Haiku Writing Station

Earlier this month I shared an idea about a writing station (aka: center) for older students.  Another product from Chronicle Books has crossed my desk and has piqued my interest as something that can be used in the classroom.  This time, it’s a poetry-related writing station using Haikubes, which are 63 word cubes that can [...]

Minilesson Part II

The other day I posted about minilessons being one way to plant a seed of learning. I firmly believe this is a purpose of a minilesson and then through independent practice, conferring, and sharing, the learning “seed” grows and becomes personal and solidified in each writer. After I posted, I was reading a friend’s thoughts [...]

Have you shared your writing lately?

Minilessons Plant a Seed

One of the things I’m working on as a writing teacher is keeping minilessons, well, mini. As I’ve focused on this goal, I’ve realized sometimes lessons go long because I’m working toward perfection. I try to cover all of the bases so students can write in exactly-the-right-way. It is hard to admit this to myself, [...]

Words of Wisdom for Former Students

Right before I went to sleep last night I checked my e-mail.  It contained a couple of useless e-mails from companies trying to get me to by their wares as well as an e-mail from one of my former students.  I quickly deleted the marketing pitches and went right to this student’s email.  It’s been [...]

Words that are Speaking to Me

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. — Sylvia Plath

Draft More Than You Publish

You know how athletes practice more than they play in games? The same is true for writers, especially our student writers. They must write more than they publish. When I first started following the writing workshop philosophy, I had a misunderstanding about the writing process. I imagined that once kids “got on the tracks” they [...]

Polacco’s Newest Book

Patricia Polacco’s newest book, The Junkyard Wonders, can be used during the first month of the school year when you’re teaching students about the climate of respect (for differences) you expect*.  This exquisite picture book, based on a real-life event from Polacco’s life, is an excellent companion to Thank You Mr. Falker, a book I [...]

The Stir Over Superman

I’ve been home sick with a horrendous cough and cold this week.  I’ve had to cancel everything for the past three days in an effort to get well.  Needless to say, I got bored very quickly.  However, my boredom has afforded me with an opportunity to learn more about “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” the documentary that’s [...]

Planning Read Alouds that Support the Workshop Model

lock·step noun, often attributive \ˈläk-ˌstep\ Definition of LOCKSTEP 1: a mode of marching in step by a body of persons going one after another as closely as possible 2: a standard method or procedure that is mindlessly adhered to or that minimizes individuality — in lockstep : in perfect or rigid often mindless conformity or [...]

Time for the Weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge

Let’s Celebrate!

How are you planning to celebrate the authors in your classroom? The longer I’m a part of writing workshops, not to mention the more I write, the more I believe in the importance of celebration. Celebration fuels writers. When I first started, I used to think perfection was needed to celebrate. Since becoming a recovering [...]

Words that are Speaking to Me

Giving characters free will, instead of outlining them in detail before writing begins, allows the story to flow naturally and allows the characters to become more real and more interesting than they could be if they had to act within a rigid profile created in advance of the actual writing process. — Dean Koontz Obviously The Tension of [...]

WIP?

The past few months I’ve been reading several authors’ blogs and I keep coming across the abbreviation W.I.P. Finally I figured out it means Work In Progress. WIP is part of the language of writers, therefore I introduced the term to fourth graders today with this chart: W.I.P. Decisions Topic — What will I write [...]

Recap: Guest Blog Posts

Tomorrow will be the first Friday in over three months that there will not be a guest blogger posting.  Ruth and I are going back to posting on alternating Fridays.  However, I wanted to take a moment to recap all of the guest blog posts in case you missed one.  They’re ALL worth reading, as [...]

What is MOST important?

This question has been tumbling around in my mind lately: What is most important when it comes to literacy instruction? It stems from state mandates, district expectations, curriculum guides, and instructional minutes being cut. More importantly, though, I believe it is a question each of us ought to answer. Years ago I read a book [...]

Joining-in & Sharing a Slice of Life

Welcome to our weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge. If you’re a regular participant, then go ahead and link away. However, if you’re new, or are thinking about sharing your writing with this online community for the first time, then WELCOME.  In the past few weeks, I’ve received a few emails wondering what a “slice [...]

Mentor Texts in the Midst of Writing

When we think of using mentor texts when teaching writing workshop, often our first thought is to use them at the beginning of a unit of study so students can gain a sense of the genre they are going to write. Recently, the stars have been aligned in my writing life. First I embarked on [...]

An Education Reform Article Worth Reading

Everywhere I turn these days, I seem to be faced with another article about education reform.  From Time Magazine to The New York Times, it seems everyone is covering education a lot more than they used to… or perhaps it’s just that I’m paying more attention than I used to because I’m shocked about the [...]

Remembering: Nine Years Later

A view of the Lower Manhattan Skyline on the evening of September 11th, 2010 (from Jersey City, NJ): From  09-11-10 I am one of the New Yorkers who did not personally lose a family member or close friend on Tuesday September 11th, 2001.  Nine years later, I remember the innocent people who died or were [...]

Words that are Speaking to Me

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you. — Maya Angelou Remember awhile back when I shared about my YA reading life? I promised to share the way I’m closely rereading and studying a few of the books. One of the titles is Kristina McBride’s (she’s blogger!) The Tension of Opposites [...]

Happy New Year! Using Celebration to Restore and Build our Identities as Writers

Lindsay Reyes began her teaching career seven years ago in South Carolina where she taught 4th and 5th graders. Following her heart for urban education and literacy reform, she moved to New York City where she taught middle school in the South Bronx. She has experience teaching General Ed and Special Ed (as a Collaborative [...]

Remembering September 11th

If you teach eighth grade or younger, it is highly unlikely that your students personally remember the events of September 11; many of our students weren’t alive when the attacks occurred. For me, that’s tough to get my mind around. The day burned a vivid memory on my brain. As teachers, it is our duty to [...]

We’re Making Books!

Whenever I have the privilege of being in a kindergarten classroom, I’m fairly certain I missed my calling in life. Today was no exception. I am a believer in making stuff in writing workshop. I picked this term up from Katie Ray. It just makes sense. Writers make stuff and writing workshop should be no different. Therefore, [...]

Ruth’s SOLS: Starting School.

For many, today marked the start of a new school year. For my son, it marked the start of a school career. He went to school for the very first time today. I went with him. I was excited and nervous; happy and sad; looking back and looking forward — all rolled into one big [...]