Previously on Stefanie’s Moving Writers Posts (or, perhaps for the sake of this TV-style intro, As the Pencil Sharpens): In writing conferences with seniors last month, the most popular response to the question “If you could write anything, what would you like to be writing right now?” was “a short story.” And so, on today’s […]
Recently …
Mentor Text Wednesday: No Man’s Land
Mentor Text: No Man’s Land – an album from Frank Turner Tales From No Man’s Land – a podcast series from Frank Turner Techniques: Presenting Research Non-fiction Narrative Podcasting Background – Looking through my Mentor Text Wednesday posts, or scanning my Twitter feed will no doubt reveal the fact that I’m a music fan. A […]
Writing Workshop Communication: Using Overview Docs to Communicate with Students
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 […]
A Moving Writers Meet Up At #NCTE19
We are getting so excited about #NCTE19 rolling around, and we would love to hang with you, dear readers! So, if you’re going to be in Baltimore, please come grab a drink and hang with us for a bit! You can also see the team present together on Saturday at NCTE! We’ll address some frequent stumbling […]
Troy and Abed: Reading, (Not) Writing, and…Leaving?
This year at Moving Writers, I’ll be dedicating some of my posts to exploring the ways I try to help two of my students, who I’ve nicknamed Troy and Abed. I’ve chosen them as a focus for the year partially because I already know them from their freshman and sophomore years, having worked closely […]
Teacher as Writer: Fishing from the Wastebasket
Folks, we are over-the-moon excited to introduce you to our newest contributing writer, Stephen Briseño. This year, Stephen, an English teacher and writer, will be writing to encourage US to pick up the pen (or keyboard) and become writers ourselves. We are SO happy to have him on the Moving Writers team. Here’s his bio: […]
Mapping Our Writing Identities
I’ve decided that structuring professional learning that supports teachers with strategies they can take back to the classroom just isn’t enough. I need to also build teachers’ own efficacy and identity as a writer.
Just Like Starting Over: “Sparking Joy”
Last Spring, my wife found out she’d been accepted to a PHd. program across the country. As we prepared to move, my mother-in-law introduced us to the work of “Tidying Consultant” and Netflix star, Marie Kondo. I am certainly no expert, having only read the pages of her book on how to best fold clothes […]
Balance in the ELA Classroom: Setting the Tone
Last June I discovered a woefully neglected plant in my house. My husband urged me to toss it out, but I was sure I could bring it back to life. Sure enough, by August, a little sun and tlc had it flourishing again. I posted the comparison pic on Twitter and someone pointed out that […]
Writing Workshop Communication: Showing Classroom Visitors What to Look For
I want to take the reigns of my classroom narrative by showing anyone who visits what successful learning looks like in my classroom and what they can do to positively interact with the learning that’s happening. Essentially, I am communicating my expectations for me, my students, and I am communicating my expectations for them as a […]
