This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a passage (up to 350 words) within a single sentence. Punctuation and complex clauses are welcome! SheContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Long Sentences”
Tag Archives: gifted
Steering My Craft: Short Sentences
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a paragraph using short sentences (maximum 7 words each). No sentence fragments are allowed! FIRST ATTEMPTAmong itContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Short Sentences”
Steering My Craft: Am I Saramago
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a passage using NO punctuation. Gulp. Here was my go: He tied his shoes yes allContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Am I Saramago”
Steering My Craft: Sound of Words Part 2
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Write a(nother) passage that wants to be read aloud, this one dealing with a particular action, feeling, or emotion. Here’s where I landed: Yes.Please.Thank you.Tight words,Continue reading “Steering My Craft: Sound of Words Part 2”
Steering My Craft: Exercise 1-The Sound of Words
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: To craft a short passage that asks to be read aloud. The object is to have fun playing with words and their sounds. Here’sContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Exercise 1-The Sound of Words”
Summer Dreams
This post is in response to a bookcampPD challenge, asking teachers to think about what they dream about for the summer. Here was my submission. I can’t wait to see what my online colleagues have to say as well! …and you…? I’d love to know what you dream of doing this summer. Leave a commentContinue reading “Summer Dreams”
When Poems Find Me
Sometimes a poem strikes me, and I’m able to write it in the moment. I get an idea for an image, a phrase or a metaphor, and I just can’t help myself. Other poems are more coy. They want me to write them, but maybe I have too much to say and don’t know howContinue reading “When Poems Find Me”
Troubleshooting: Questions Edition
It started out easy enough. My second graders were sharing the questions they had written with one another, and to promote supportive listening I had the kids nominate strong questions for a light-hearted “awards” ceremony. Our “Questies” consisted of 3 categories:*Questions we’re most curious to find the answer to*Big questions, that nobody really has theContinue reading “Troubleshooting: Questions Edition”
Making Lemonade
Now is about the time of year when I give my fifth grade students an assessment on literary analysis. We have spent a fair amount of class time learning how to write proper claims and arguments, and we have also discussed the type of language that is best suited for the tone of academic writing.Continue reading “Making Lemonade”
On Teaching and Transparency
I’m always complaining that I don’t have enough mentor texts to teach my students about reading and writing concepts. I can never get enough. That’s why I was so excited to introduce a concept to my two fourth grade groups yesterday and today. I got the idea from Kristin Ackerman and Jennifer McDonough’s book, Conferring withContinue reading “On Teaching and Transparency”
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 