Mentor Texts: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Snaps by Rebecca Kraatz (Clifford, Gordon, Leonard) Writing Techniques: Creative Writing Graphic Storytelling Writing Memoir Background: As a kid, summer was often unlimited time to read. I still use as much of my summer in that fashion. Aside from being an awesome way to […]
Today’s guest post is from one of Rebekah & Allison’s colleagues, Maria Bartz. Maria is an English teacher at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, VA. She loves a clean white board for spontaneous think tank sessions with her inspiring colleagues, a fully charged laptop to explore the ever-growing world of educational technology, and big circle […]
Mentor Texts: Excerpt from Labors of the Heart by Claire Davis Writing Techniques: Word Choice Background: In Nova Scotia, where we usually spend July, there is an amazing chain of thrift stores. They usually have an interesting selection of books, which corresponds nicely with my having more time to read. This year, I really lucked […]
On Moving Writers and in Writing With Mentors, you get a taste of my classroom and a peek behind the curtain of my planning process. But what you see is only half the story. While I am passionate about writing instruction, it’s only one half of my instruction. I also teach literature — through whole […]
Mentor Text: Jesse Newton’s Facebook post about his Roomba and dog poop Writing Techniques: Anecdotal writing Descriptive writing Humour Background: I’m originally from Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. That means that there are a few things hardwired into my soul. One of these things is an appreciation for a good story. I […]
A challenging, fun, and engaging activity using Hamilton as a mentor text for character and theme analysis.
Now that it’s officially August, I’m starting to feel what I suspect many teachers feel this time of year—the all too familiar mix of anxiety and anticipation. While I use this time to cross off items on my summer bucket list—beach getaways, sticky popsicles, and poolside naps—I also use summer to reflect on all the […]
Today’s guest post is from Kelly Pace, Hanover County’s (Virginia) Teacher of the Year! She teaches 9th, 11th, and 12th grade English along with IB Theory of Knowledge. You might remember her from a post she wrote for us earlier in the year on teaching active & passive voice! Nineteen years ago, I found myself […]
The Internet has the power to connect people across the globe. I think we can all agree that’s already been well-established. The realization that I’ve recently had, though, is what a powerful impact this can have on my own professional learning. The first time I participated in a Twitter chat, I felt like a superfan […]
Writing With Mentors has a 9-12 label in the top right corner, but it isn’t only for workshop-centered high school teachers. There is something in this book for every writing teacher who wants to engage students, connect them with the real world of writing, draw direct links between reading and writing instruction, and ratchet up the […]
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