Identity influences whether we engage with writing or not. Spending time on routines early in the year to help students develop a unique writing process and build a writerly identity pays off! Learn actionable steps to try this year, no matter your curricular resource.
Tag: writing process
“How To” Write: Using the Genre to Teach the Genre: Reflective Practice
Do you want to know how to write a book about how to write a book?
Designing Writing Units Where Students Choose the Product
Many of today’s students crave choice, freedom, and the excitement of exploring something new. This year, as you prepare to roll out your writing units, you may also want to reconsider the level of constraints within each unit. How and when might you invite students to choose the product that best fits their personal preference and intended audience?
Flailing and Feedback In Writing Process As Critical: KidLit Authors Share Why
Slowing down the brainstorming part of the writing process and recognizing the emotionality of feedback has big rewards for two published authors, in addition to our young classroom writers.
Ways to Warm Up for Writing (At All Ages and Stages)
Athletes warm up before practice, musicians warm up before a rehearsal--so why wouldn't writers warm up before writing?
Teaching Writing, Learning Writing
As I get ready for the March SOLSC, I'm thinking about ways to support writers when ideas, energy and inspiration waver.
A Step Back, A Leap Forward
Sometimes the most effective way to help writers leap ahead, is to slow things down and take a step back.
Discovering and Developing Student Writer Identity
For writers to grow, they must develop writer identities. How do we help them do that?
Making the Most of Pre-Assessments
We spend a week or so sharing stories, and building excitement for writing stories. We hand out notebooks with fanfare, and writers happily personalize them. They brainstorm ideas for stories they could write. And then we stand in front of the class and explain that today is the day we want each of them to… Continue reading Making the Most of Pre-Assessments
Sometimes we only write in writing workshop
My sixth graders have been busy drafting their feature articles this week, and I had a series of mini lessons planned to begin each writing workshop day. My students, however, had other ideas.
Keeping a writing blog: taking our writing workshop online
With the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge just around the corner, perhaps some of you are thinking more than ever about starting a class blog just for writing. Over the past few years, we have taken our writer's notebook online in my classroom, not just for the month of March, but for the entire… Continue reading Keeping a writing blog: taking our writing workshop online
Does “Published” Need to be “Perfect?”
There's a reason for second and third editions of really great books--a writer's work is never done, and is certainly never, ever perfect.

