Choice Lit Topic: 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.
Results
Figuring Out Social Media Together
My teenage daughter Stephanie sits across the table, and the phone sits in neutral territory between us as we enter another discussion about digital responsibility . . . or do-the-right-thing-with-your-tech....
A Fiction Writing Field Trip
Every year in writing workshop, my students beg to write fiction. They are well versed in narratives, memoirs, and informational texts. I know I have to teach these units; the...
Restarting a Writing Draft in Fourth Grade
Beth Lawson confers with Michael, who needs to restart his writing draft.
“How Can I Help?” Conference
Ruth Ayres helps a fourth grader reflect on whether she is finished with her personal narrative, and how Ruth might assist her.
Data That Matters
On the first day of my internship with Nancie Atwell at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, Maine, I sat eagerly with my spiral-bound notebook, poised to record...
Staying True to Best Practices with Required Resources
In recent years many districts have turned away from teacher autonomy in literacy instruction and toward reading or writing programs. The reasons for this shift are varied. Some think that...
I Don’t Want to Know What You Did Last Summer: Rethinking Narrative Nonfiction
Maria is already on her second page of writing. She has a lot to say about that family vacation to the beach. She is eager to share the shells she...
Adding Dialogue to Writing: Conferring with Sam
Karen Terlecky confers with Sam about adding dialogue to writing in her fifth-grade classroom.
Back to Basics: Routines in Writing Workshops
As a mother of four, I’ve learned to have a few non-negotiables when it comes to our bedtime routine. In a nutshell, the non-negotiables in our house are brushing teeth,...
Quick Writing Conferences in Second Grade
In these brief writing conferences with second graders, Sean Moore reinforces an earlier minilesson on using descriptive language.
Provoking Young Readers
Since attending a Teachers College workshop a few years ago, Shanna Schwartz's suggestion to be provocative with young opinion writers has stuck with me. When one of our second-grade teachers...
Crafting Characters and Scenes
In this discussion with fifth graders about her book Paper Things, author Jennifer Richard Jacobson and the students share strategies and tools for visualizing scenes and characters when they are...
Feed Forward
Feedback is a word that teachers commonly use. I thought I had a clear understanding of the term. We provide our students with feedback on their reading habits, writing, and...
Digital Literacy Workshop
Pencil vs. typing. Writer’s notebook vs. Word document. Paper book vs. Kindle. Realizing it is not about the pencil, app, or an Internet address is the first step in transitioning...
We Are All Writers with Louise Borden (PODCAST)
Louise Borden is the author of many acclaimed books for children, including The Journey That Saved Curious George, Sea Clocks, and His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg. In this podcast with...
Ralph Fletcher on Mentor Texts (PODCAST)
Ralph Fletcher's status as a writer and teacher is legendary in elementary schools. He is the author of many books for teachers and children. In this podcast, Ralph and Franki...
Quick Take: Starting an Anchor Chart in Kindergarten
Mandy Robek begins an anchor chart with her kindergartners and explains the value of shared writing for creating charts about reading strategies and behaviors.
The Power of Charts in the Classroom
I love creating charts with students each year during read-alouds, minilessons, and discussions. In my classroom, you will never see charts that are laminated, store-bought, or faded from previous years....
Note Taking for Research
In our fifth-grade classroom research isn’t confined to one unit in the school year, but instead we do small units all year long. Small research projects often are listed among...
Choices for Paragraphs
Over the last month, I have been working with a third-grade teacher to help her students understand the concept of paragraphing. They have been working within an opinion unit, so...
Launching a Punctuation Study in Second Grade
Linda Karamatic begins a punctuation study with her second graders, sharing mentor texts, starting an anchor chart, and engaging students in punctuation inquiry partnerships.
