When we’re new at doing something, we try to achieve perfection too soon. Greatness isn’t something that can be achieved when we begin teaching writing using a workshop approach. It helps to extend ourselves some grace and accept being “good enough” when we start.
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We can change up how we are teaching depending on the situation and circumstances, but in order to do that, we have to know some choices and moves we can make. Knowing this, there are a few quick ways we can think about repertoire within our whole group instruction.
The truth… I’d rather not talk about spelling. There are more important things in a writing workshop, than to talk about spelling. Spelling well is a good thing. When we edit what we write, it is profusely important, but it has nothing to do with growing a writer.
When we focus on spelling or grammar correctness, the growing writer becomes stifled.
As a new teacher, I sometimes made assumptions about my students that may not have been based in reality. Of course, this is human to do so. We all make assumptions at times. But when it comes to teaching writing, what if we replaced the act of making assumptions with curiosity? What if we worked to make curiosity our best friend in our teaching?
While every day is an opportunity to practice kindness, put our arms around the people we love, and cherish all that is good in our lives, perhaps today is an especially good day to remember the importance of doing those things.
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Do your writers know how strategies can help them reach their destination? Better yet, do they know where they are going?
Do students realize all the different ways they can write about the same topic? In this post, I share how I wrote about “roller coasters” in different genres to model for my students the many possibilities!
Do you consider yourself to be a perfectionist? Are there students in your classroom who might be described as perfectionists?
Writing workshop thrives when a community of children come together as writers who know each other. The first six weeks of school is when we build community. Here’s one way to build relationships and encourage kids to write about one of their favorite things simultaneously.
Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of Eric Carle and Friends’ newest book, What’s Your Favorite Food?
Welcome to the Slice of Life Story Challenge. Write your post. Share it with the community. Comment on at least three other posts. This month, I have collected some quotes from Toni Morrison… Continue reading
A move to a school in my Brooklyn neighborhood has me questioning my role as a white teacher of young, Black writers — and what my former role was as a white teacher of white students.
For students, a read aloud is a serious tool. It is a source of building community, language, literacy, and much more. Read alouds offer a lot for the growth of a reader, but… Continue reading
The more that we understand the distinctive characteristics of the intelligences, the better we can recognize ways to differentiate for learners, honoring the spectrum of learning styles that exist in not only our classrooms, but also our world.
During the revision phase of the writing process, I find that many writers will often ‘tinker’ rather than really revise for meaning. Perhaps you’ve see similar behaviors in your middle school writers? Read on to learn a few tips for spicing up revision!
It’s Tuesday! Time to write, share and give!
As teachers, we have tools we use across the day and toolkits we use within our writing workshop. As I get ready for my second week of school here is a glimpse at the tools my writers will be gathering this week as we get further into the routines of our writing workshop!
What are your hopes for your writers this year and how will you start the year with those hopes in mind? Read on to see my plans for starting writing workshop with passion and purpose.
One thing we can do to support all writers, is to be intentional in the topics and story ideas we use as models and mentors. Modeling a wide range of stories and ideas can help each of your writers be inspired.
