Rose mentioned “Quiet Ten.” Today, after the abundance of Thanksgiving (food, conversation, catching-up, laughter), Quiet Ten seems like a perfect topic.

What is Quiet Ten?
It’s a technique I developed while teaching first grade that works beautifully for all ages. (Though in…

Time and time again, teachers tell me their students resist revision. Of course they do. Deep down all of us wish words flowed magically from our fingertips with no further work required. Unfortunately, it rarely works that way.
 

Here’s what revision is not:…

I recently heard from Nancy, a teacher in Bangor, Maine, asking what types of resources I’d recommend attaching to fourth grade writing folders. Knowing that action brings energy to writing, I suggested she attach a list of lively verbs. It…

Rather than giving students a steady stream of writing prompts, I believe they should be choosing their own topics at least 75% of the time.

I know. I hear your protests:

But our students are assessed with writing prompts!
They are, and so…

In Writer’s Workshop, the teacher never hears these two dreaded words, because in WW, there is no such thing as being done. Why not?

During Writer’s Workshop students are, simultaneously, at different stages of the writing process. They might be:

•  Prewriting (talking,…

Should you provide the students with journals or writing folders that contain loose paper? After kindergarten, I am a strong proponent of folders. That’s not to say that I don’t use any journals: I love dialogue journals, response to literature…