Why do the details matter? Abigail talks about taking your students writing and reflections deeper with a couple moves in writers workshop with the help of mentors and figurative writing.
Category: mentor texts
Mentor Text Wednesday: The Graveyard Book
Mentor Text: excerpts from The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Techniques: Descriptive Writing Background – I’ve shared pretty openly that there are a few parts of my practice as an English teacher that have made teaching during a pandemic easier. One of those things has been the fact that at our school, each of our courses […]
Genius Hour, but for Writers
Breather Routines and the Misdiagnosis of Writing Stamina I produce a podcast called Write Answers, and about a month ago, Beth Rimer (co-director of the Ohio Writing Project) and I recorded an interview in which she talked about a between-unit-plans break that she called “Breather Routines.” A Breather Routine can be a 1-3 week series […]
Mini-Mentors for Fixing Run-Ons and Comma Splices
In almost two decades (!!!) of teaching, I’ve taught every grade 7-12. And whether I’m teaching 12-year olds or 19-year olds, run-ons and comma splices abound. I’m not going to spend time here theorizing about why this is true. I suspect that if I interviewed my high school English teachers, they’d say it was prevalent […]
Using Reading Responses to Think, Write, and Talk About Race
A Portrait of an English Department’s Racial Reckoning: Using Reading Responses with Critical Race Theory K. Keener (www.kakeener.com) has taught English in a variety of contexts across four continents and all levels for 21 years in total. She began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zimbabwe and most recently taught at Horace Greeley High School […]
Reading As Writers: Big Picture and Closeup
Great student writers, the ones whose work I can’t wait to read, notice what writers do and begin to see how it all works together.
Mentor Text Wednesday: Hairy Legs and All
Mentor Text: Hairy Legs and All by Stephen Graham Jones Techniques: Writing Horror Defying Conventions Editing Background – My pandemic “thing” was finally becoming a podcast listener. One of my favorites, as you’ll know if we’re Twitter mutuals is The Kingcast, a Stephen King podcast hosted by wonderful pop culture writers Scott Wampler and Eric Vespe. […]
Writing With Ross Gay’s BOOK OF DELIGHTS to Teach Positive Psychology
Today’s guest post is from K. Keener. K. Keener (www.kakeener.com) has taught English in a variety of contexts across four continents and all levels for 21 years in total. She began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zimbabwe and most recently taught at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York. Currently, she is taking […]
28 Mini-Mentors for Prompt-Based Writing
Catch up on my series this fall. Last month I shared mini-mentors for review writing! Sadly, some students only write in response to prompts in English class. Whether it’s daily journaling prompts or larger essay prompts, these students miss out on one of the toughest parts of an authentic writing practice: developing ideas. Still, both […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Denialist Glossary
Mentor Text: Denialist Glossary by Daniel Heath Justice Techniques: Critical thought about Word Choice Deconstructing language use Background – As I write this, a group of teachers at my school has been prepping a series of lessons to deliver to our student body around next week, as we recognize Truth and Reconciliation Week here in Canada. […]
moving writers 