Today’s guest post comes from Savannah Cordova, a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories. As a teacher, you have a shot at being that one unforgettable person who deeply motivates a creative writing class, […]
Author: Allison Marchetti
Mom, Teacher, Writer, Postpartum Doula.
Books: Writing with Mentors & Beyond Literary Analysis (Heinemann)
Teaching from 10 Mentor Texts
A few weeks ago, I attended a webinar from Matt Glover and Carl Anderson on Writing Workshop. At the end of the webinar, Carl held a live conference with an amazing middle grade student. She wanted some help with her poem about her family’s annual trip to the beach, this summer during the pandemic. “How […]
The American Teenager Project: An Update!
I’ve received many emails over the past few weeks about my 2014 post on The American Teenager Project, a book by Robin Bowman that showcases hundreds of interviews and photographs of teenagers around the world. In this post, I share how I’ve used this project to kick off writing workshop at the beginning of the […]
Guest Post! Mentor Text Wednesday: Linda Holmes’ “Rainbows, Frogs, Dogs, and ‘The Muppet Movie’ Soundtrack at 40”
Today’s guest writer Emily Sommer walks us through a mentor text by one of our favorite pop culture writers, showing how it makes for a truly instructive piece for students learning the art of rhetorical analysis. Emily teaches AP English Language and Composition, AP Seminar, and Mythology at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan. […]
Moving Writers’ Top Ten: Moving Writers Tries Writing Workshop for the First Time…in May
As is our habit, we are taking the summer away from the blog to read, write, and recharge. We’ll be back in late August with new content, but for the summer, let’s take a journey down memory lane as we visit our ten most-read posts from the previous school year! It’s never too late […]
Moving Writers Thrives at the End of the Year
Moving Writers Survives Thrives at the End of the Year In September I wrote a post about beginning the school year slowly and avoiding the instinct to “hit the ground running.” Today’s post is about that very same thing, except it’s May, so we’re thinking about ways we can begin to slow down and close […]
Moving Writers Holds Small Group Writing Instruction
Let’s talk small group writing instruction, an oft-underutilized tool in the secondary writing classroom but a mainstay of primary grade writing workshops. I still remember the special feeling of being called by my first grade teacher to the U-shaped table at the back of the room, and then dutifully returning to my desk to practice […]
Moving Writers Establishes Writing Partnerships
All morning I watch the clock. With two children underfoot and a sink of dirty dishes, I watch it tick closer to 2:00. I play magician with my son and rehearse some ideas for our meeting. In a moment of quiet, I jot down a few thoughts I want to share. I double check […]
Moving Writers Supports Absent Writers
As teachers we plan for the writers in front of us every day, but what about the students who aren’t in front of us? The students who are sick at home, at an away game, or visiting the doctor? In my early years of teaching, absent students created a lot of stress for me. “What […]
Moving Writers Finds Just-Right Mentor Texts
In this series, I am breaking down essential writing teacher habits and routines to help simplify your teaching life and create more space so you can do what you do best: actually teach! Today we’ll explore how to find “just-right” mentor texts, a topic requested by several readers. Please let me know what other topics […]
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