A few weeks ago, I blogged about different ways writers can share and publish their work in the classroom. In today’s post, I zoom in on one of those options: creating an audio recording of a piece of writing. “Here, try it,” I said, nudging the fluency phone towards Cameron, a 9th grade writer. “I […]
As teachers, we’re always thinking of ways to make grammar less scary for students. Most students would say that grammar is a set of rules, so we have to work hard to undo this restrictive thinking and help them see grammar as a series of possibilities rather than limitations. Recently I have said to my […]
Now that Writing with Mentors is in your hands, we’d love to hear from you! Between now and November 15, write a review of the book and post it to our book page on Amazon for a chance to WIN a CUSTOM cluster of mentor texts for you and your students! Your review will enter […]
In the last three years I have moved from a paper system to an almost exclusively digital system in writing workshop. Finding a good rhythm in a digital environment requires just as much thought as in a paper environment. After a lot of experimentation, I think I’ve landed on a workflow that satisfies my student […]
As publication day approaches, I feel a little anxious. No matter how well the study has gone and how strong the products are, I never know quite what to expect of publication day. Because I sometimes used to skip from one study to the next without setting aside time for sharing and publication, I now […]
This summer a good friend introduced me to the Slow Home podcast about simple, intentional living and slowing down. I started with episode 5, “Rhythm, Baby,” about the differences between rhythm and routine. In this episode, the host Brooke McAlary discusses the differences between the two and explains how they play out in her life […]
It seemed too good to be true when I first happened upon it: a database with hundreds of free Hollywood movie scripts, ready to download and dig in to for writing studies! I had landed upon The Internet Movie Script Database (not to be confused with the International Movie Database) — an amazing resource for writing workshop. I […]
If you haven’t checked out Rebekah’s series on analysis, stop what you’re doing and go read about her brilliant work with her IB students! I’ve never been more excited to teach analysis than after reading her thoughtful blog series. I’m going to piggyback on her posts and share something that I have found useful in the […]
On Thursday, April 30, Rebekah and I are presenting at the Central Virginia Writing Project’s Spring Writing Mini-Conference at the University of Virginia. We will be talking about using mentor texts (surprise!) and also about our experience of turning our teaching ideas into a blog and eventually a book. If you attend one of our […]
T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruellest month.” Sadly, this observation rings true for many students. I don’t know what it is about April, but it seems to bring on the stress, boredom, and lack of motivation that one would normally associate with months like December and February. The guidance counselor at our school recently […]
moving writers 