Confer Like a Doctor

I’m taking Carl Anderson‘s week-long class, Assessment-Based Writing Instruction: Use a study of Student Work to Generate Goals and systems for Recording Progress Towards Those Goals, at the July Writing Institute this week.  Carl delivered an overview of our class on Tuesday, June 28th when he delivered the Keynote Address, Conferring with a Vision, to [...]

More All-Write Reflections

I know I’ve spent several posts talking about the All-Write Summer Institute. This is because it was BIG! Here are more thoughts and reflections from the 2011 Summer Institute. Unfortunately I’m afraid I’ve missed some. If so, please forgive me and leave the link to your reflection in the comments. Perhaps you aren’t a blogger, [...]

A Good Enough Gift

“A pen is better than glasses as a tool for seeing.” –Lucy Calkins, Keynote Address, July Writing Institute, 6/27/11 I walked into the Levien Gymnasium yesterday morning and was greeted warmly by Tisha, of the Thinking Aloud Blog, who I had never met in person ’til yesterday.  We chatted for a few minutes prior to [...]

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Fear as Inspiration {Discover. Play. Build.}

One of the basics I’ve stumbled across while writing fiction is to know what your characters’ fears are. Often tension is built around fear, making stories weave around and get to the heart of the matter. Considering our own fears, as well as ways we have overcome past fears, also make worthy writer’s notebooks topics. [...]

Blogstitute

Our publisher, Stenhouse, is hosting a Summer Writing Blogstitute starting on Wednesday, July 6th.  Ruth and I are two of the seven authors contributing essays about the teaching of writing for the Stenhouse Blogstitute.  Ruth is writing about celebrating writers while I’m writing about student-initiated writing conferences.  The other Stenhouse authors who are participating are: [...]

GUEST BLOG POST: Fostering a Love of Writing

Maureen Ingram has taught in cooperative preschools in the Washington, D.C. suburbs since September 2000, working primarily with three year olds, and mentoring adults – both parents and teachers – in their work with young children. She has a keen interest in open-ended, exploratory learning, conflict resolution and problem-solving with young children, and understanding different [...]

The Annual Pennsylvania Writing Institute

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time preparing for the morning session I’m leading at the Annual Pennsylvania Writing Institute in early August.  I am honored to have the opportunity to be speaking about the practical matters of daily life in the writing workshop on Tuesday, August 2nd.  Other speakers at this year’s institute [...]

All-Write Reflection + {Discover. Play. Build.}

Sometimes when an experience seems so big it is hard to focus a reflection. Sometimes it is hard to settle the thoughts and find the meaning. Sometimes it is difficult to even know where to begin processing. So I’m going to make a lists. Lists always seem to make things more manageable. The Twitter feed [...]

Book Giveaway

I’ve been having a lot of issues with technology in my house this morning.  Therefore, I was not able to include a video of the random drawing for a copy of Tía Isa wants a Car.  However, I did the drawing and the winner is Libby Frankel.  Thank you again to Candlewick Press for sponsoring [...]

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All-Write Conference

I on purpose waited to write today’s post because I knew I’d have all kinds of ideas swirling after the All-Write conference. However, it is 10:15 and I’m just sitting down alone in my hotel room. Here’s the day… Jeff Anderson keynote — Things every writer needs to know Kristen Horrell — Creating a culture [...]

What Moves You?

Last Wednesday I received the alumni magazine from my high school in the mail.  As my grade’s class ambassador, I went straight to the alumni notes section in the back of the magazine to read everyone’s submissions together.  Next, I perused the back pages of the alumni magazine, looking through the happenings of other alums [...]

Link with Love + Words that are Speaking to Me

I recently came across this new initiative called Link with Love. Basically it is a group dedicated to giving credit where credit is due. Check it out and then read their blog, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter. Help spread the word so the goodness of people’s creative work can be acknowledged and shared [...]

GUEST BLOG POST: Ending with Independence

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 [...]

Literacy Drive

The official start of summer is just a few days away.  This summer, LitWorld, a non-profit organization led by Pam Allyn, supports the development of literacy worldwide.  LitWorld is putting together a summer book and school supplies drive to benefit children in Harlem and in Kenya.  Please take a look at the items on the [...]

TEACHERS of Writers

Thank you to everyone who left a note about the {Discover. Play. Build.} posts. I’m thrilled that you are feeling inspired and excited to pursue a writing adventure during the summer. I’m excited too. But… Here’s the deal. I see Two Writing Teachers as a place where I’m a teacher first. Although I believe it [...]

An Interview with Meg Medina + a Giveaway

Every now and then I receive a review copy of a book that wows me.  When Tía Isa Wants a Car arrived at my doorstep from Candlewick Press a few weeks ago, I cracked it open and was smitten with the book by the end of the first page.  As I turned the pages, I [...]

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{Discover. Play. Build.} What’s holding you back?

There are a million reasons why we don’t have time to write. What are yours? What is keeping you from putting words on the page?Today take some time to think about the things that are holding you back. Put them on the page so you can move on and spend the summer discovering, playing, and [...]

Sundays for the Soul: Get Ready

Last Monday I wrote something on a whim…in a blog post…about offering a writing prompt. Your responses have had me thinking all week. Thoughts like this: Can I offer worthy prompts? Can I offer worthy prompts multiple times? What if it isn’t worthy to anyone but me? And things like this: Do I believe in prompting [...]

Words that are Speaking to Me

Fiction is not a dream, nor is it guesswork. It is imagining based on facts, and the facts must be accurate or the work of imagining will not stand up. —Margaret Culkin Banning

GUEST BLOG POST: My (Wanna Be) Writing Life–and How It Changed My Work with Kids

Ruth Metcalfe infuses her classroom with joyful and purposeful teaching. She is passionate about teaching and learning, and loves thinking about how theory looks when put into practice in the classroom—the place where theory and practice meet. In her 20 years as an educator, Ruth has taught first, second, and fourth grades and provided professional [...]

Neighborhood Walk

From We had way too much fun today!!! We’ve all had those “best teaching days.”  You know, the ones where the children are completely engaged in learning.  The ones that are fun.  The ones that extend beyond the classroom.  For me, one of my best teaching days was on May 1st, 2007.  That day is [...]

Work Day

“I still like the first day better than the last day of a school year,” I said this morning to Nat and Noah, our babysitters. As a high school junior and seventh grader they were flabbergasted. “Well, I did choose this as a career,” I defended, “So I probably have a little different view than [...]