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Warm Welcome, Writing Principal, and New Contest for Students
I’m recently back from presenting a school inservice and an author day at the Kateri School in the Kahnawake Mohawk Reservation in Quebec. Second graders in Ms Fran’s class created a stunning welcome banner — my first in the Mohawk language. I just have to share:
In other news, in my Monday Mini-Lesson Newsletter (February 22 — see all archived newsletters to the right) I stressed the importance of modeling writing for students. Danielle Hamblin, principal of the Central School in Great Meadows, NJ is keeping a blog documenting her training to prepare for a Grand Canyon hiking trip in support of Leukemia/Lymphoma. She forwards the blog to students in Great Meadows and Allachumy so they can assess her writing! (I know she’s scoring well when it comes to quality details!) Check out Danielle’s progress at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nj/gahike10/dhamblin
http://grandcanyonbound2010.blogspot.com/
She’s inviting students in grades PreK -6 to enter a writing contest based on the cover of her book, No T-Rex in the Library. You can read more about the contest (and possibly win a free half-hour Skype session with Toni Buzzeo!) here: www.Tonibuzzeo.com. Hurry, the deadline is Friday, March 12.
Happy Pub Date!
Tomorrow is the publication date of No More "I’m Done!" and I couldn’t be more excited. Thank you to all of who’ve written to express your anticipation. .jpg)
This book explores the ways in which we teachers, with the very best of intentions, train our young students to become dependent rather than independent writers. Here is a chart I include in the book that pinpoints some of the ways:
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Creates Dependence
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Fosters Independence
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Teacher selects writing prompt.
Teacher is “keeper of supplies” handing out paper and pencils.
Teacher “stretches out” words or provides the spelling of words.
Because writing is assigned, students brainstorm whatever comes to mind in ten minutes and then exclaim, “I’m done.”
Writing lasts as long as a writing period or a journal page (or shorter!).
Students who are often minimally engaged in their work resist revision.
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Students select writing topic.
Materials are available in the writing center.
Students know that by “recording the sounds they hear” they are teaching themselves to read and write.
Students often plan what they will write in the future, and consequently organize their thoughts in the space between one writer’s workshop and the next.
Students often work on the same writing piece for many days.
In anticipation of conferences,
author’s chair, the possibility of co-teaching a mini-lesson, students willingly revise.
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Any thoughts, concerns, experiences? I’d love to hear them!
Decalogue
I just learned the meaning of this word, decalogue, this week. First I stumbled across the website of NNWP Teacher Consultant, Corbett Harrison who provides wonderful mini-lessons to use with mentor texts. He recommends reading chapter four of Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn Dixie, which contains a…
Spelling
I received an email from a teacher this week who wrote:
Never underestimate the power . . .
Oh, how we embraced publishing students’ work in the early years of writer’s workshop! Many schools had a “publishing center” where parent volunteers came to type and bind student work. Covers were cardboard, decorated with wallpaper samples, held together with duct tape. Although…
New Year's Resolutions
I have always loved January. I love the calmness after the holidays. I love that there are almost four solid weeks of non-interrupted teaching. I love that the month is all about setting and reaching personal goals.
I'm back!
Andy Shane is out on audio!
Those who have heard me speak know that I’m a huge proponent of audiobooks for children. So it is with enormous pleasure that I announce that the first two Andy Shane books are now out on audio by Live Oak…
Voice: A hard trait to define
“Teaching voice is easier than I thought,” a fourth grade teacher recently said after watching a modeled lesson. I knew exactly what he meant. Voice is the hardest trait to define, but even very young writers recognize it when they…
Publishing Student Work
Why do we write? To communicate, and communication requires audience. Without audience our desire to write and to improve our writing diminishes.
Show your love
On Saturday, I participated in a "Kids Heart Authors" book signing at Children’s Book Cellar in Waterville, Maine. Also present was Maria Padian signing her first YA novel, Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress, and author/illustrator Kevin Hawkes who read from…
Organization: Pattern of 3 (Part 4)
So once you’ve introduced students to the pattern of three in literature, and they come to you regularly pointing out the pattern in the books they’re reading, how do you help them to use this pattern in their own writing?
I…
Reflective Endings
Perhaps you think of it as a circular ending, but one favorite technique for ending pieces – particularly short pieces – is by having the ending reflect the beginning. Here are three of my favorite examples.
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by…
Organization -- Pattern of Three (Part 3: Endings)
So, we’ve arrived at the topic of conclusions. Endings are hard. Let me say that again: ENDINGS ARE HARD!
Last week I wrote the ending of my newest middle grade novel. Observe the writer at work: she’s fidgety, she’s irritable, her brain feels incapable of functioning. She paces, she…
Organization: Pattern of Three (Part 2)
Second Installment
Okay, so your students have come to recognize that, yes, story often begins with a character who wants something. Does this mean the character gets what he or she wants right off the bat? No way! (Not unless the…
Organization: Pattern of Three
Allow me to model my writing process for a moment. Every time I begin a new piece, I ask myself two questions:
1. What do I want to write about?
2. How am I going to organize my writing?
Once I know the…
Quiet Ten
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…
Revision
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:…
List of Lively Verbs
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…
Prompts
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…