Harnessing the enthusiasm that many young writers generate during prewriting and helping them navigate the transition that turns that energy into writing they feel really good about can be tricky. Each time I’ve led a workshop or a Studio session, all of the excitement that kids have for their new project often begins to evaporate when they dive into drafting and realize how hard it can be to make their vision a reality. During Studio…
Nancie Atwell was the first person to influence my thinking about the power of writing workshop. It wasn’t until I began college myself that the whole notion of a writing territories list began to take shape inside my writer-mind. I can still remember how odd it felt to tote around my first list of budding ideas, relieved at last to have a container for the ones that would easily escape me, but uncertain about how…
Friday marked the final day of our summer Studio sessions, and I am still basking in the glow of two great weeks with incredible kids, teachers, administrators, and parents! Ironically, it’s when I have little time for blogging that I seem to have the most to share, and while I haven’t been able to capture many of our experiences here over the last few weeks, I plan to do so in the weeks ahead. Deciding…
Identifying and nurturing future teachers of writing is one of the greater pursuits of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio. To that end, we’ve created internship opportunities for veteran fellows who are in high school and interested in pursuing a career in education or writing. We’ve also opened assistantships to veteran fellows who are in middle school and interested in doing the same. Today was their first day facilitating sessions, and I could not have been…
Tomorrow, we begin another week of Studio summer sessions at Daemen. When writers and teachers first join us, some assume that our program is much like a day-camp for writers. It isn’t until they begin connecting with others and immersing themselves in their collaborative and individual projects that they begin to realize how very different we are. At the end of last week, when I sat down with writers and their parents to listen carefully…
We’ve been exploring the ways in which writers draw upon the Dispositions of Practice to improve their process and their craft in Studio this week. This morning’s crew participated in a collaborative writing activity that led to some meaningful discoveries about what can happen when we step back and let kids think, write, and problem solve together rather than taking over this work ourselves. So often, students enter classrooms and position themselves as empty pitchers…
Today was the first day of our Studio summer sessions, and it was wonderful in about a thousand different ways. The veteran fellows of our community are incredibly talented teachers and kids, and nearly all of them have returned this year. They’ve found company in a large cohort of new fellows as well, and it’s been inspiring to watch new friendships quickly form while we begin easing into our work and conversation. Our home at…
I’ve watched Erin McKean speak to redefining the dictionary with quite a few different teachers this year, particularly during conversations that focus on vocabulary instruction. Check it out: So now…….I’m kinda loving what’s she (and a team of friends) are up to here.
Over the last year, so many people have asked for a “snapshot” of what the WNY Young Writers’ Studio is really all about, and every time I’ve been asked to share this information, I haven’t done it justice. Over the last month though, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with many of our Studio fellows as well as members of my own learning community, and finally, we’re finding just the right words to describe who…
I’m just wondering: how many people who adamantly oppose book censorship actually tolerate the ways in which the web is censored for students and teachers (and of course, so many others)? Perhaps it isn’t fair to make this comparison, but I’m playing with doing exactly that. What do you think?