Conferring with writers has always been the hardest part of workshop teaching for me. When it goes well, a writing conference is where the energy is, where the lightbulb turns on, where the writing and the writer move forward. But it takes a lot of work to train writers to have a meaningful, energizing writing […]
Says she wants to dance to a different groove Now you know what to do G bust a move – – Young MC Among my all-time NCTE highlights came this year as members of the Moving Writing crew gathered in real life to share some of our favorite writing moves to support writers throughout […]
One of the best things about the Moving Writers community is the open sharing that happens here, as well as the sharing and discussion that occurs in our Twitter PLN. People ask questions, have them answered, find inspiration and share ideas and resources on a regular basis. It’s quite remarkable, and shows the importance of […]
Have you ever considered how many aphorisms there are for good writing? Show, don’t tell. Write what you know. To write well, read. First drafts are crap. Adverbs are the devil. And so on. But there’s one tidy little truth that haunts me over and over and reminds me that my job is not […]
Today’s post comes from Amy Estersohn, a middle school English teacher in New York and a 2016 recipient of the NCTE/ALAN Gallo Grant. She writes comic book reviews for noflyingnotights.com and blogs on books and teaching at teachingtransition.wordpress.com Mentor text: Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown Writing Techniques: Elaboration Story Structure Effective […]
This piece explores ways to let your below-grade-level learners imagine and envision a pathway to their career aspirations all through the use of research writing.
Can you picture the student who has just said this in a writing conference? He smoothes the pages of his notebook to reveal countless scribbles and doodles that he has spent the past few days getting down. He has generated multiple ideas for his next writing project. He has done his homework. But he sits […]
Mentor Text Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie Writing Techniques: Reflective Writing A Deliberate Shift Making Connections Background: A funny thing about teaching is how we revisit things. Sometimes, it’s because we teach the same texts or units of studies, the same courses. We revisit things because we need to refresh or remix them. This […]
Our school has committed to working on addressing mental health issues with our students this year. Our students are carrying heavy burdens and we–the adults in their lives–need to figure out ways to help them cope with them. So, when this popped up in my Twitter feed last night, I naturally thought of my […]
It’s hard to imagine that anything could be missing from the English teacher extravaganza that is NCTE. But if anything is missing, it is mandatory reflection time — time away from the learning and the exhibit hall (and the cheerleaders), to process. To be still. To think. To make a plan for the future. Right […]
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