Fiction writing is neglected in English classes everywhere for many reasons. We don't have enough time. Or we are afraid students might produce pages and pages and pages and we feel too guilty about not reading all of those pages! Or maybe some of us don't do it because we feel it's just not academic enough... In the TED Talk I've included below, Ken Robinson talks about the … [Read more...] about We Need to Stop Neglecting Fiction
Writing Units
How I Teach Reading & Writing Workshop in 54 Minutes
Writing and reading workshop are powerful methods to teach English. But, how can secondary teachers, who have less than an hour with their students, do it all?!?! I think I have found the solution! In this article you'll find my exact schedule and how I work both reading and writing workshop into one period! Join the Secondary Series Facebook group to get more live videos … [Read more...] about How I Teach Reading & Writing Workshop in 54 Minutes
Launching Writing Workshop: The First 14 Days
This article outlines exactly what I did to launch both reading and writing workshop in my classroom. If you are an English teacher wanting to teach using the writing and reading workshop model, then this post is exactly what you've been looking for! You'll find my exact lesson outline for 14 total school days. Students will get to know each other, you'll build a writing … [Read more...] about Launching Writing Workshop: The First 14 Days
10 Ways to Publish Student Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide
Publishing student writing is the cornerstone of a successful writing workshop program. At the beginning of each of my writing units I tell students they will write many different drafts within a writing genre and pick one to revise intensely and then to publish. In this article I'll present many options for publishing student writing, materials you'll need, the steps you … [Read more...] about 10 Ways to Publish Student Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide
Why You’re Probably Teaching Information Writing WRONG
Most secondary teachers I know, wonderful teachers who are friends of mine by the way, teach information/expository writing using essay assignments. Here's how it usually goes: Read & annotate articles Write an essay in response to the articles Teach how to cite parts of the article in the essay Teach how to write a thesis/claim, introduction, supporting … [Read more...] about Why You’re Probably Teaching Information Writing WRONG