Poetry Month Glow-Up: 7 Powerful Ideas
As a teenager, I loved writing poetry, albeit admittedly badly. Each poem was like a verbal puzzle to dwell upon […]
Grammar Key #3: Relevance, Not Routine
In today’s blog post we’ll delve into the last of the 3 Keys to Grammar Success . . . Relevance,
Grammar Key #2: Mimic & Manipulate – Don’t Memorize
In my last blog post, I spoke about the first key to grammar success, which says to integrate grammar instruction into both your reading and writing lessons.
Still with me? Cool. Today, we’re going to learn about the second key to successful grammar instruction: Mimic & Manipulation – Don’t Memorize.
Grammar Key #1 INTEGRATE, Don’t Isolate:
If you’re ready to give your classroom grammar activities a glow up, be sure to join my newsletter. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be chatting about best practices in grammar instruction and newsletter subscribers will get to try out a few new resources, entirely free.
Today we’re kicking off this series with Tip #1: Integrate, Don’t Isolate.
Teaching Grammar Through Revision
If you’re looking for a better, faster, and more engaging way to teach writing, revision, and grammar skills all at once, then you need to pick up the book, Revision Decisions by Jeff Anderson and Deborah Dean.
The 411 on Mentor Texts
Using a Mentor Text as an Author Let me show you how I turn any romance novel I read into
Host a Halloween Glow Party in 3 Easy Steps
As elementary and middle school teachers, we all know kids are totally wound up in the days leading up to (and after) Halloween. All the kids want to talk about is their costume, the candy, and trick-or-treating.
This year, why not lean into it and harness all that energy by hosting a Spooky Halloween Story Glow Party.
Level Up Your Grammar Game
Teachers, if you absolutely dread teaching grammar and try to avoid it at all cost, you aren’t alone. In fact, grammar is the most common complaint I hear when I present workshops for schools or at conferences. To learn more about best practices in grammar instruction, keep reading.
Writing Types
Writing a School-Wide Book: The Jimmy Journey
Meet Jimmy. Jimmy has joined my class for the rest of the year, and the kids are over the moon
Assessing Writing Through a Generous Lens
I don’t know about you, but nothing gives me more anxiety as a teacher than a huge pile of papers waiting to be graded. Well, that and field trips, but I digress.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to assign writing pieces to my 5th graders: short poems, long narratives, quick summaries, or detailed research reports. I love them all.
But I absolutely, positively HATE grading papers, so in this post, I’m going to explain how to assess writing through a generous lens and I promise, it will make your life so much easier.