Invite students to think critically and write about their hometowns using these easy-on-the-ears mentor texts!
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Moving Speakers with “Mentor TEDs”
Early March is Optimist Club Oratorical Contest season in the freshman English classes at my school. Since our local Optimist Club chapter hosts its regional meet at our school in April, my department decided long ago to make the annual oratorical contest a component of our freshman speech unit. The prompts for the oratorical […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Chris Prunckle’s Wannabe, A Visual Review
Chris Prunckle’s Wannabe, a six-panel comic strip, combines artistry and critical review for the perfect writing project.
Books that Move Us: The Revision Toolbox (Georgia Heard)
From revision checklists to quick exercises to suggested talking points for strategic conferences and an appendix replete with graphic organizers, The Revision Toolbox is brimful with use-in-your-classroom-tomorrow ideas. But it also vibrates with inspirational quotes and big ideas.
Mentor Text Wednesday: The Berlanti Opening Monologue
Using American film and tv writer Greg Berlanti’s opening monologue (think Dawson’s Creek, Everwood, Political Animals, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow!) to teach everything from characterization to brevity to voice!
Mentor Text Wednesday: Rock ‘N Roll Satire
Your students will love rocking out to this satirical mentor text.
Mentor Text Wednesday: Anthology Inspiration
Using a variety of geeky, awesome pop culture anthologies in our classroom can be the way to our students’ pens––and hearts.
Making Time for Vocabulary Instruction that Matters
Years and years ago, before I had been bitten by the writing workshop bug, I became obsessed with vocabulary instruction. My school used a series of vocabulary workbooks at each grade level, and I had witnessed how that approach didn’t worked. Not for real. Not for the long term. Some students would dutifully memorize the […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Anthology Introductions
Anthologies are mentor text goldmines!
In Search of a More Meaningful, Effective, Enduring Way to Teach Grammar
My whole teaching life I have been in search of a way to teach grammar that is meaningful, effective, and enduring. I have tried bits and pieces of other people’s curricula for years––Kelly Gallagher’s Sentence of the Week, Nancie Atwell’s editing sheets and proofreading lists––but I’ve never been able to find my groove with these […]
moving writers 