
It was through engaging in writing partnerships that I gained greater compassion for my own writers.

If you’re a teacher of older students (3rd grade and up) and have ever found yourself asking what you can do for kids who are still struggling with basic capitalization and punctuation, you’re not alone! Today’s post provides ideas to support teaching and transfer of sentence writing conventions in authentic and fun ways with our older writers.

Attention new and returning Slicers: Please fill out this year’s participant information form. Filling out the form takes less than five minutes and helps us stay organized during the Challenge.

It’s Tuesday- join us for Slice of Life. Write your slice, share it, and leave comments for others.
We’re hunched over a table, sitting in chairs made for kindergarteners. The sun hasn’t fully risen yet, and the hallways are still quiet. There’s a typed piece, a draft, laid out between us. On that draft is black chicken scratch, the initial thoughts, and suggestions made by my writing partner, Dawn. One line at a […]

Ever get lost in the details of a writing unit? Ever get overwhelmed by the “bigness” of your vision? Plan for that and shift: from details to the big idea and back again.

The other day, I did it again. I drafted an email to my bosses. Read it. Reread it. Hit send. Got distracted. Then… saw it. The error. These moments of regret keep me humble! And so, when I notice students not applying taught spelling and grammar concepts, I remind myself that they are not defiantly […]

Who says grammar can’t be fun in a third-grade classroom? And who says young writers can’t understand complex concepts like dependent and independent clauses? And who knew I’d be using poop, sentence structures, and a variety of clauses in the same sentence in front of a room of third-graders?

It’s Tuesday- join us for Slice of Life. Write your slice, share it, and leave comments for others.

Teaching starts to feel tougher this time of year. Learn six tips to inspire yourself and writers this season.