Writing Independence

My Students Don’t Write During Writing

So, some of your students aren't writing during writing? Maybe they are just sitting there staring off into space. Or maybe they are sneaking onto their phone, they'll probably tell you they were looking up a word on thesaurus.com. Or maybe they are whispering with a friend, about...who knows what? It is aggravating, isn't it!?! You work so hard and these rascals could care … [Read more...] about My Students Don’t Write During Writing

Realizations About Teaching Writing

I've been teaching writing workshop for four years now with no formal training. Last week I attended the Summer Writing Institute in NYC organized and facilitated by the leading think tank in writing instruction today, aka Lucy Calkins and her incredibly inspiring and talented crew. It is a daunting task to synthesize a life changing week into one blog post, but it is a MUST, … [Read more...] about Realizations About Teaching Writing

Mini Lessons Step By Step Part Three

Welcome to Mini Lessons Step By Step Part Three! Part One: Coming to the Meeting Area and Hooking Students In Part Two: Teaching a Targeted Skill & Modeling with Mentor Texts Part Three: Guided & Independent Practice Here's a quick overview of everything covered in this series so far... Step One: Transition to the Meeting Area Step Two: Connect with … [Read more...] about Mini Lessons Step By Step Part Three