“But what about technology?” that little voice at the back of my head was nagging while I was working with Cheektowaga writers last month. “Teach the writer, not the writing,” a different one reminded me. This bit of wisdom from Lucy Calkins continues to transcended time, in my experience. If someone were to ask me, I guess I teach the writer, not the tools. This isn’t to say that the writers I work with stick…
Every winter for the last few years, I’ve been invited to spend some time with about 70 middle school writers at Cheektowaga Central School. These are some of my favorite days of the entire year, and why wouldn’t they be? I easily learn as much as I teach on those days. I’m smiling just remembering it all. Ever have a 13 year old give you feedback on something you’ve created? Talk about a humbling experience.…
…..is happening over here today. Join us!
This year, WNY Young Writers’ Studio writers and teachers have taken a deeper interest in blogging for personal or educational purposes. A handful of us have been blogging for a while, and others are eager to begin. In an effort to supplement what we do face-to-face and enable others who may not be a part of Studio to connect with our community a bit, I’ve decided to host a blogging boot camp right here on…
When I was in the classroom, I had the hardest time facing the end of the year. There was so much more I wanted to be able to learn with my students and there were so many things left to create and so many questions left unanswered. Don’t get me wrong: the days moved slowly at times for sure, but the years always flew right by us. I often found myself chasing after the loose…
Here’s a quick shout-out to the fellows of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio who are participating in NaNoWriMo this year and posting updates in our ning each day! We’re at 13, 542 words as a group and on track to hit our target word counts for this month. What’s NaNoWriMo? How can you or your students participate? Drop by their home page for young writers and check it out. There are some great resources available…
….the domain of the National Writing Project and under investigation at their new website, which offers news, resources, and spaces for conversations to unfold. Go see!
This video has gone viral in my facebook community and for good reason: Buffalo is a fantastic place to live and work and raise a family. I love it here, and I guess the proof of that lies in the reality that each time my husband and I consider moving out of state, the only thing that really keeps us back is our love of this unique little city that we’ve always called home. So…
Where do great writing ideas come from? They’re often inspired by our own experiences, the things we read or hear or see, or the thoughts and feelings that are stirred up in response to those we connect with each day. Still, defining an idea worth investing yourself in can be challenging, and that’s why it’s often important to connect the things we love to do beyond writing to our writing. When I’m conferring with…
Over the last few weeks, I’ve found some great resources for supporting writing in the content areas. These may be particularly helpful for those who are very new to doing so and those who are less tech-comfortable, although all can and should be integrated with the use of tech tools, whenever this is possible and appropriate. Interested in learning more? Leave a comment for me here, or if I work in your district, let me…