A word after a word after a word is power.
—Margaret Atwood
Big News!
I’m excited to share some news with you. Becca Burk and I are officially contracted to write a new book about nourishing healthy physical and emotional regulation in elementary classrooms.
(Throws confetti!)
Now the hard work begins—the grind of a writing habit that will produce 60,000 “usable” words for a meaningful book. As Becca and I gently mold chapters, our collaborative writing process has emerged.
Becca is a powerhouse first-draft writer. She came to visit me in January so we could get a good start on the book writing, and in less than three days she generated more than 15,000 words.
First-draft writing does not come easily to me, so I’m incredibly grateful for Becca. Once Becca dumps a lot of words into a chapter, I go in and begin sorting, organizing, and formatting. I might make a bulleted list or move a story from the middle to the beginning. I’ll capture several paragraphs and move them to another chapter. I mold the chapter and leave lots of comments for Becca along the way.
Meanwhile, she’s dropping words into the next chapter.
Then we swap. She goes back into the chapter I just finished shaping and adds more, revises, and pops more comments into the draft. I’m working my way through the next chapter’s first draft. Then we swap again.
I finalize the initial chapter, and it is ready to go to the editor. We know more revisions will be ahead for that chapter, and meanwhile we’re writing through the book, chapter by chapter.
I’m once again reminded of the importance of individualizing the writing process. Becca and I have completely different ways of making words spill onto the page. The same is true for our students.
Some are fabulous first drafters. Others are thoughtful revisers. Some are spot-on editors. Let’s build on their strengths and help them find their own ways of getting words on the page. This week we consider the writing process, plus more as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
P.S. If you want to follow along as our thinking unfolds about nourishing healthy emotional regulation, then listen to our podcast Sticky Hope.
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If you’re an instructional coach, we’d love for you to join our FREE coaching network called Coach-to-Coach. This simple and mighty group is led by Ruth Ayres and hosted by our sister site, The Lead Learners. The next meeting is Thursday, March 20, at noon EDT. Click here to register.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Tara Barnett and Kate Mills are inspired by their own writing retreat experience to give students exactly what they need to thrive as writers. Take their advice to help writers thrive in your classroom, too.
Vivian Chen offers insights into the conditions needed to help writers value feedback. She discusses written and verbal feedback, as well as AI-generated feedback.
NEW VIDEO | Tammy Mulligan shares the first steps to help students develop a sense of belonging in the classroom.
Don’t miss our massive booklist collection that has been curated by Choice Literacy contributors. This is a great place to discover mentor texts!
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Everyone knows that writing is a superb strategy to help students learn new information. However, what happens when the conventions are less than stellar in student writing? Ruth Ayres offers advice for how coaches and literacy leaders can navigate the tension of conventions with teachers.
PD2GO | Heather Fisher shares a process to help teachers learn to admire student writers and find the beauty in their work.
Quote It:
If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.
—Martin Luther
That’s all for this week!
