Updated End-of-Year Letter Guidelines

Here’s what I’m giving my students to work on over the course of three days this week:

Guide to End of the Year Letters to Ms. S.

NOTE: Your paragraphs do not need to follow this exact structure! It’s merely a guideline to help you if you’re stuck.

• Paragraph 1: What is your greatest accomplishment since March 2009? [...]

Thesis Statements

3 out of 18 Folders + Typed-Up Thesis Statements for the Entire Class
Originally uploaded by teachergal
Each of my students spent an extended time on the rug yesterday, crafting a thesis statement of his/her own for the essay they’re going to write. It was hard work, but they rose to the challenge! I actually [...]

good for the soul.

A blog which inspires me to find the big meaning in the moments of my life and then write about them is This Ordinary Day.  There are multiple contributors to the blog, which makes the stories rich and the reading experience powerful. 
For the past two days the posts have connected to me as a teacher.  Yesterday [...]

Values & Thesis Statements

Bubbl.us: Values and the Holocaust
Originally uploaded by teachergal

My students will be crafting their thesis statements for their essays today. As a pre-cursor to thesis creation, I had them complete a “Values Activity Sheet” from pg. 13 of the “This I Believe” Middle School Curriculum Guide. These were the values that seemed to be [...]

Teaching Tips Via You Tube.

Mindy Hoffar, leader of the All-Write Consortium, directed me to these You Tube videos.  Need a teaching tip in a minute or two?  Check out these!

What Should A Child Write About Over the Summer?

Annie tackled a question many parents ask teachers at the end of the school year yesterday on her blog.  Here’s an excerpt of her post, which she has authorized me to reprint in this forum:
Parents often ask me what they can do to make sure their children continue writing over the summer. Some children [...]

The Final Unit of Study

My students are embarking on their final unit of study of the school year. We’re doing research-based essays, which I’m attempting to tie-into the “This I Believe” Style. I have my teaching points and some of my charts (well, the ones for this week at least!) ready-to-go, but I’m still trying to write [...]

a text message.

i saw a workshop that is just like ours used 2 b!!! 

I received this message on my phone last week.  It came from a former student who was observing Writing Workshops as part of her cadet teaching experience.  After one of her observations, she sent the text.  Here are the reasons I feel compelled [...]

SOLSC – The Last One for May

 
It’s the final SOLSC of the month of May. Share a slice of your day with us by posting it as a comment.

Happy Memorial Day.

Today’s Memoir Monday post is inspired by Memorial Day.  Here is my little guy when he was only 6 months old. 
 

Try to remember… And if you remember…

Please share your memories with us today and every Monday.

Happy Birthday Stacey!

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Stacey
Happy Birthday to You!

Thinking of you today, my dear friend.  Watch your mail. 

Special Visitors

My parents stopped by their classroom to meet my students yesterday.  They were supposed to stay for a few minutes.  In reality, they stayed for over thirty.
There was no plan for their visit.  I pulled up two chairs for them to sit in, had each student introduce him/herself by name, and then said, “They [...]

Minilesson Power!

Earlier this week my schedule was changed, so I used the unexpected time in the high school classroom I’ve been in the last several months.  We are in the middle of major research projects, with the end result to be a video. 
After the initial surprise of seeing me, the teacher’s and my conversation unfolded and I asked about her [...]

End of Year Classroom Rituals

I’ve noticed that a post I wrote last June, about letters I have my students write to me at the end of each school year, has been getting a lot of clicks lately.
Since it seems like a lot of people are looking for ideas with how to end the school year with the same fanfare [...]

All-Write Summer Institute.

What do these people all have in common?

Carl Anderson
Max Brand
Aimee Buckner
Dan Feilgeson
Candace Fleming
Kelly Gallagher
Lester Laminack
Stephanie Parsons
Gary Schmidt
Frank Serafini
Jacqueline Woodson

Besides being leaders in the field, they are all going to be speaking at the All-Write Summer Institute on June 22 – 23 in Northern Indiana.  Interested in registering?  Go here

Ruth’s SOLS: Saturday Morning

A few minutes before 7:00 am and I hear the pitter-patter of feet making their way down the stairs.  I look up and see two giant smiles, “Good morning, Mom,” they say in unison.
“Good morning!” I respond as they run to hug me, “You guys are up early.”
The five year old begins pleading her case, [...]

Slice of Life Story Challenge

It’s the third SOLSC of the month of May. Share a slice of your day with us by posting it as a comment.

Ruth’s Memoior-ish Monday: Bridal Shower.

This weekend I went to a bridal shower and I was reminded of my own wedding preparations.  Isn’t it strange the way time plays with your mind? It seems like it was just a few months ago that I was the one opening presents, making final preparations, and counting down the days to be Mrs. Ayres.  [...]

Memories…

Please share your memories with us today and every Monday.

Reading Notebooks

Katie asked:

How often do you collect and look at notebooks or are you doing it as you conference with students?

I rarely read through a student’s notebook during a Writing Conference.  The reason is that I want to use the conference time to talk with them about their writing, what they’re working on at that very [...]

Our Motto Is True!

Apparently the Two Writing Teachers’ Motto, “Write: It’s Good for You” is true, according to a Penn State Researcher.  Click here to find out why writing can be good for your health.

communicate!

Both of my daughters are in school.  One attends a Christian preschool and the other attends public school.  Being on the “other side” of the school gig has opened my eyes to many, many things that I would have never been able to predict.  However, the number one thing I’ve realized is how essential communication is.
My [...]

Genres in My Upper Grade Classrooms

I’m plowing through the questions Katie asked, last week, methodically. Here are the two I’m going to answer today:
Which genres do you teach during the year?
Approximately how long do you spend in each genre and how many published pieces do you expect from them at the end of it?

Here’s a list of all of [...]

Testing Demands and Writing Workshop

Literacy Spark asked:
Do you have to deal with testing in writing…if not how would you deal with?  I’m trying to teach it as an immersion genre, like everything else but I’m meeting resistance from administration that wants “test prep.”
In short, I do deal with testing.  In fact, fourth graders in Rhode Island have to take [...]