Teaching Writing
Everyone who writes for Choice Literacy loves teaching writing, because we all write ourselves. We know it is "hard fun," as Donald Murray famously said—exasperating and exhilarating at the same time. The writing workshops you will read about here and see in our videos are busy, noisy, vibrant places. And most days, we wouldn't want to be anywhere else than in the midst of 'em! Here is where you'll find our latest discoveries, insights, and occasional boneheaded mistakes in teaching writing.
Latest Content
Using Foam Boards in Writer’s Workshop
Franki Sibberson explains how she extends the wall space in her classroom for instruction through the use of foam boards.
Assessing Student Writing
Don't let the pressure of standards and testing take away from the joys of writing workshop. Franki Sibberson explains how assessment helps her infuse energy and excitement into her writing program.
Mix It Up: Helping Young Writers Learn to Confer with Peers and Teachers
Ruth Shagoury models her own writing as a way to introduce the concept of conferring to young learners.
Introducing Bull’s-Eye and Waves Written Responses in Synthesis Work
Andie Cunningham explains the bull’s-eye and wave responses her kindergartners complete to demonstrate their understanding of synthesis. A video introducing the activity is included.
Webbing to Learn: A Writing Strategy to Chart Thinking with Young Learners
Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury explain how webs can be a powerful organizing tool for kindergarten writers.
Reflection Sheets: A Tool for Assessment and Conferring
Franki Sibberson explains how “reflection sheets” work as an assessment tool in her classroom, replacing detailed notes from conferences.
Revision Tools: Providing Options to Students
From old favorites like highlighters to new resources like kangaroo bags, this whole-class session with Franki Sibberson's grades 3-4 students highlights cool tools that will inspire learners to dive in and test out different revision strategies in writer's workshop.
The Lines are to Write My Words: Phonics in Context
Ruth Shagoury considers the role of phonics in context as she observes a classroom built on a foundation of children's expert knowledge as writers.
Inviting Students to Organize Books and Materials
Debbie Miller advocates for involving children in the organization of materials for readers and writers in the classroom.
Tips from the Pros on Starting Your Own Writer’s Notebook or Teaching Journal
If you asked yourself, “What in this world do I never want to forget?” what might go in your notebook? Brenda Power offers routines and rhythms to write like the pros.
Planning for a Year of Author Studies (TEMPLATE)
Meaningful reading, writing, speaking, and listening comes out of thoughtfully planned author studies. Gayle Gentry shares her thinking and planning.
Creating Anchor Charts with Sticky Note Responses from Young Readers
Over-sized sticky notes are a great learning tool for kindergartners. In this video, Andie Cunningham demonstrates how she uses them with her students.
Up Gross and Personal: Dealing with Dicey Topics in Writing Workshops
Even teachers with a high tolerance for the disgusting can get a little squeamish at the topics students choose for writing workshops. What are the boundaries of good taste?
In the Zone: Conferring with a Young English Language Learner
Andie Cunningham confers with kindergartner Cristian within his "ZPD" – Zone of Proximal Development.
Two-Column Notes (E-GUIDE)
The Two-Column Notes eGuide has 18 different options for notes in professional development settings. These templates are helpful to use in staff meetings and study groups while watching videos, or to focus observations during classroom visits
Fonts Lesson: A Revision Strategy for Transitional Writers
Franki Sibberson teaches a minilesson on fonts as a revision strategy for her grades 3 and 4 students.
Conferring in the Zone: Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Writing Conferences
The zone of proximal development continues to be an important frame for noting where writers are at and what's next. Ruth Shagoury lists questions at different phases of writing to help nudge writers forward.
Writing About a War-Torn Home: Zerina Talks About Finding Her Writer’s Voice
In this interview with Ruth Shagoury, English language learner Zerina talks about her growing confidence as a writer as she shares her writing with high school classmates. She also talks about how her father encouraged her to write down her most poignant memory of war in their homeland, Bosnia.
Conferring with Anna
Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing.
Spacing Words: A Minilesson with Young Writers
In this two-minute video, Andie Cunningham reinforces the concept of spacing words with her kindergartners using her own writing and a brainstorming web.
Let’s Get Some Attitude
Shirl McPhillips recalls a junior high experience that promoted serious "attitude" and an uproar among her peers.
Listen In: Jeffry’s Ocean Story
Moving a child from simple to complex sentences is the goal in this second-grade writing conference.
Power Tools
Aimee Buckner shares three essential "power tools" for writers.
Tracking Young Children’s Writing and Development
Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury share the assessment tools they use to track Andie’s kindergarten writers.
Mentor Texts and Teacher Modeling: The Listing Strategy
In this video from her fourth-grade classroom, Aimee Buckner teaches the “listing” strategy, using the book This Is the Tree: A Story of the Baobab as a mentor text. Aimee talks about mentor texts, using her own writing as a model, and the needs of intermediate readers and writers during the lesson and interview.
as a mentor text. Aimee talks about mentor texts, using her own writing as a model, and the needs of intermediate readers and writers during the lesson and interview.
Common Core Conversations: Increasing Argumentative Writing
Teachers continue to puzzle over and sort through the terminology in the Common Core related to opinion and persuasive writing. Amanda Adrian and Heather Rader consider terms and teaching strategies.
The Difference Between Conferring and “Touching Base”
Debbie Miller goes against the grain, advocating for “the luscious feeling of endless time” as we slow down to confer with children.
Whole Class Interviews: Building Community in Writing Workshop (TEMPLATE)
Interviews early in the year are a potent tool for building a class community.
Important Book, Important Notes: Guiding Young Students Through Notetaking
Suzy Kaback catches a young learner near and dear to her in the process of plagiarizing. She uses the experience to develop a template to help students and colleagues with notetaking.
Breathing New Life into the Writer’s Notebook
Tara Smith finds her sixth graders have years of experience with writer's notebooks by the time they reach her classroom. How to inspire enthusiasm for a familiar tool? Mix old favorite tasks and lessons with fresh texts and tech-savvy options.
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