Living Like Writers: Food

Food seems to be a common theme around many folks’ Memoir Monday and Slice of Life Stories this week.  To that end, I’ve been cooking a lot more lately now that I’m getting settled into our home.  I’ve been pulling recipes out of cookbooks and from Cooks’ Illustrated, which is fast-becoming my new favorite cooking [...]

Mentor Text Thursday: Editorials.

This week I thought it would be fun to focus on some mentors of editorials.  This genre, which is typical for middle and high school writers, is among my favorite to teach.  The primary reason it is my favorite?  Because of these outstanding editorialists!
(Note:  I try to pull articles that represent both sides of current [...]

500,000

Swan Boats: Boston — June 2009

Originally uploaded by teachergal

A few days ago, one of our readers pointed out that we were getting close to having a half-million hits here on TWT. Today 500,000 hits became a reality.
On behalf of both of us, thank you for being part of our blog about the [...]

Professional Talk: The Walls of Your Classroom

Each week I receive, The Big Fresh, an e-newsletter from Choice Literacy.  This week’s feature is entitled “There’s Room for Me Here.” As I began reading through the article, it resonated with the Responsive Classroom Training I received three summers ago.  Essentially, the bottom line is to make your classroom feel welcoming for your students, [...]

Welcome Slicers!

Need some inspiration?  Check out this post and the comments from the weekend!  Thanks everyone for participating in Living Like a Writer.  If you participated and haven’t left a comment, it’s not too late — the comments are still open!    Tracy even made a video!  Make sure to check it out!

I’m Back to Host Memoir Monday!

It’s so great to be back and blogging again. In the past month, I’ve been in six states and have unpacked countless boxes (with the help of my dear family). So many memories to write about from this past month… what will I write about today? Hmmmm… (I’ll post my entry [...]

Living Like Writers: Collecting Stories.

Earlier this week, I posted about finding meaning in the everyday stories of our lives.  I ended the post with this line:

So here’s to collecting the stories of our lives, finding the real meaning behind them, and helping students to do the same.

Then Terri asked this question (thanks for the comment):
Terri Quesinberry said:
What kinds of [...]

Mentor Text Thursday: Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

Are you familiar with Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas’  bookMuncha!  Muncha!  Muncha!?  This fun, upbeat book has been a favorite of mine (and my kids) for many years.  Not only is it a pleasure to read, but it is filled with potential minilessons.
Here is the synopsis on the book from Candace’s website:
Tippy, tippy, tippy, [...]

Finding Meaning.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the everyday stories of life.  There is so much power in the ordinary, routine, and daily living that we do.  Yet so often, this living just passes through us like the air we breathe.  Suddenly the week is over.  Suddenly it’s the weekend.  Suddenly summer is over.  Suddenly the [...]

Hello Slicers.

My slice of life involves painters arriving at 8:00 am + four rooms and a hallway.  I was up until after 1:30 am removing wallpaper glue and back at it at 5:30 am this morning.  Suddenly I remembered I’m responsible for hosting Slice of Life Story Challenge.  So here it is . . .
 

Memoir Monday

Living Like Writers: Storytelling.

Stacey and I decided to use Fridays throughout the summer to share inspiration for living like writers.  Since storytelling is on my mind (and many of yours — thanks for the comments!), I thought I’d offer this challenge:

Tell a story this weekend.  While you’re at it, why not tell it a couple of different times [...]

Mentor Text Thursday: The Trucker

We went to the library yesterday, and my son checked out the same book that he has been checking out on a regular basis for two years.  (That’s over half of his life!)  The Trucker by Brenda and Mark Weatherby is a hit in our house — the girls have given it a thumbs up [...]

Story Matters Here.

Recently I saw this advertisement on a rare stint in front of a television.

Story Matters Here.

It caught my attention.  Partly because of the design and the color and the lettering.  Mostly because I liked the ring of it.  Story matters here too, I thought.
It has remained in my thoughts and I kept thinking about ways [...]

SOLSC

Leave the link to your slice of life story in the comments section.

Memoir Monday.

Temporary Blogging Absence

I’ve gotten a few e-mails asking me one of two questions:

“Why haven’t you been blogging?”

“Are you okay?  You haven’t been posting.”

I figured I’d answer those questions in a public way.
Basically, Ruth has been kind enough to take-over all of the posting on TWT so I can settle into my new home in Pennsylvania.  [...]

Mentor Text Thursday: A GOLDMINE!

You mustmustmustmustcheck out Mary Helen Gensch’s blog, Book Savors!  The entire blog is dedicated to using books as mentor texts — she gives a title, a brief summary, and then a handful of teaching points from the book.  Wow!
While you’re at it, you may want to read her initial post which shares the mission of [...]

Reading Like a Writer

We’ve had many positive comments in regards to Mentor Text Thursdays. This is why Mark Overmeyer’s recent post may be of interest.  He reviewed two books about reading like a writer.  Katie Wood Ray’s Wondrous Words is one of my favorite (and most influential books) about the teaching of writing.  The other one is a [...]

Slice of Life Story, Anyone?

Oops — sorry this is up so late!

Memoir Monday

Happy Independence Day.

Enjoy your holiday — Two Writing Teachers will resume posting on Monday, July 6.

Big News!

Stacey and I are excited to share that we have signed a contract with Stenhouse Publishers to write our first book!

The working title of the book is Writing 180 and is inspired by you, the readers of Two Writing Teachers.  The main gist of the book is we have defined six essential areas of Writing [...]

Mentor Text: Subway Ride

A couple months ago I received an advance copy of Subway Ride, written by Heather Lynn Miller, in the mail from Charlesbridge Publishers.  It’s a new title from the Massachusetts-based publisher this year.  As I flipped through the book, I was impressed with the colorful illustrates, by Sue Rama, which accurately depict subway stations around [...]

Welcome Mark Overmeyer!

Mark Overmeyer, author of When Writing Workshop Isn’t Working (Stenhouse, 2005) and What Student Writing Teaches Us (Stenhouse, 2009) has been on tour through the blog world.  Mark, who wrote both books in small 15 – 30 minutes chunks of time over many months, joins us today for his last stop.  I’m sure he has picked [...]