Whether you are returning to school virtually or face-to-face or something in between, we all need help envisioning how we will keep reading AND writing workshops thriving this year! We all need a sounding board, cheerleaders, and regular support. Let’s build a community! Community members will receive: A monthly newsletter filled with exclusive articles on adapting BOTH […]
Dear poetry-loving English teacher friends, Last week, we paused. We paused because the kids needed a pause, and we needed a pause. In every way, I think all of us are trying to find that happy medium right now between all and nothing. But here we are again — week 4, the final week of our poetry […]
Hello, friends, I hope you had a good week last week. I hope you’re feeling well, and that the people you love are feeling well, too. This week’s poetry work is focused on a strange pairing: imagery and concision. It seems like imagery is requisite for any kind of poetry study. However, I find that most […]
Hello, friends, It’s another week of distance learning — and boy, are we all learning. To tell you the truth, I’m grateful for the distraction of the learning right now. Less time to surf the news. 🙂 This week, my students will be thinking about line and stanza breaks and how poets do this intentionally to […]
Hello, dear friends and brave teachers, I’m going to dispense with the bells and whistles because none of us have time for that. Since my students are at home for the rest of the year, I’ve made some on-the-fly adjustments to our curriculum (like: No Macbeth By Yourself at Home!) and, so, come up with […]
One of my favorite things about being part of a community of English teachers both in my building and online (Hi Teacher Twitter Buddies!) is that every once in a while this really fun thing happens where a piece of writing gets published somewhere with really powerful voice or a really fun structure and all […]
Writing for an audience isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about engaging in a community of thinkers and learning from the process.
Publishing is a big part of writing workshop — whether students publish in Teen Ink or through a writing contest or simply by sitting in the “author’s chair” (something middle and high school students still love, surprisingly) and reading their favorite line. But often the school community, administrators, and parents miss these big moments. They just […]
A question I hear again and again is that while writing workshop seems great for eager writers and high-achieving students, but can it really work for students who aren’t natural writers? When I get this question, I emphatically say, “YES! Writing workshop helps every writer take their work to the next level because it is […]
Allison & I are working (feverishly) on a new book — have we mentioned it? And we desperately want your voice to be in it! So, we’re hosting a little writing activity this month. It’s a great way to get your feet wet with mentor texts yourself, it’s a useful way to reflect mid-year about […]
moving writers 