2010
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Book Reviewing Policy
We've been reviewing a lot more books on this blog in the past year. Therefore, it's time for us to share a review policy, inspired by The Reading Zone and The Well-Read Child Blogs. Types of Books Ruth and I review professional teaching books, as well as books for children and young adults, which teachers… Continue reading Book Reviewing Policy
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Share your writing today!
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What Goes in a Writer’s Notebook?
One of the things which took me a few years to really understand is what goes in a writer's notebook. It was one of those thinking journeys which twisted and turned through many ideas, brainstorms, trials, and errors and eventually emerged on the other side with a basic understanding that seems simplistic. Everything I put… Continue reading What Goes in a Writer’s Notebook?
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Words that are Speaking to Me
"Indeed, the more she wrote, the louder the stories seemed to grow, swirling in her mind, pressing against her head, anxious for release. She didn't know whether they were any good and in truth she didn't care. They were hers, and writing them made them real somehow. Characters who'd danced around inside her mind grew… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me
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Procedures
My school is putting together pertinent lessons for the first few weeks of school to make launching Reading and Writing Workshop more succinct. So for the past few weeks I've been considering the most important procedures to ensure a solid Writing Workshop. I believe procedures will make or break Writing Workshop. So, I'm wondering, what… Continue reading Procedures
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Punctuating Dialogue
Have you ever noticed how challenging it is for kids to punctuate dialogue correctly? (Let's be honest... there are many adults who have this problem too!) I'm not in favor of utilizing grammar worksheets to teach this to kids since that doesn't get them to really notice how real authors do it. Sure, they can… Continue reading Punctuating Dialogue
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How’s Your Writing Workshop Going?
As the year winds down, now is a perfect time to reflect on your Writing Workshop. Here are a few questions I'm mulling over this week. What did I do well this year as a writing teacher? What did I do differently this year in Writing Workshop? Why did I try this new idea? Will I… Continue reading How’s Your Writing Workshop Going?
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Ruth’s SOLS
Tuesday @ 5:58 am: Putting the tea cup in the dishwasher, Sam says, "There's nothing like a cup of hot fresh tea to start the day off right."
