Mentor Text: The Breakfast Club’s letter from The Breakfast Club Techniques: Self-expression Choosing Form Collaboration Background: This time around, I have something different for you. In our English department, we teach thematically. Each course has an overarching theme which connects the things we do. It’s a wonderful way to organize a course, and has paid numerous dividends over […]
Mentor Text: My Honest Poem by Rudy Francisco Techniques: Writing About Oneself Writing Poetry Background: In a recent planning session, I mentioned that I lean on poetry pretty hard in Grade 10. My colleague Rachelle replied that I lean pretty hard on poetry in all my courses. I can’t help it. There’s something about the expression […]
Mentor Text: The City of Lost Love by Kaitlyn Greenidge Techniques: Writing About Places Memoir Imagery Background – As I often proclaim in this space, my Twitter feed yields such a rich supply of resources and inspiration. It is often the place that the pieces I share here are found. Such is the case this […]
Mentor Text: When Did Will Smith Stop Being Cool? by Shea Serrano Techniques: Analysis Multi-media writing Background- Oh, it’s a busy time of year. Semester two began this week, which meant exams last week, and there are reports to finish up. Not to make excuses, but when it came time to write this installment of Mentor […]
Mentor Text: Ode to my Kitchen by Jacqueline Woodson Techniques: Tone Memoir Merging Narratives Delivering a Message Background- The internet is kind of a perilous thing for teachers isn’t it? I find myself alternating between excitement at how many resources it flings at me, and being overwhelmed by that very same thing. It can feel […]
Mentor Text: Tournament of Hearts by The Weakerthans Techniques: Extended Metaphor Background- Last weekend was a real treat. Amid the madness of kids’ activities, Christmas concerts, staff parties, and, well, the seeming sustained chaos that is normal life, my wife and I snuck out for a date. One of our favorite songwriters, John K. Samson, […]
Mentor Text: Just a Girl by Elizabeth Ditty Techniques: Writing memoir Organization Creative Transitioning Background- I’ve pretty openly expressed my love for Memoir Mixtapes here. As their header states, they’re “The ultimate mashup of the two things we all love to talk about: ourselves & music.” This makes them such a lovely source to mine […]
Mentor Text: ‘Start Here’ by Mari Andrew Techniques: Writing Memoir Organization Background- If you’re a regular visitor to Moving Writers, or follow any Moving Writers contributors on Twitter, then Mari Andrew needs no introduction. A wonderful creator expressing herself through image and words, she presents her thought with an openness and honesty that strikes a chord […]
Mentor Text: Five Truths and a Lie about Paxton Avenue by Jose Olivarez (pdf) Techniques: Writing Memoir Using a Structure Background – In the first paragraph of this column, I usually reference my Twitter feed. I follow a lot of poets, not only because they share their work, but the poetry community is wonderful at sharing […]
Mentor Text: The Last Jedi and the 7 Basic Questions of Narrative Drama (video essay) by Sage Hyden Techniques: Using A Structure To Defend A Thesis Using Subcategories to Organize Argument Layering Evidence Addressing Counterpoint Without Losing Focus Addressing Canon While Discussing A Modern Text Literary Analysis Background – My Twitter feed actually represents my career […]
