As the storytelling culture is developed in the classroom, children are likely to begin to see themselves as authors and to use their voices in braver ways to share their ideas and who they are with their peers.
Revving Up Opinion Writing– Or Any Unit!
Truth: Any unit at any point in the year has the potential to lose energy, and adding some play has the power to rev a unit right back up.
Reading + Talk + Writing = Innovative Expression Opportunities!
One way to keep writing interesting and fun right now is with the writing of life equations, supporting students in finding phrases to add together to capture small moments, experiences or feelings in their lives.
Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge
Join us today for the Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge!
ICYMI: Reflections and Shifts As We Move Forward
Today marks the end of the May blog series, Reflections and Shifts As We Move Forward. Did you miss a post in this series? I've got you covered! Read on for links to all the posts in the series and the announcement of our giveaway for The Responsive Writing Teacher!
Family Resources for At-Home Learning: Reflections and Shifts As We Move Forward
This post is a look back at the resources I created to support families with at-home learning throughout the pandemic, and some ideas for supporting families in the future.
Cross-Content Connections: Reflections and Shifts As We Move Forward
A topsy turvy year brings with it surprises. Some have been valuable enough to carry forward. I'm looking forward to bringing the best of the year with me and letting the challenges become a memory.
Multimodal Writing: Reflections and Shifts As We Move Forward
Universal Design emphasizes the importance of offering students ways to express what they know and are able to do in various ways. Multimodal writing not only provides multiple ways of expression, it inspires creativity and innovation, skills that matter in life.
Leveraging Technology to Amp up Feedback for Writers: Reflections and Shifts as we Move Forward
In this topsy-turvy year, when I was not expecting to teach a remote kindergarten class, I was also not expecting to discover strategies for upping my feedback game with writers—strategies that I plan to continue using once the world has righted itself and workshop is in-person again.
Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge
Join us for the Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge!
Improved Conferences: Reflections and Shifts As We Move Forward
As the 2020-21 school year progressed, some teachers reported improved one-to-one conferences when they were conducted through a screen. As students and teachers became more comfortable sharing their screens and recording videos, virtual conferences felt more natural. There are some aspects of virtual writing conferences that can be carried forward once everyone is back to school in-person 100% of the time and/or the masks get to come off indefinitely.
Putting Social Emotional Learning in All We Do: Reflections and Shifts Moving Forward
The research is pretty detailed and consistent that the relationship between teacher and student matters a great deal. It affects their sense of belonging, their relationships with peers, and affects their learning.

