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! “You have to learn the […]
Category: mentor texts
#SalemWildcatsRead: Using Mentor Texts to Create a Community of Readers
As much as I hate to admit it, I was not much of a reader in high school. It’s not that I didn’t like reading. I did. I just didn’t know what to read. My friend would buy books every now and then and pass them along to me. I would read them and enjoy […]
TFMTF: Thanos, Endgame, and other Writing “Marvels”
I’ve been a film fanatic since college, so my Twitter feed has a disproportionate share of film criticism amidst all the excellent educator voices. One of the better sites I’ve discovered for film coverage is Film School Rejects (Twitter handle: @oneperfectshot). They often just tweet singular frames from films which makes for great visual analysis […]
Be Young! Have Fun! Teach Satire!
In one of her posts not so long ago, Hattie outlined a case for teaching a modern satire piece–a riff on the infamous A Modest Proposal. In her piece, she argues that there are three reasons the piece was worth examining in class alongside the original. I’d like to revisit two of those today as […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: The City of Lost Love
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 […]
Navigating Vulnerability Part 2: De-Centering the Teacher
When we take on coaching or other leadership roles, we aren’t going to get anywhere with those we’re leading unless we recognize the vulnerabilities they’re facing. Last month, I started a mini-series of posts on this idea. Each post in the series will tackle a different vulnerability by exploring: How to recognize the vulnerability in […]
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 […]
Navigating Vulnerability Part 1: Content-Related Skills
Anyone who takes on a coaching role likely finds themselves navigating the deep waters of vulnerability several times a day. It’s tricky and oftentimes uncomfortable. Vulnerability can manifest itself in many different ways. We’re all learners, and we’re all human, after all. Some of us shrink back; others get defensive. Sometimes, as a coach, I’m […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Ode To My Kitchen
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 Wednesday: Tournament of Hearts
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, […]
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