When planning any genre study, we can ponder: How can the experience children have with this genre become more like the experience they can have with it in the world? In doing so,… Continue reading
There are times students need tools to grow, but then there are times when tools can create possibilities beyond expectations and inspire writers in new and creative ways. When I think about how… Continue reading
Are students constrained when they write five-paragraph essays? If we change our working definition of essay writing, then we can teach beyond the five-paragraph essays we often see in schools.
Instead of being delegated to April only, poetry can be a pathway. We can make the deliberate choice to lead our students down this road on our way to learning and sharing new information, telling a story, discovering a person from history, persuading others, playing with language, responding to reading, opportunities for collaboration, and alternatives to morning work. Poetry should be woven into the fabric of your curriculum and, can be the new road you travel down to reach many goals and objectives. Please include your favorite poetry titles in the Padlet linked in the post!
We’re less than one month away from our month-long writing challenge! Get warmed up for our “March Marathon” by writing every Tuesday this month!
So many stories, so many possibilities for weaving narrative writing into other genres– and so much fun we can have doing it!
What do you find most challenging when it comes to the writing process? Have you considered a writer’s process as personal and unique or a step-by-step path rarely disrupted?
All week at Two Writing Teachers we will be writing about how we can expand the possibilities of the genres you teach throughout the year.
Here are three things I’m working on, right now, in the first week of February.
Here’s an idea for using art to inspire students who are reluctant to use mentor texts. After all, creating something beautiful — inspired by someone else’s work — is something artists, and writers, often do.
What is happening in your corner of the world? Share your story.
Prepare yourself for some exquisite words to get your writing week off to a wonderful start.
Although I’m not typically a fan of stand-alone activities, this exercise, presented at last year’s NCTE Conference, incorporated many positive elements aimed at supporting writers working doing argumentative work…
We are still looking for Welcome Wagon volunteers to provide new slicers with a daily audience. Please consider joining us!
Look around! Sometimes the simplest story is hiding in an unimaginable place.
What we place on the walls of a classroom tells students, or any other person who enters the room, what is valued most, and what we should value most in our classrooms is student work.
The writing work in our building is transforming, and it is exciting to be a part of the change, to witness the impact on kids as we make our workshops increasingly authentic and compelling.
We are constantly reflecting on what’s working—what’s leading to measurable shifts in how we plan for writing (and how kids experience writing)—as well as where we might be getting stuck: places there is genuine motivation to transform the task, and yet, our best intentions are still missing the mark in some significant way.
Blogging is a way to help students develop voice, a sense of audience, build digital citizenship, sharpen writing skills and connect to each other in new ways. Are you ready to sign your students up for the April 2020 Classroom SOLSC? Read on for all the details!
This March, we’ll host the 13th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge.
Whether you’re looking to begin a Forest School routine, connect children to nature, or integrate writing with play, this post outlines ways to begin.
