“…in many writing classrooms, students are learning to write by not being allowed to do any of the things “real” writers do: make choices.”
Category: writing process
Exploring a Place Through Writing
Abigail’s first beat of the year takes you through a lesson you could do tomorrow. Discovering the importance of place and how through observation growing a deeper understanding of why place matters in our writing.
The Emotional Underlife of Writing
Through all the unprecedented changes the pandemic has brought into our classrooms, something that hasn’t changed and is highly unlikely to change is, how, despite seemingly perfect external conditions, the inner condition of the writer affects their writing.
3 Things I Learned About Writer’s Notebook From A Parent Email
It think it’s safe to say that for most of us, this school year felt like several different years. In my school there were remote portions, hybrid portions, five-day-return portions, and with just a few days left in the school year, a masks-optional portion. Texting teacher friends throughout the year, I have used a rickety […]
The Power of Writing Collaborative Fiction
The experience of writing a novel together didn’t inhibit individual creativity – it made them all want to go home and write more on their own.
Identity Synthesis: Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Revision
This year in my school district, my colleagues and I have held rich and ongoing conversations about ways to be more culturally and historically responsive in our curriculum and instruction. Within these conversations, we discovered that part of being more responsive in these matters involves valuing our students’ sense of identity in their learning. In […]
Using Writing as a Means of Mastery Assessment
When was the last time you took a multiple-choice test? For me, the last time I took a multiple choice test to demonstrate mastery was during our beginning of the year compliance training courses (you know, those courses we have to take every year). Here is the real question though: Did it show my mastery […]
Bridging Gaps Through the Power of Writing Through the Eyes of the Student
I have had a lot of conversations this year with teachers about expectations for students, specifically 9th grade and high school students, and it is clear that not everyone agrees on what the expectations should be for writers at the secondary level. Which, honestly is ironic considering the amount of standards and standardized assessments that […]
What Happens to Feedback When Conferring Gets Organized
Providing feedback that builds on conferring conversations can be a game changer…if you start keeping track of your conversations with writers!
Redefining Productivity for ELLs in the Writing Workshop
I kept trying to get better at giving students more independent writing time and ensure I conferred with every student every day. Yet, my ELLs continued to struggle in both their language proficiency and productivity. They wrote the least number of pieces every year.
moving writers 