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
Introducing the Writing Common Core Standards: Planning for Professional Development
When I began to plan for how introducing the Common Core State Standards in Writing with a key group of leaders in our district, I kept these words of wisdom...
Educating the Writer’s Palate
On the day that I married my husband, I received two gifts from his aunts -- a cookbook of his grandmother’s recipes, filled with the Eastern European flavors I grew...
Summer Planning: Goals and the Finish Line
“Don’t you love having summers off?” I think that’s a phrase so many teachers hear and unless you are a teacher, you don’t really appreciate the irony. Please don’t misunderstand,...
Are Your Writers Talking During Writing Workshop?
Writing workshop: the hour block in the school day when writers of any age get together to compose, create, use their imaginations, and play with words. When I think of...
Rereading Strategy: Conferring with Emily
Sean Moore confers with 2nd grader Emily about the strategy of rereading for comprehending reading and writing.
Focused Independent Reading in Second Grade
Sean Moore demonstrates how he helps students focus their independent reading with preparation and then with discussion after reading.
Lines Written at Lunchtime Above Tintern Abbey
You said you knew it wouldn’t work because the pink of my bathroom sink clashed with the terracotta of the walls and the off-Monet of the shower curtain. But...
Preschool Morning Sign-In
Melissa Kolb explains the social and academic value of morning sign-in for preschoolers.
Found Poetry in Second Grade
Linda Karamatic teaches a small group of her second graders about found poetry.
Making Thinking Visible
One of my biggest challenges as a middle school teacher -- aside from teaching my sixth graders how to navigate the halls, use their lockers with ease, and organize their...
Keeping the M
Preschool teacher Melissa Kolb works one-on-one with Daniela on the letters and sounds in her brother's name.
5th Grade Word Study Homework
Fifth-grade teacher Karen Terlecky leads a debrief of the previous night's homework. The students share derivatives they found of the root word cycle. Click here to download the workshop guide....
Purposeful Writing Share Sessions in 1st Grade
Katie DiCesare explains how she has made her whole-class writing share more purposeful during writing workshop. The video includes an example of a share session.
Conferring About Inferring
Katie confers with two middle school students after the inferring minilesson as they practice the strategy by annotating and discussing inferences in their picture books.
Quick Take: Using Timers in Middle School Writing Workshops
In this video quick take, Katie Doherty explains why she finds a timer helpful in her middle school writing workshop.
Listen In: Strategies for Using Nonfiction Texts in Writing
Besides being good friends, Sammi and Alyssa had similar writing folder contents: nonfiction texts that were exact copies of a published book. In academic integrity studies of high school and...
Conferring About Inferring
During reader's workshop, my main goal is to have students reading and practicing some form of reading strategy with the text that they choose. At the beginning of the year,...
Voila! Best Writing and Entry Slips in Second Grade
Linda Karamatic leads a small group of second graders who are choosing pieces with the help of their peers to place in their portfolios. After reading and discussing their pieces, Linda shares an entry slip to encourage more careful selection of writing.
Listen In: Strategies for Using Nonfiction Texts in Writing
Heather confers with Alyssa and Sammi on how to use the nonfiction mentor texts as supports for their literary nonfiction writing without copying. The girls are introduced to four steps that they rehearse together during the conference
Listen In: Writing in Math
Heather Rader confers with Maya about her math riddles. Together they look at her homework assignment. Heather suggests the mentor text Tally O’Malley by Stuart Murphy to show how authors might write about math.
Main Ideas, Summaries, and Notes in a Reading Conference
In this conference with a 4th grader, Aimee Buckner tackles text choice, notes, and main ideas all in less than five minutes.
