Living Like a Writer: Goals for the Upcoming School Year

Posted on Friday August 21, 2009 by Stacey

Raise your hand if your administration makes you do goal setting at the beginning of the school year?

Okay.

Now raise your hand if your administration collects the goal setting you do as a way to help you monitor those goals throughout the school year.

Did you raise your hand both times?

It’s great to have administrators who help with goal-setting and progress-monitoring, but I think it’s even better to write those goals down and to keep track of them on-your-own.  I know when I used to write my goals for the school year down and hand them off to someone else, they weren’t that meaningful.  I didn’t think about them much and therefore, couldn’t self-monitor my progress.  Plus, in my first couple of years of teaching, I wasn’t as candid as I should have been when goal-setting since I didn’t have a regular place to reflect on my practice (until I started blogging).

That being said, regardless of whether you’ve started back to school or you’re on the cusp of a new school year, take a few minutes to write down your goals for the upcoming school year.  Be a little wordier than usual when you goal-set.  Write a bit about why you’re setting the goal and how it will help your students as learners.  Finally, take a few additional minutes to set some personal goals so that you can aim to keep a balanced life as you set forth into the 2009-10 school year.

Have a great weekend and happy writing!

Filed under: goals, writing | 2 Comments »

Mentor Texts: The Importance of Rereading

Posted on Thursday August 20, 2009 by Ruth

I live with a three year old.  Sometimes he becomes obsessive about a book.  He’ll get on a streak and only want the same story read over and over and over — many times a day for many days in a row.  The current obsession is David Shannon’s A Bad Case of Stripes.   At first I was excited — I love David Shannon’s work.  Now that I’ve read A Bad Case of Stripes approximately 72 times in the past five days, I wish he would have chosen  something shorter, like No David.

A Bad Case of Stripes

Last night (during the 68th read) he stopped me on the page where the old woman, “who was just as plump and sweet as a strawberry” fed Camilla lima beans (her heart’s desire) thus curing her of the stripes.  The picture is of the woman feeding Camilla the beans.  Yet in the text, Camilla doesn’t accept the lima beans at first.  The story goes:

Camilla wanted a big, heaping plateful of lima beans more than just about anything, but she was still afraid to admit it.

“Yuck!” she said.  No one likes lima beans, especially me!”

“Oh, dear,” the old woman said sadly.  “I guess I was wrong about you.”  She put the beans back in her bag and started toward the door.

As the story continues, Camilla calls her back and the woman pops a handful of beans in her mouth.

So my three year old says, “Why is she giving her beans in the picture when Camilla said no the first time?”

The mom in me thinks, Wow, what an observant boy.  The teacher in me thinks, That is confusing for novice readers.  The writer in me thinks, How did David Shannon determine what picture to use with this section of text?

We talked a little about how the picture tells part of the story and words tell part of the story, but the reader has to decide what it all means.  The three year old sucked his thumb.  The seven year old said, “Oh, you mean about how Camilla is learning to be herself?”

This time the mom/teacher/writer stares at the seven year old in awe.  So she continues . . .

“Is that what you mean Mom? When I think about the words that Camilla said outloud about  lima beans because she didn’t want people to make fun of her, but then in the last picture (she flips the pages) she’s eating a big plate full and there’s a striped bow in her hair.  I’ve been wondering about the striped bow.  So if I think about the words and pictures and put them together, I guess that means Camilla should eat the lima beans and stop pretending to be something she’s not.  And she wears the striped bow to remind her of it.”

Still more thumbsucking from the three year old. Sill more silence from the mom/teacher/writer, trying not to act stunned about having a conversation about theme with my second grader.

“Is that right, Mom?  Maybe it means we should all be happy being ourselves?”  Her big eyes look up at me expectantly.

Somehow I find the words, “That makes a lot of sense.  In fact, sometimes when I think about trying to hide a part of who I am from other people, I’m reminded of Camilla’s bow.  That’s what readers do.  They think about stories — the words and pictures, and they figure out what those stories mean to their lives.

As if the entire conversation had not been enough of a gift to me, my seven year old has one more thing to say:

That’s why I’ve been writing stories this summer, Mom.  I want use words and pictures to remember the important stuff, like playing in the sandbox and learning to swim.

This is why we reread stories.  Especially the stories we want to use to help us teach the young readers and writers in our classrooms.  I believe that these conversations would not have happened if A Bad Case of Stripes hadn’t been read numerous times over the course of several days.  For our students to internalize big truths about reading and writing, they need to know a text inside and out. 

For us to realize the rich possibilities of minilessons in a text, we should read it numerous times.  I made a list of over one hundred items I could teach from A Bad Case of Stripes . . . but that would be another post.  When thinking of a text to use as a touchstone in your classroom, consider the ones you wouldn’t mind reading obsessively, like a three year old.

Filed under: writing workshop | 5 Comments »

Professional Talk: Shared Writing 2.0

Posted on Wednesday August 19, 2009 by Stacey

I recently received a review copy of Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom, which is edited by Anne Herrington, Kevin Hodgson, and Charles Moran.  The text is comprised of short texts by a variety of teacher-authors who have mastered the art of using technology in their writing classrooms.  The topics range from social networking in the classrom to digital picture books to integrating video and audio into poetry writing. 

One of the many viable ideas I uncovered was in the elementary/middle grades section; Glen L. Bledsoe’s chapter entitled “Collaborative Digital Writing: The Art of Writing Together Using Technology.”  In this chapter Bledsoe takes the idea of shared writing and transforms it into something high-tech.  Here are the basics for implementing collaborative digital writing in your classroom, as per Bledsoe’s chapter:

  • OVERALL PURPOSE:  Teaching students the process of writing a story/script together, with a focus on idea-generation and revision.

  • WHAT YOU NEED:  A meeting area, a computer, an LCD projector, an overhead screen, a word processing program

  • KNOW YOUR ROLE:  There are major differences in the teacher’s role between traditional shared writing and collaborative digital writing.  Make sure you understand the technological demands before you jump into a project like this.  While the software , any word processing program, you’ll use is pretty basic, it’s important to know how to integrate all of the bells and whistles into the collaborative digital story to make the script more exciting.

  • HOW TO START:  Once a student (or students) pitches an idea, the class gathers together to make “friendly ammedments” (42) in a popcorn-style session in the meeting area. 

  • ONCE YOU GET GOING:  Create a deadline that you and your students will stick to so that the writing doesn’t drag on for months (though it should takea few weeks to draft and revise a collaborative digital story).  Find a venue to share the published collaborative digital piece in your school or with the community at-large.

  • WRITING THE SCRIPT:  Bledsoe took about 30 minutes to write the script along with his students daily.  Don’t have that much time?  Figure out a schedule that works for you so that you can meet the rest of your instructional obligations for your students.

  • RECORDING THE SCRIPT:  Once the revisions are complete, gathering kids in small groups when it’s relatively quiet in the classroom is idea.  Bledsoe realizes this can be tricky since a classroom is rarely devoid of noise.  You can always keep kids in during a prep or part of lunch to complete the recordings. 

  • MATCHING UP THE ELEMENTS:  Collaborative digital writing allows you to embed image files into the script you create with your students.  Allow students to be part of this process (47), in addition to the actual writing process, so they learn about the organization and nuances of embedding images into the writing.

I highly recommend getting a copy of Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom since my overview is bare-bones.  Plus, this is the book to use if you’re looking to infuse more technology into your writing classroom, regardless of the grade-level you teach (The book is broken-up into elementary/middle grades, secondary grades, and a college section.)!

Finally, for more examples of collaborative digital stories, click here, here, or here.

Filed under: Web 2.0, professional books, shared writing, technology, writing | 3 Comments »

Are you out there Slicers?

Posted on Tuesday August 18, 2009 by Ruth
Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

My apologies for the late post today.  Teachers returned yesterday at my school district.  We had huge thunderstorms and lost power.  Can you imagine no copy machines on the day before opening day?  The Internet was still down today.  Not to mention that on the home front my second grader and kindergartener started school today also.  At 6 am I was completely ready for school and woke up our seven year old for braids.  She returned to her warm bed and the five year old was up (and bouncing — she couldn’t contain her excitement) for her braids.  At 6:15 my three year old and I were out the door.  This is the first I’ve sat down since!

Looking forward to reading your slices!  Please share in the comments section.

Filed under: writing workshop | 8 Comments »

Memoir Monday: Origins of Writing

Posted on Monday August 17, 2009 by Stacey
Link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

Link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the questions Pam Muñoz Ryan posed to the audience at the TCRWP Writing Institute last week. There are many reasons I write: to communicate with others quickly, to persuade, to record family stories, to venture to new worlds, etc. However, none of those quick reasons really get at the reason I write. For that, I have to do a bit more ruminating since I’ve been writing ever since my first grade teacher, Carol Snook, inspired me to put my words on a journal page.

As I got ready to leave my parents’ house to return to Pennsylvania on Friday, I found a copy of a book I wrote for the NJ Young Authors Conference in 1988. It’s a crude-looking thing that has faded over the past 20+ years. However, it marks my foray into the world of writing. Shockingly, I remember making this book when I was in fifth grade and I remember going to the Conference. I recall it having deep meaning for me since I felt empowered as a writer.

If you’re looking for a little writerly inspiration today, think back to the first time someone wanted to hear your story. Try to remember how that made you feel. Then, push yourself to make the connection between telling a story of yours in writing to the reason(s) why you write today.

Regardless of what you choose to write about today, Ruth and I look forward to reading your memories.

A blast from the past:
YAC Book - 1988 Two of the pages from my YAC book

Filed under: authors, memories, writing | 11 Comments »

Living Like a Writer: Why do you read and write?

Posted on Friday August 14, 2009 by Stacey

I had the absolute pleasure of listening to Pam Muñoz Ryan deliver the keynote address at the TCRWP Writing Institute this past Wednesday. (And to make things even better, she even signed my copy of Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride for me.) The topic of her keynote address was “Reading to Write, and Writing to Read.” She posed two challenging questions to us as members of her audience. I’ll pose the same questions to you right now (i.e., as some food for thought this weekend). The questions are:

Why do I write?
Why do I read?

Ryan encouraged us to think deeply about those questions, answering with the truth behind them.  Hence, as you walk through your life like a writer this weekend, take some time to think about those questions. Perhaps they’ll lead to some writing in your notebook.

Finally, I’d like to share a direct quote from Ryan’s keynote speech, with you, that might also serve as some writerly inspiration (it did for me):

“At an auspicious time, we’re often brought back to our beginnings and our belongings.”

Have a great weekend and happy writing!

Filed under: reading-writing connections, tcrwp | 13 Comments »

What book will you read aloud on the first day of school?

Posted on Thursday August 13, 2009 by Ruth

Use the comments to share your favorite first-day read aloud.

When I was a middle school teacher, and now in most workshops that I lead, my favorite first read aloud is Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by Dr. Seuss (with some help from Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith). This book is not only perfect in its message, but a rich source for a  mentor text.

It sounds like Dr. Seuss and looks like Dr. Seuss, but only because Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith mentored themselves after Dr. Seuss.  At the end of the book, the story of how the book came to be is shared.  See, Dr. Seuss wanted to write a book for teachers, to help them keep the faith in the face of standardized testing.  So he began planning and sketching and listing in his writer’s notebook.  But, he couldn’t get the story to come out.  He used to walk around his office saying, “Miss Bonkers is driving me bonkers!”  (Miss Bonkers is the main character in Hooray for Diffendoofer Day.)  He ended up writing Oh the Places You’ll Go as he was waiting for Miss Bonkers to reveal the story.  However, before he could write it, he passed away.  When his editors found his writer’s notebooks (pages of which are shared in the back story), they decided there were enough plans laid out that someone could write the book.   They approached Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith about writing the book Dr. Seuss had envisioned in his voice and style. Hooray for Diffendoofer Day is what was created.

So, how about you?  What read aloud is your favorite for the first day of school?  Take a moment and share in the comment section of this post.

Filed under: Read Aloud, first day, mentor texts, writing workshop | 10 Comments »

Professional Talk: Differentiation in Word Study

Posted on Wednesday August 12, 2009 by Stacey

I recall hearing about differentiated spelling words, for students in Word Study, the first time I visited the school I taught at in Rhode Island.  I was unsure of how it would be possible to differentiate for students.  Once I began teaching fourth grade in Rhode Island, I quickly learned the easiest way to find words for kids’ spelling lists was to pull misspelled words from their in-class assignments and their writer’s notebooks.  However, I realized that creating personal word lists from just misspelled words in their writing wasn’t cutting it when it came time to give my students high-frequency word tests and the Elementary Spelling Inventory.  Over time, I realized that a better method of selecting personal words for my students was by using the developmental categories, defined by Words Their Way, 4th Ed., was a better way for me to go.  In fact, I saw marked improvement on weekly personal word tests and on the final Elementary Spelling Inventory I gave in June once I spent the final quarter of the school year differentiating my students’ weekly Word Study Instruction based on the developmental categories presented in Words Their Way.

This past Monday, I attended an informative session at the TC Writing Institute, with Christine Cook-Robson, entitled “Assess and Plan for Differentiated Word Study.”  Cook-Robson spoke about the benefits of differentiating word study instruction in the primary classroom by assessing students, grouping them together by need, creating structures and activities that work for a variety of concepts you wnat to teach, and then creating a plan for each of the groups.  I think the greatest message of Cook-Robson’s session, which I wish I had heard when I dove head-first into differentiation two years ago, was this:

Think about your groups and the whole class teaching you want to do.  Then, make a plan to teach the activities.  Next, set up a management board and let these activities run as centers.

Cook-Robson’s bottom line: start small and make the differentiation you do in word study manageable so you are teaching effectively.

I know, from personal experience, how tiring it can be to pull lists of personal words for kids week-after-week.  However, using the stages from Words Their Way this past spring made a seemingly tedious task easier and much more productive for the children.  If you haven’t seen Words Their Way, then click here to find out more.  While I didn’t use the actual program in my classroom with my entire class, I used some of the assessment tools and found the stages to be exceedingly effective when it came to differentiation amongst my students.

Finally, I found some Spelling Assessments on the TCRWP that are accessible to the general public.  Click here to view those assessments.

Filed under: spelling, tcrwp, word study | 10 Comments »

SOLSC: Internal and External Writing

Posted on Tuesday August 11, 2009 by Stacey
Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

This week I am immersed in professional development at the TCRWP Writing Institute.  One of the many things Lucy Calkins eloquently discussed in yesterday’s Keynote Address was the idea of writing in order to figure out the internal story, rather than just writing the external story.  Therefore, I challenge you to try to bring out the internal story when you record a slice of your life today.

Please join us for the weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge by posting about a small part of your day.  Try to write deeper than usual, telling the internal and the external story as you put your words on the page (i.e., on the paper or as you’re typing on your computer).

Filed under: slice of life, tcrwp | 7 Comments »

Second Memoir Monday of August

Posted on Monday August 10, 2009 by Stacey
Link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

Link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

It’s now the second week of August. In Central Pennsylvania, it feels hotter and muggier. In fact, yesterday morning we even had a thunderstorm. While I wish it was a bit cooler, I’m sure that there are plenty of people who feel it’s not hot enough for outside. It’s funny how we all have different internal thermostats that make us have strong opinions about something so basic: the weather outside.

This Monday, if you need a little inspiration your memory-related piece, think back to something that involves summertime and the weather (good or bad). Do a little writing about that perfect summer day or about the day Mother Nature worked against you and thwarted your summer plans.

Regardless of what you choose to write about today, we look forward to reading your memories.

Filed under: memories | 3 Comments »

Living Like a Writer: Someday

Posted on Friday August 7, 2009 by Stacey

Yesterday morning I received a promotional e-mail from The Daily Planner, a company that sells oodles of interesting writerly supplies.  I perused around their site for a few minutes, find an “8 Days a Week” Tear-Off Pad that included space for the seven days of the week + an extra section for someday.  The word someday got me thinking about all of the things that I’d like to do, that aren’t a priority right now (e.g., putting together the three boxes’ worth of furniture that are sitting in my living room, hanging picture frames, unpacking the boxes from my classroom), but need to be someday.  Then, there are places that I would like to visit (e.g., Australia, China, Denmark, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Tahiti) someday.  My list of someday things that I want to do could go on and on…  This makes me think I need to do more than just listing all of the things I hope and dream to do someday; I should really write about my someday things.

So, as we head off into the weekend, I give you a writerly challenge.  This weekend, instead of listing out all of the things you want to do someday, write about them.  Why are these things important?  What kind of meaning or value do your someday items hold?  In fact, you might want to go a step further by creating a plan of action to make one of your someday items come to fruition.  Regardless of how you choose to write about your someday things, take the time to write about something you plan to do — someday — this weekend.

Enjoy your Saturday and Sunday!

Filed under: Write: It's good for you!, lists | 5 Comments »

The Joy of Apostrophes

Posted on Thursday August 6, 2009 by Stacey

Is there any joy when teaching apostrophes? Certainly! The only thing is that the joy doesn’t come from disseminating worksheets to kids… it comes from using books to demonstrate the concept.

A couple of weeks ago I received a review copy of Wiggens Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant by Leslie McGuirk and Alex Von Bidder. As I started to turn the pages, I noticed the adorable illustrations, complete with dialogue bubbles that enhance the text. However, a few pages in, I was smacked in the face with the way this book could be used as a teaching tool. This book is excellent for teaching kids how to use a possessive apostrophe in context.

I’m sure you’ve all taught students who did one of the following two things:
a) Added an apostrophe before the s in any word that ended in an s.
b) Put the apostrophe in the wrong place with a word that ended in an s, thereby not showing proper possession.

If you have students who are doing this, then having a conference with this text in your hand, after you’ve read it aloud to the full class, would provide you with an abundance of examples for how authors use apostrophes to show possession. Here are a few examples:

Sentences where the authors did not use apostrophes, with words that end in s, since there was no need to show possession:
–> Wiggens is a chocolate Labrador puppy and was a total rascal when it came to manners.
–> His dad told him that dogs from all over the world come to practice their manners at the Four Seasons.
–> Wiggens and the other puppies sat down at a table next to the pool.

Sentences where the authors used an apostrophe, with a word that ended in s, to show possession:
–> When the Saint Bernard arrived, he shook Wiggens’s paw.
–> Be respectful of others’ tastes, though they may differ from your own, and always be willing to take a bite of something new.
–> Wiggens’s Lesson #10

There are many more teachable parts of this book. I’ve selected just this one since I know that many kids struggle with possessive apostrophe use, especially when words end in s! Therefore, since the main character’s name is Wiggens there are many concrete examples to show your students how to use the possessive apostrophe, with a name, in this text. A definite conferring must-have!

You'll be able to buy this book starting August 11th, 2009.

You'll be able to buy this book starting August 11th, 2009.

WIGGENS LEARNS HIS MANNERS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESTAURANT. Text copyright © 2009 by Leslie McGuirk and Alex Von Bidder. Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Leslie McGuirk. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Filed under: conventions, mentor texts, punctuation | Tagged: , | 7 Comments »

Greater Expectations

Posted on Wednesday August 5, 2009 by Ruth

Greater Expectations by Robin Turner is an excellent resource for secondary Writing Workshop teachers.  As a high school teacher, he shares real life experiences, authentic teaching points, superb advice, and high quality rubrics and units.  The subtitle of the book is Teaching Academic Literacy to Underrepresented Students.  He offers practical, wise advice for preparing this group of students for higher education; however, don’t be turned away if you aren’t an urban teacher . . . Robin’s down to earth ideas are useful for any classroom.

I was drawn into the book on the first page with a narrative of how Robin entered college.  But when I saw the wording he used for the scoring guide of his first assignment, I was hooked.  The holistic score of the paper would yield:  excellent writing; very good writing; good writing; potentially good writing, and required rewrite.  What a positive way to label different scores. 

Developing a strong sense of community is the  backbone of his classroom.  He writes,

The need to belong is so strong in this digitized generation that to facilitate a sense of community, or familia, can be a powerful motivating force for adolescents.  In my class I try never to lose sight of the students who otherwise would get lost and be forgotten in the classroom — too often, such a student is the underrepresented student — and instead, I actively work to draw those students into the mainstream of the class (31).

He also says,

The most important thing I have learned is to be interested in my students.  I have found that if I start with that,  everything else falls into place (32).

And . . .

One final note:  the creation of community in an English classroom needs to be infused with a sense of purpose.

The following chapters give a peek into his units, including the lessons and rubrics he uses for each project.  I also appreciated that he dedicated an entire chapter to reflection.  He acknowledges the need for students to reflect throughout their learning, not just at the end of a project, and he gives practical ways to encourage reflection.

I’m anxious to try out some of the strategies Robin shares in his book Greater Expectations and thought you may interested in it as well.  Let me know if you’ve read this book (or are planning to read it) and some of your thoughts.

If you want to learn more about Robin, read other articles by him, or purchase his book or DVD, click here.  Also, you can read the first chapter online.

Filed under: adolescent literacy, authors, high poverty, professional books | 2 Comments »

Time to Slice Away a Bit of Your Day

Posted on Tuesday August 4, 2009 by Stacey
Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

It’s that time of the week again!  Please join us for the Slice of Life Story Challenge by posting just a snippet about your day.  Then, be sure to click on the comments to get the links to the other amazing Slicers’ daily writing!

Filed under: Slice of Life Story Challenge | 6 Comments »

Memoir Monday

Posted on Monday August 3, 2009 by Stacey

There’s something about the transition from July to August that gives many teachers have a bittersweet feeling.  For those of you who live in the Northeast, it feels like summer began a week or two ago, rather than in late June, doesn’t it?  However, summer is halfway over.  (And for some folks I know down in Georgia, teachers head back to school today.)

So… if you need a little inspiration for today’s memoir-ish piece, why not write about your favorite time you’ve had thus-far this summer?

Link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

Link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

Filed under: memories | 5 Comments »

Living Like Writers: Food

Posted on Friday July 31, 2009 by Stacey

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 website.  However, almost every night, when I get ready to make dinner, I have found that I’m missing something, such as cumin or zucchini.  Additionally, there are times when the recipe calls for something ordinary, like butter, and I pizzazz-it-up by using lemon dill butter.  I’m finding that my dishes are turning out quite well despite a missing item or an ingredient change.  That being said, I haven’t been writing down the changes I’ve been making on the recipes… I’ve just been making the changes and leaving it at that.  I’m starting to think that if something tastes good, I should note the change and write about why I made it and how it might have changed the recipe (for better or for worse).

This weekend, I’m challenging myself to pause and do some writing about my cooking.  After all, making roast chicken last night was a first for me.  There’s a story there…  Buying it (with or without the giblets?), bringing it home, calling my father in a panic about what I do with the chicken once it’s in the roaster, basting it with a brush, carefully laying it in the pain, flipping the three pound bird over at “half-time,” searching for a cooking thermometer, needing to put the chicken back to continue cooking a few times, etc.  There’s a recipe and a story here.  It needs to be written.

Here’s my challenge to you.  This weekend, whether you’re cooking a time-honored recipe or trying something new, take a few moments to pause and write about your cooking experience.  If you’d like to enhance your writing, snap a few photos during the process (not just of the finished product).  Having the process documented in photographs will allow the writing to go a bit easier once you’re done with the kitchen clean-up.  (A few snapshots from my roast chicken evening will follow at the bottom of this post.)

Happy writing this weekend… and bon appetit!

Filed under: Write: It's good for you! | 3 Comments »

Mentor Text Thursday: Editorials.

Posted on Thursday July 30, 2009 by Ruth

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 issues in the world.  In this way we can focus on the craft and development of editorials as opposed to the political stances.)

Mitch Albom – His website is exquisite.  You may have to register in order to access the links  (but it’s free and fast!).

Bill O’Reilly – With his strong word choice and well-structured articles, there are always a number of craft moves students see in his writing.  Click here for his archives.

Leanard Pitts Jr. – Way back in 2000, during my rookie year of teaching, Katie Wood Ray introduced me to the idea of using mentor texts, and in the same day, shared this editorialist for the Miami Herald as one of her favorites.  He has refined the craft of writing editorials.  Every time I read his work, I learn more about the craft of this genre.  Check out his recent articles, as well as his archives here.

Rick Reilly – I love his poignant articles, as well as his humor.  I am always impressed by the way he can be going along in a light-hearted manner and then turn the tables and make a serious point.  It’s like a left-hook that comes out of no where, hits you hard, and leaves a mark, forever changing the reader. 

Check out his articles from Sports Illustrated and ESPN.  You’ll have more mentor text possibilities than you can use.

Andy Rooney – When my students had trouble writing an ending to their editorials, we turned to Andy Rooney.  I would also think there could be possibility for using Andy Rooney as a mentor to turning an editorial into a speech. 

Of course, the local newspaper is also an excellent source of editorials.  Since many of the issues discussed are community issues, students often have a strong connection.  Several years ago there was a series of editorials about building a skate park.  Whenever a “Skate Park” article appeared on our board, students hovered around it.  They were interested in the issue and happily read the articles.  In fact, many submitted editorials to the local paper on this issue. 

Which is the other reason this genre is my favorite to teach — often they are easily published outside the classroom walls.  Simply submit to the “Letter to the Editor” feature in local newspapers and they are almost always published!

We’d love to hear your favorite mentors of editorials.  Please share in the comments!

Filed under: writing workshop | 5 Comments »

500,000

Posted on Thursday July 30, 2009 by Stacey

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 teaching of writing. When we went public with our blog in August 2007, we never imagined we’d see 500,000 hits in less than two years. Thank you for reading our posts, commenting on them, and pushing our thinking with the questions you e-mail us. We sincerely appreciate it!

Filed under: writing workshop | 7 Comments »

Professional Talk: The Walls of Your Classroom

Posted on Wednesday July 29, 2009 by Stacey

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, it’s important to have bulletin boards ready (i.e., fadeless paper or some kind of cloth with borders around it) to go, but not filled with meaningless filler (e.g., things that can be purchased from a teacher supply store).

I remember learning that my first principal was not a fan of pre-fab bulletin boards from teacher stores.  As a newbie teacher, I was horrified by the prospect of not having things up on my wall, especially since the teacher store bulletin board items looked so inviting, so easy.  However, I realized that once the kids got to school, it would be just a matter of a couple of days ’til I would be able to post their work up on the walls.

If you need some inspiration to leave your bulletin boards semi-empty before your class arrives, then here are some pre-student arrival photos from my classroom (from the past). As you’ll see, it’s not completely empty, but I think there’s just enough room to let kids feel as though there’ll be a place for to shine:

Blank Spaces for Student Writing

From Our Classroom Is Ready for the First Day of School
From Our Classroom Is Ready for the First Day of School
From Our Classroom Is Ready for the First Day of School
From 4-310 IS READY FOR LIFTOFF!
From 4-310 IS READY FOR LIFTOFF!
From 4-310 IS READY FOR LIFTOFF!

Finally, if you don’t subscribe to Choice Literacy’s Weekly E-Newsletter yet, then head over to their site and sign-up for The Big Fresh. It’s an excellent resource!

Filed under: classroom signage, first day, resource, responsive classroom, work space | 5 Comments »

Welcome Slicers!

Posted on Tuesday July 28, 2009 by Ruth

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!

Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

Filed under: writing workshop | 6 Comments »

I’m Back to Host Memoir Monday!

Posted on Monday July 27, 2009 by Stacey

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 on my online writer’s notebook blog later today.)

Until then…

Link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

Please link your memory-related post to this one by leaving a comment on this post.

Filed under: memories | Tagged: | 9 Comments »

Living Like Writers: Collecting Stories.

Posted on Friday July 24, 2009 by Ruth

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 things will you be putting in the writer’s notebook to support this? I use a lot of stuff from Aimee Buckner and others, but am always looking for new and fresh ideas!

When I read Terri’s comment, I began thinking about the kinds of stories I collect from my ordinary life.  Here is the list I developed (with links to past posts as an example):

  • Stories that define the personality of the people around me – this is my number one type of entry.
  • Lists of important places – I even have lists of favorite places of a favorite place!  For example, one of my favorite places is my home, so I have a list of the favorite places in my home.  I’ve noticed place has become an inspiration for many stories for me.
  • Sad, traumatic, or difficult events – Recently our head custodian at school passed away.  He was a friend of mine and I collected the story of his funeral on my personal blog.
  • Funny or sweet or poignant things people say (mine primarily revolves around the words of a three, five, and seven year old). This blog is dedicated to collecting funny quips from students.  (The author recently had a baby and is on maternity leave.  She will not return until November, still the past posts are worth reading and this is one you may want to bookmark!)
  • Stories inspired by photos – often when I write from a photo I remember things that were looooong forgotten.
  • Connections between people or times — for instance both my husband and our five year old love to dress up in crazy costumes.  This is something I document.
  • Routines – then pushing to find meaning.
  • Notes – to others and myself
  • Milestones – birthdays, preschool graduations, starting a new school year.
  • Gratitude Lists — all the things I’m thankful for
  • Entries based on other writing
  • Today You or Today I lists – I adore this prompt.
  • My spiritual growth — many of my entries/posts are inspired by my Christian journey.

So the Living Like a Writer Challenge for this weekend is:

Collect some of the everyday stories from your weekend.  Then take a minute to leave a comment with one of the entries you collected (or a partial entry).  If you need a jumping off point, be inspired by the above list.  In fact, you could make an entry right now in the comments section.  I would suggest the Today I list or the Gratitude list.  They only take minutes and they are powerful entries.

I’m looking forward to the inspiration that will fill up the comment section of our blog.  Thanks, in advance, for taking the time to comment.

Filed under: writer's notebook, writing workshop | 11 Comments »

Mentor Text Thursday: Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

Posted on Thursday July 23, 2009 by Ruth

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, Pat!

That’s the sound three hungry bunnies make when the sun goes down and the moon comes up and Mr. McGreely’s garden smells yum, yum, yummy. While he’s dreaming of his mouth-watering carrots, the bunnies are diving over fences and swimming trenches to get the veggies first!

Hammer, hammer, hammer, Saw!

That’s the sound Mr. McGreely makes when the sun comes up and the moon goes down and he sees what those twitch-whiskers have done….Nibbled leaves! Empty stalks! Mr. McGreely will build something bigger and better, sure to keep even pesky puff-tails away.

Some ideas for minilessons:

  • A repeating line
  • A problem at the beginning, more than three attempts to solve the problem, a solution at the end
  • An unexpected ending (with only a picture)
  • Onomatopoeia
  • A series of three in sentences:  “He dreamed of getting his hands dirty, of growing yummy vegetables, and of gobbling them all up.”
  • Using character emotion to make the story come to life
  • Using humor in both pictures and words
  • Interesting use of the exclamation point

So I could continue this list until there were a hundred teaching points . . . but instead, why not grab the book from the library and snuggle in for a great read and a rich resource for teaching students about narrative?  Happy reading!

By the way, Candace’s website is an excellent resource.  I met her this summer and she is a warm and lovely person.  On her site, there is also a teacher resource for Muncha!  Muncha!  Muncha! filled with ideas for connecting this book to other content areas.

Candace also writes wonderful nonfiction picture books.  Her latest, The Lincolns:  A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, recieved numerous awards.  This is another great text to check out.  And I cannot wait for The Great and Only Barnum:  The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum to arrive on my doorstep in October!  (I’ve preordered it because I’m drawn to books about the history of the circus and adore Cadance Fleming’s writing.)

Happy Reading!

Filed under: books, mentor texts | 2 Comments »

Finding Meaning.

Posted on Wednesday July 22, 2009 by Ruth

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 new year is upon us.  And if we haven’t documented the everyday living, suddenly things have changed and we don’t know what happened or how.

Yet, it’s not so sudden.  It’s day by day and all those little things that happen add up to big meaning.  Last summer I posted 57 times in June and July on my personal blog.  In August I added another 36 posts.  I relished the everyday last summer.  I collected and documented and breathed in life.  I was satisfied with the day to day living.

In the first five months of 2009, I posted an average of 18 entries each month.  Ths summer I’ve posted:  zero. What happened?

I’ve noticed that something has been a little off in my life.   Something is missing.  And it is this:  Collecting the ordinary moments from life make it so much sweeter. 

Yet it is not only the collecting of moments, but the reflecting upon them.  It’s pushing myself to ask the important questions:  Why does this matter?  Why is this important?  How does this little moment add up to big meaning in the grand scheme of it all?

This is why I believe in the power of Writer’s Notebooks for our young writers.  It gives them a spot to sift through all the little moments that make up their lives and find the common themes, the importat meaning.  Yet it isn’t just the physical book that makes the impact, it is helping them develop a habit, a routine, of collecting bits of their lives.  Helping them find time to write entries. Pushing them to find meaning in little things of life. 

This is part of my grand scheme for launching Writing Workshops this year.  I desire to help students begin document their lives.  It is within these stories they will find meaning.  Once students are writing with meaning, it is at that point we can teach conventions and craft with the most ease and power.

(And, because I know we’re all thinking about it, I think blogging is a fine way to keep a writer’s notebook.  The process I use is both a blog (actually two blogs — a professional and personal one)  and a traditional writer’s notebook.  In fact, I have many writer’s notebooks – the one I take to classrooms, one in my car, one in my camera bag, one by my computer, one by my bed, and one on my dryer. 

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

Filed under: writing workshop | 4 Comments »

Hello Slicers.

Posted on Tuesday July 21, 2009 by Ruth
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 . . .
Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

Link your Slice of Life Story to the comments section of this post. Happy Writing!

 

Filed under: writing workshop | 6 Comments »