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
How to Notice: Mining Children’s Books for Craft Minilessons
The library is a favorite place of mine, where books are everywhere. A gold mine of minilessons waits to be found. I love to dig into the words, carefully searching...
Character Traits and Vocabulary Development
In my fourth-grade classroom, we spend a great deal of time analyzing characters. Recently, it has become apparent to me that students lack the vocabulary necessary to discuss a character’s...
Finding Craft Minilessons in the Children’s Books You Love
I remember when I first learned about writing workshop. The philosophy of allowing children to grow in their writing by choosing their own topics, creating text with an inner purpose,...
Supporting Introverts in Literacy Workshops
I value opportunities to share my thinking with colleagues in support of work and/or learning. Writing response groups, committees committed to a specific task, collegial conversations in a class, and...
Slow Thinkers
“Let’s go around and introduce ourselves,” says the facilitator in a recent class I attended. This is a common occurrence at workshops and conferences. When my turn comes, I will...
Dictation in Fourth Grade: Conferring with Donovan
Beth Lawson confers with Donovan, a fourth grader who needs help getting his ideas on the page.
The Silent Period
He has been listening. He has been listening all day long, but he hasn’t said a word to me or to friends. It looks like he is imitating behaviors like...
Second-Grade Nonfiction Writing Share
Sean Moore leads his second graders in a whole-class and partner nonfiction writing share session.
Shorter Research Projects: Rethinking Notetaking Strategies
Research in fifth grade can be mind-numbing. Add notetaking into that equation, and you are in for an exhausting unit. Notetaking in the world of fifth graders is always tricky....
Visualizing Plot Points: The Roller Coaster Conference
Beth Lawson helps a fourth grader visualize the plot of the mystery he is writing by using the visual of a roller coaster.
The Weight of Stories
I walk into the house at the end of the day and set down my bag, releasing the weight of my laptop, books, and stacks of paper, but my shoulders...
Peer Evaluation of Student Writing
We all know we need to incorporate writing into every aspect of what we teach. We love writing ourselves. We love getting out the thoughts and tweaking them and rearranging...
Using Writing Notebooks Authentically with My Fifth-Grade Students
When I first began teaching writing workshop, I was told that my students needed to keep a writer's notebook. Back then, I was the kind of teacher who liked to...
My Middle Schoolers Still Can’t Spell!: Focusing on Individual Students
It had become my stubborn mission to get a handle on spelling while we had had a small taste of success. After a month of thoughtfully planned small-group intervention, students...
Addressing Conventions: Conferring with Jack
Katie DiCesare works with a first grader on the strategy of rereading one’s writing to address conventions and revise the title and ending.
Rethinking Grammar Instruction in High School
It’s easy for an English teacher to get overwhelmed by the grammatical errors that turn up in student writing. Something about the nature of English teachers makes us want to...
Writing Homework
Five years ago, I began using the workshop method in my reading and writing classes. Since that time, my nightly reading homework has been the same: read a book of...
Conferring About the Author
Beth Lawson confers with a fourth grader about her "about the author" blurb, a great chance to learn more about students' home passions.
My Middle Schoolers Can’t Spell!
Dear Mrs. Taylor, I have a lot of concerns with John’s spelling. His previous teachers haven’t been worried, but I’m concerned about the volume of spelling mistakes that he still...
First-Grade Humor: Conferring with Jude
Katie DiCesare confers with first grader Jude about the humor in his underpants "hero" writing.
Getting Traction When There Is Nothing to Write About
I am at a writing retreat and I’m stuck. I have nothing to write about, nothing of value to commit to the page, no good ideas. I am on the...
