Planning for Earth Day conversations can give educators pause. In the attempt to create a sense of urgency for climate action, we might decide to subject our students to a parade of dire statistics. This onslaught of information can have the opposite effect: instead of moving students from inaction to action, we can inadvertently move […]
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GRIT: Balancing a Student’s Capacity to Grow & Pass a State-Mandated Test
Source If you teach a tested subject like me, February seems to be the month that everyone starts becoming “invested” in what you are doing in the classroom and how it is preparing our students to pass their TEST. This time of year students are taking “field tests” and “benchmark tests” in addition to […]
Better Questions . . . Better Classrooms
Questioning strategies are a passion of mine. I’ve been doing some research into what academics call dialogic talk and what teachers call questioning for the better part of 25 years. Thinking about your classroom, I want you to consider the layered and nuanced dimensions purposeful questioning can take in your classroom. First-Write Them Down Do […]
Poetry Throw-Down
by Kelly E. Tumy It’s my birthday today, so I thought I’d post one of the most favorite lessons I taught-ever! It really started out not as a lesson, so let me explain. I do love poetry; it took me a while to develop a good way to teach it to any grade level, though. […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Grandma’s Favorite Color
Mentor Text: “Grandma’s Favourite Colour” from Louder Than Hunger by John Schu Techniques: Writing about a loved one Background – This is one of the “long weeks” in my school year. There are parent conferences this week, report cards due on Monday morning, and we’re between dance competitions and concerts at home. I don’t have time […]
A New Tilt on Art Can Spark Earth Day Conversations
Planning for Earth Day conversations can give educators pause. In the attempt to create a sense of urgency for climate action, we might decide to subject our students to a parade of dire statistics. This onslaught of information can have the opposite effect: instead of moving students from inaction to action, we can inadvertently move […]
A Guide to Narrative Writing Genres
Do students in your school write a personal essay of some kind every single year? They do in the three schools I’ve taught in. In fact, narrative writing — especially nonfiction, personal narratives — are perhaps the most ubiquitous piece of writing taught in every school I’ve ever visited. How can we differentiate that — […]
Writing into the Eclipse
There are so many wonderful eclipse resources out there but this month I wanted to put a resource in your hands of some pretty beautiful writing that you can invite in your own classroom. Being that it is April, what a time to celebrate our beautiful nature with poetry. And while nature is doing […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Alphabetical Diaries
Mentor Text: “U” excerpted from The Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti Techniques: Background – Although I’m largely an analog reader, I can’t deny the allure, and ease, of reading digitally. Especially using a library app like Libby. I’m lucky enough to have a pair of library cards active in my Libby account, and I find myself […]
New Moving Writers PD for the Testing Season
You can almost hear the collective intake of breath among teachers nationwide as March 31 turns into April 1 and many of us stare down the reality of imminent testing. The incredible, brilliant Sam Futrell (full-time classroom teacher, author, president of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies, Retro Report fellow, etc.) is offering two […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Fall From Grace
Mentor Text: Fall From Grace by Mitchell Toews Techniques: Background – I mentioned last time how a combination of some chaotic work days and my insomnia had me on a real reading tear. You had to know that the sharing I do here would be impacted by that. I pulled Mitchell Toews’ Pinching Zwieback off the […]
Introducing: The Planning Series
Hey there, I’m introducing a brand new professional development series this spring that I think you’ll love! This three-session series helps you learn a process that will quickly and effectively plan writing units that are rooted in mentor texts. I’m MOST excited about session three — a one-on-one, by-appointment session where we plan a unit […]
Getting Sneaky With Research: Zines as an Essay Alternative
When we think of research writing, we often think of the laborious, quarter-long essay projects that often scare our students. And while there is value in teaching our students to use research that culminates in an academic essay, the truth is that not all research writing looks that way. My students have been doing infographics […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Turning…
Mentor Text: the series of poems about turning different ages from Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson Techniques: Background – This post almost didn’t happen. Between different events, field trips and weather closures, I’m in one of those times where as a teacher you feel absolutely overwhelmed and ineffective. I’m pretty flexible, but we’re […]