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Recommended Reads

Recommended Reads

Three books that I have enjoyed reading are Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito, Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson, and The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard. These stories bring out the strength, determination, and perseverance of different individuals […]

Generating Writing Ideas

Generating Writing Ideas

“I don’t know what to write!” is something that I have heard countless students say when they have been told that they could write on any topic of their choice. Some students would jump straight in with ideas flowing, while others sit not knowing where to start. Their uncertainty led me to think about ways […]

A Fun Valentine’s Day Activity

A Fun Valentine’s Day Activity

This Valentine’s Day activity is an opportunity for students to tell each other how they are special.  At the end of the activity, each student will have a You Are Special Because  . . . heart that has been signed by their classmates with comments about what makes them special. Preparation Before the Activity Print […]

The Writing Process

The Writing Process

I have found that it is helpful to introduce the writing process to students at the start of the school year and/or before we jump into focused writing. When I do this it helps the students become familiar with the writing process vocabulary, see the big picture of how we will approach writing, and understand […]

Building Elementary Writing Muscles

Building Elementary Writing Muscles

To help elemenatry students develop their writing muscles, early in the school year I introduce our daily sessions of 10 minutes of uninterrupted writing time. This is a very simple, yet effective strategy that can help students become comfortable with writing. I am all about helping students get over the hump of being reluctant writers! […]

6 Read Alouds for Personal Narratives

6 Read Alouds for Personal Narratives

At the beginning of the school year, I like my students to write personal narratives because I think this genre helps them to build their writing confidence as soon as we start talking about writing.  I tell my students that a personal narrative is a story that has happened to them. They are writing about […]

Get to Know Your Students

Get to Know Your Students

Now that the benchmark writing assessment is out of the way, we can jump into writing. As it is still the beginning of the school year, it would be nice to have a fun way to get to know your students.   I would like to share an activity that I have used that requires students […]

Assessing Writers and The Writing Process

Assessing Writers and The Writing Process

The start of the school year is full of assessments. We want to know where our students are as learners. In writing, I give a benchmark writing assessment to all my students. I do not grade this work as the purpose is to assess where students are in their writing at the beginning of the […]