I started a new book the other day, and as I settled into it, it felt like I was returning to an old friend even though I’d never read it before. At first, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but as I kept reading, I realized that it felt very much like another […]
Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash My students love debating, but the conversations often stall when it comes to addressing environmental solutions. The discomfort experienced in this moment can be attributed to missing opportunities for discussing and practicing climate stewardship. Navigating unfamiliar language associated with environmental problem-solving can reinforce the sense that weighing environmental solutions […]
Mentor Text: Chiaroscuro by Billy Corgan Techniques: Parenthesis Editing Background – You may have noticed that I’ve settled into a bit of a rhythm in my Mentor Text Wednesday posts, alternating between prose and poetry. I may have mentioned this before, but perhaps 5 years ago or so, I really felt I wanted to do poetry […]
Sometime during the first week of school this year, I taped this note to my desk: I wanted this year to be different. Not just different than the last few years of COVID School, but different than all the other years of my teaching that valued efficiency and productivity almost above all. (I love efficiency. […]
Mentor Text: Purple World by Richard Wagamese Techniques: Introductions Conclusions Background – Sometimes, my path to a mentor text to share with you feels kind of random. We’re at the halfway point of the first semester, and I’ve been doing some planning for the second half. I was talking to one of my colleagues about this, […]
Mentor Text: Softball team at the ferry terminal after Provincials by Kirsten Pendreigh Techniques: Memoir Imagery Point of View Background – One of my favourite autumn traditions recently happened – I picked up a copy of The Best American Poetry 2022. And last year, I added The Best Canadian Poetry annual volume to this tradition. Perhaps […]
Mentor Text: 1986 from Music is History by Questlove Techniques: Writing about an image Changing opinions in writing Connecting memoir to something else Background – I love books about music. Memoirs, biographies and books that analyze music, any kind of music, even if I don’t really listen to it, just fascinate me. Last spring, I read […]
Mentor Text: untitled Olympic hockey poem by Richard Wagamese (arranged by Allan Hawco) Techniques: Editing Poetic Form Background – Is anyone else struggling to find the groove this year? I’m thankful that I have years of experience to draw on, and archives of lessons to tweak, to build new ideas upon. I’m using that this week […]
…In our classrooms, we can read for meaning, discuss meaning, and allow students to write things that mean something to them.
Mentor Text: an excerpt from Fairy Tale by Stephen King Techniques: Establishing voice Introduction Foreshadowing Background – One of the things I rediscovered during the pandemic was my love of the writing of Stephen King. The Kingcast podcast played a role in nudging me back his way. Listening to two fans and their guests analyze his […]
