Metaphor for the win on this last of our Poetry Pauses for Hope series.
Tag: writing
Poetry Pauses for Hope: Day 3
Hope can be complicated, and today’s poem explores that.
Poetry Pauses for Hope: Day 2
A recipe poem serves as a mentor text for students to think about what hope requires.
A Goodbye (of sorts) from Moving Writers
Allison and I started Moving Writers, the blog, nearly 12 years ago on the Monday we returned to school after attending NCTE. We named it as we walked through the courtyard to our classrooms. “It’s not about making better writing,” Allison said. “It’s about growing better writers.” We began with an aggressive posting schedule of […]
AI in the Classroom Can Be Like My Mother’s Microwave
I humbly suggest an alternative analogy for generative AI, more fitting for the classroom: the microwave.
And to help me elaborate on this analogy, I want you to meet my mom.
When AI Wrote the Essay: Four Strategies for Addressing AI Cheating with Students
What can we say to students when they turn in writing that was clearly manufactured by AI?
Metaphor as an Organizing Force in the College Entrance Essay
March 25, 2025 The college entrance essay: Should we teach it or shouldn’t we? This year, the guidance department of our high school, New Directions Secondary School in the Bronx, NY, asked me if I could teach a unit on the college entrance essay in our Juniors English class. In my career, the college entrance […]
Primary Sources and So Much More
Greetings this Monday morning. It’s March—the month of Spring Breaks—and teachers could not be looking forward to anything more after some long months to start the year. May your breaks be restful and productive for YOU, and may you find time to rejuvenate to make it all the way to the end of the school […]
Find a starting line: Using writing contests to reexamine writing skills and motivate writers
On a recent sunny October morning, I laced up my sneakers and set out on a run through golden tree-lined paths in a park close to my house. The run was at a mild pace, the air fresh, and I was daydreaming while running. I ended the run red-cheeked but not overly winded or strained. […]
Flash Proofreading Inspired by Rebekah’s Flash Revision
I tried Rebekah O’Dell’s Flash Revision and loved the results. Later in the unit, one of my students asked, “Why don’t you help me with a timer while proofreading too? It’s harder than revision.”
moving writers 