I’m rarely brave enough to try a terrifying new teaching idea on my own. Ask Allison. Or, these days, Sam. For years, I’ve been trying to psych myself up to teach a writing study on graphic novels or graphic essays, but because I am so woefully inept in the artistic realm, I never did it. […]
We get different versions of this question, a lot: “I love mentor texts. I totally see why they are beneficial. But my students are struggling to notice craft in them.” or “My students have gotten pretty good at noticing surface-level craft moves, but after they’ve noticed one or two things — they’re done. How do […]
Mentor Text: My Father’s Moustache by Ada Limon Techniques: Background – As I write this, I still have a few days left of the holiday break. We taught until mere days before Christmas, but have the whole first week of January off. It’s been a period of necessary recharging and relaxation in our household. In fact, […]
This year on Moving Writers, I am dusting off some old-but-wise books on my shelf about writing, creating a tiny review, then considering how one passage from the book can inform writing instruction today, even decades after the book was first published. This month, I’ll consider an excerpt from the book Poetry Is by Ted […]
Mentor Text: How a Poem Snapshots a Moment of Drama by Adam Sol Techniques: Background – I try to build little brain breaks for myself into the school day. That’s been vital these last couple especially challenging years. Access to a digital library has been incredibly helpful in this regard, as I don’t have to remember […]
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 […]
“How do you know what you’re going to do until you do it?” The Catcher in the Rye nearly concludes on that question as Holden Caulfield embarks on an uncertain, perhaps tentatively hopeful, future. In the classroom, we could adapt his question to ask: “How will we know how this turns out until we try […]
Mentor Text: Chiaroscuro by Billy Corgan Techniques: 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 better in […]
Consider it your holiday gift to your students: The gift of fun.
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