In the 2020-2021 school year, the Inside the Blended Workshop Community was founded to help teachers navigate the unknowns of teaching in a pandemic, teaching students in person and online simultaneously, and moving our common practices to a fully blended-learning world. Now, Inside the Blended Workshop is becoming the Moving Writers Community — a group […]
Over the last few months, I’ve been sharing different kinds of language field guide entries that help students explore words and make discoveries about language. (My first installment shared the basics of choice word field guides, the easiest and most fundamental way we explore words. My second post talked about exploring significant words in a text + in […]
This semester, I’m sharing how my students create language field guides to intentionally and systematically explore words in their reading, their writing, and their lives, not just memorize parts of speech and definitions. My first installment shared the basics of choice word field guides, the easiest and most fundamental way we explore words. My second […]
It’s true: six years ago, we wrote another book on mentor texts. So, you might be wondering: what’s new in A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts? How is it different? What will you find there? The answer? SO, so very much. I made a quick little video tour to show you some of our favorite […]
Our newest book, A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts, 6-12, comes out in just two weeks! For a limited time, you can get 40% off the list price by pre-ordering and entering the code MENTOR at checkout! And if you pre-order, we’d love to have you join our book club! Just email us your payment […]
Here’s my first post in this series that will give you some background on Language Field Guides as well the foundation of choice word field guide entries. Language field guides are a place where readers + writers make discoveries about the language they explore. It’s how I approach vocabulary instruction in a way that’s meaningful, […]
In sixteen years of teaching, I have only had less than one handful of students who truly, thoughtfully attended to word choice. It’s gritty and granular — the work of scrutinizing each and every word, turning it over in your mind, considering every other possibility, and landing on the very best word. Few middle or […]
Conferring with students about their reading and writing is one of those things I never feel like I will completely master. There will always be new ideas for simplifying, streamlining the process + making those conversations even more productive for students. Especially this year. Fortunately, Hattie + Mike love this stuff + are sharing ideas […]
Ever since Marilyn Pryle’s Reading With Presence I have kept her book on the edge of my desk and picked it up every single week. The simplicity and elegance of Marilyn’s reading responses unlocked something for me — something that streamlined and systematized reading instruction, something that made my goals clear to me and clear […]
We are SO excited that Classroom Essentials: A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts is finally available for pre-order and so close to being in your hands. We have poured our hearts into this book over the last two years to bring you the most streamlined book about teaching with mentor texts that we could imagine. […]
