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 […]
Happy Holidays, friends! Alas, technology is getting me down today, so you’ll have to accept all my written words instead of a quick tip video this week. Thank you for being brave and carrying on. A few weeks ago, I shared one way of creating a triangle of communication between teacher, parent, and child […]
Happy December! Today, we have a request. Allison & I are hard at work on a new book with Heinemann, but we need your help. Actually, we need your voice. Literally. We want to know your burning questions about teaching with mentor texts. What do you just not quite get yet? What is standing between […]
(Sorry for the grainy sound today, folks!) Having students create documents that compile the writerly work in their notebooks has been a huge win! Students are able to share an often invisible process with their parents, they are able to share their reflections with me, and they are able to show themselves how far they […]
One of my greatest NCTE joys have been the times members of the Moving Writers team have gotten to join forces at NCTE. I love these people — their deeply-felt philosophies about teaching writing to make a difference in children’s learning and lives, their practical, boots-on-the-ground, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that brilliance. Here are some of the resources from […]
When I first moved from teaching middle school to teaching high school, I brought my workshop practice with me. At first, I was worried that this type of instruction wouldn’t meet the needs of my high school students, but it didn’t take me very long to realize that it was exactly what they needed. And […]
Sometimes I forget to make space for writers to communicate with me. In the hustle of the day-in-and-day-out, I slip into communicating AT kids instead of communicating WITH kids. One easy way I have found to change this is to make their writing goals super-visible — in the student’s face and in my face all […]
Screencast author’s notes are the perfect way to build a triangle of communication between parents, students, and the teacher! (And on the very, very most practical level, it gives me a class period at my desk to make sure everyone has submitted a best draft on time while students work!) Here are some resources to […]
Overview Docs help you communicate with every student in your room, but especially those who need support with copies of notes and those who are chronically absent! They also provide streamlined one-stop communication with administrators, parents, and colleagues. Here you can take a peek at a completed overview document from this school year! And […]
moving writers 