Bad Word Club
This weekend I learned of a first grade club. “The teachers don’t know about it,” Sam (my first grade son) said, “So keep it quiet.” “What is it?” “It’s the Bad Word Club.… Read More
Turn off screens and LIVE life.
Screen-Free Week goes from 4/29-5/5. While it might seem drastic and unfeasible to completely unplug, think about what steps you can take to be less connected next week.
New Units of Study
I purchased the original Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3 – 5 when they were published in 2006. In the early days, those books were like a Bible to me. I… Read More
Trusting Myself
Expectations of common core, teacher evaluation, and what it means to be literate in the 21st century can sometimes pile up and overwhelm me. There is so much new information coming at me… Read More
Running Towards Danger
After writing “My Advice to New Moms in the Wake of the Terror in Boston,” I didn’t think I had much else to say about yesterday’s terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon’s Finish… Read More
Slicers at Work
We are all writers at work, aren’t we? When I saw LeAnn Carptenter’s poem, “Writers at Work,” midway through the March Challenge, it resonated with me. Click here to read the back… Read More
Who coaches the coach?
Who coaches the coach? This question was posed at the Choice Literacy Coaching the Common Core workshop. It’s one that is sticking with Deb and me. Instructional coaches (and I think this is… Read More
Chewing On This
I watched a version of this video several years ago. In preparation for a workshop I’m leading on Thursday with a group of Career Tech educators (think culinary arts and auto mechanics), I… Read More
A Biography for Baseball Season + a Giveaway
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! (The Back Story) by Author Jonah Winter Though I do understand that what I’m being called on to do here is talk about my research process… Read More
Common Core — Appendices
Many of us are digging into Common Core Standards. We are spending time reading the standards, figuring out what they mean, and noticing how they grow from grade to grade. Indiana (my state)… Read More
Slicers: Why do you write?
Mid-way through the March Challenge I came across a poem Betsy wrote on Teaching Young Writers. It is entitled “Why I Write.” There are so many reasons each of us choose to write… Read More
Choice Literacy: Coaching the Common Core {Part 3 of 3}
The third part of the conference was led by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan. They inspired me to stick to my beliefs. One of the ideas they talked about is a Framework for… Read More
The Handwriting Part of Writing
If you’re in an elementary school, you’ve inevitably had discussion with parents about handwriting. My policy for writer’s notebooks was always, “As long as I can read it, it’s neat enough.” I didn’t… Read More
SOLSC Prize Announcement
It’s my pleasure to announce the winners of the prizes from the Sixth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. Yet again, I ran into a good problem this year. More people sliced and… Read More
Choice Literacy: Coaching the Common Core {Part 2 of 3}
The second portion of the Choice Literacy workshop, Coaching the Common Core was led by Heather Rader. Heather is the author of Side By Side: Short Takes on Best Practice for Teachers and… Read More
Welcome Back. #slice2013
Welcome back to the weekly challenge. After a day off, how great it is to be back as a writing community? Last month, Cathy Mere wrote a poem entitled “The Writer” that resonated… Read More
Choice Literacy: Coaching the Common Core {Part 1 of 3}
Recently Deb Gaby and I attended a Choice Literacy Workshop called Coaching the Common Core. It was one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended (and I’ve attended a lot of really great… Read More
#slice2013: 31 of 31
WRITE. Each day in March write a slice on your own blog. SHARE. Link your post here (using the SAME username each day) before the comments close. (Comments typically close around 5 am.)… Read More
Classroom SOLSC: 31 of 31
It always seems impossible until it is done. –Nelson Mandela It’s the final day of our month-long writing challenge. How did it go? I’d love to hear your thoughts, feelings, and reflections. Please… Read More
A Hearty Thank You to Our Support Team
It’s hard to believe the final day of our month-long writing challenge is here. We had a fantastic team of volunteers who helped make our individual and classroom challenges run smoothly. I want… Read More
