writing
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A Revelation
I had a revelation this afternoon You know. One of those aha! moments that is only possible when I write. When I take the time to reflect and write on what’s happening around me, it will come. That revelation. That aha! moment. That sense of: “Duh! But of course! Why didn’t I see that before?” Read more
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Silent Writing Time – 5 minutes every day
Every day, at the beginning of writing workshop, we have a 5-minute silent writing time. Sometimes, I do a mini lesson first and sometimes, we just do 5 minutes of silent writing. Afterwards, the kids go off to work on their own writing projects. Most days I’ve given my students free reign about what they Read more
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Two Changes for the Fall
At last night’s #TeachWrite monthly chat participants discussed ways to could keep a writing habit going when school starts up again in the fall. I know that for some of you, school has already started, but I’m still in summer mode. A couple of suggestions resonated with me and so I want to discuss them Read more
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10 minutes of uninterrupted writing
Once a week, on Mondays, my students have writing homework. They write, anything, for at least 10 minutes without stopping. A parent used the term “uninterrupted writing” in an email message to me earlier this year, and so the phrase has stuck. 10 minutes of uninterrupted writing My students keep track of their writing on Read more
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Writing Does That For Me
Writing has always been a cathartic activity for me. I write when I’m upset or confused and, after just a few minutes, I start to feel better. Writing about failures or challenging situations helps me clarify my thinking so that I can sort through the muck and figure out what my next steps might be. Read more
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DIY Literacy Chapters 5 & 6
This is the last in a series of blog posts for the #CyberPD16 book study on DIY Literacy, Teaching Tools for Differentiation, Rigor and Independence by Kate Roberts and Maggie Beattie Roberts. This post will address chapters 5 & 6. You can read my previous posts here and here. Chapter 5 is all about differentiation. Kate Read more
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Try it Yourself First!
As teachers of writing, we know that using precise words in our writing allows our readers to visualize and understand what they’re reading. Therefore, we advise our students to select precise words when they’re writing. We take this aspect of our instruction seriously. We also know that avid readers develop an extensive vocabulary which they Read more
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No WiFi
Missed two days of writing.The WiFi in the hotel was not working when I needed it.So, I had to admit that I was going to miss slicing for two days.I had to let go.It’s not about the prize.It’s about the challenge.Pushing myself to write more.I am behind on commenting, as well.So, now that I’ve commiserated Read more
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Distractions
As soon as I got home from work, I sat down at the computer to write and do some research for my doctorate. Now, more than 90 minutes later, I am finally getting around to writing today’s SOL post. I did do some checking of a few sources but most of my time on the Read more
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Noticing and Taking Note
Angela Maiers, in this TED talk, recommends that we take note of what we notice. And, by taking note, I think Angela means taking the time to appreciate everything that happens every day. There are many noteworthy things to notice and we need to take the time to appreciate that which we notice. For me, this Read more
Elisa Waingort 