Schoolwide Blog

FUNctional Writing Lesson: Notes & Cards for Valentine’s Day (2/11/10)

What are you teaching for Valentine’s Day? In this week’s lesson and video, Schoolwide Educational Director Rory Cohen shows us how functional writing can be incorporated into notes and cards such as valentines to create practical, real-world compositions.

Learn how to:

• Create a fun exercise while integrating practical writing techniques;
• Explore how a writer communicates with different forms of functional writing; and
• Elicit a list for a chart of occasions for writing cards, including Valentine’s Day.
  
  CLICK HERE FOR THE LESSON OF THE WEEK.
  

 

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Are you forwarding the Lesson of the Week? Pass It On The Lesson of the Week is not only a great individual professional development tool but also something you can use with your colleagues for discussion school wide. We’d love it if you’d forward the LOTW to your coworkers, staff, or administrators, or sign them up at www.schoolwidenetwork.com/lotw.

Thanks so much for your participation. Read. Learn. Enjoy! 

Schoolwide Blog Entry by Elisa Waingort

 

    Now that student-led conferences are over and the reporting period is a distant memory I will be helping my students develop a plan to meet one of the several goals they set for themselves.  I find that if this step is not attended to it makes the process of declaring goals a waste of time.  Blogging about this is my attempt to write my way to meaning so that I don't let this step slip through the cracks.   More...

Anchor Lessons: What Is Good Writing? By Linda Howard

 

 

 

Teachers are constantly asking, What am I to teach?  Sometimes teaching becomes an endless cycle of teaching each of the steps of the writing process better or teaching random mini lessons on whatever comes up on a given day.  As outlined by experts, understanding the writing process lies at the foundation of any writing workshop (Graves 1983, 1994; Calkins 1991; Harwayne 2000; Murray 1993; and Atwell 1985, 1999).  Teachers of writing know when to depart as writing is going well and when to return to lessons when needed.  The writing process is recursive revisiting different stages of the writing process.  For example, my students may be revising while drafting, or even editing or publishing.

I have discovered there are three basic sources for writing mini lessons, and it makes sense to give consideration to them:
1. Characteristics of good writing:
- conventions of written language
- the elements of writers craft, includes genre lessons
- management procedures

2. Student Writing:
- examine conference records
- look at writing folders

3. Curriculum guides/state frameworks

Considering the three basic sources for writing mini lessons, anchor lessons in these areas will give you a line of inquiry with your students while at the same time digging into something big with your writers over time.  Consider developing mini lessons in each area to sustain effective writing.  You can then refer to these anchor lessons constantly and continually throughout the year to help writers understand what good writing looks like.  

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REMEMBER BOOKS? By S. Roy Stevenson

     
     

The media, it seems, has fallen in love with Kindles and hail these devices as cost effective alternatives to books.  Not surprisingly, school administrators are starting to consider large scale purchases of Kindles or one of the other brands that are now in the marketplace to replace aging text books, novels, and anthologies.

      It makes sense from a strictly economic viewpoint; in the long term they are cheaper than traditional books.  And think of the space you'll save on your bookshelves!?  More...

Writing is Everywhere!

On Tuesday, October 20th, in honor of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) sponsored National Day on Writing, every classroom in my elementary school took a few minutes to make a list of all the different ways people use writing at home, at school, and in their jobs. The number of items the students named surprised everyone. Everything you read was written by someone. Writing is everywhere!

 

 

More...

Are there materials that abuse children? Yetta Goodman on polarized educational viewpoints.

I think that a lot of teachers are probably in what you might call a middle road {on education viewpoints}, but I do believe also that when you have a strong belief system you have strong views. For example, we know a lot about how kids learn.  We know a lot about how kids read. So if you're knowledgeable about learning and reading, and you see the kids having to work in materials and with programs that control teachers so that teachers can't make decisions that control learners so that learners can't make decisions, then your belief systems are saying to you wait a minute. More...

LESSON OF THE WEEK 10/30/09

 

 

Lesson Title: Inspiration in our Daily Lives
Subject: Writing Workshop / Generating Ideas
Audience: K–8
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Rationale:

Writers reflect and record their thoughts about their world. Students will think about their daily experiences and feelings as inspiration for writing.

Preparation:

•    Video clip: “I Look for Me in My Books” featuring author Angela Johnson

•    Book: One of Three by Angela Johnson

•    Click Here to purchase a copy of One of Three

  CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS LESSON OF THE WEEK

Inform

Writers reflect. They often think about the things they’ve seen, felt, and experienced on a daily basis. Writers also use these thoughts as inspiration for their writing. They hope that by writing down what they felt or experienced, they will touch their readers. More...

How can celebrating Thanksgiving in class benefit ELL students?

In my area, major school districts restrict class parties to three per year. Most of the classroom teachers I know feel that the “winter” party and the “end of the year” party are essential. That leaves one other American holiday available for celebration. Which one will it be? Halloween, Valentine’s Day or Thanksgiving? In some schools, Halloween is a favorite. After all, costumes are fun. Other places, the pleasure of candy and brightly colored envelopes makes Valentine’s Day the winner. Regardless, Thanksgiving is often the loser. And with the pressure of teaching all the curriculum needed for the spring standardized tests, Thanksgiving may not be mentioned in the classroom at all. More...

How to Get Students to READ! By Celia Anderson

 

“This is boring!”

“I can’t understand what they are talking about!”

“Can you read it to me?”

If you have heard any of the following, then you must be an English teacher! Unfortunately, all people do not love literature as much as we book lovers do, but there is a simple way to get students to read. No I don’t mean by pressing firmly on the back of their neck as they stare at a book, and not letting go until they utter their last word—I mean by diversifying your reading selection. {link to last Richard Peck Post)

My last blog I wrote about my experience with reading, and I dare say, some things have not changed. Many students feel empowered when reading positive stories about themselves. It’s not only a great way to get them motivated about reading, but also about life.

Consider the demographics of your class. Now do the same for the required literature. If there is an extreme disconnect, you have now found why your students equate reading to extreme boredom. I think it’s safe to say that in the 21st century, literature that deals with the life of all races and ethnicities should be included in the classroom.

Trust me…your students will thank you!

Celia Anderson
Author and Public Speaker
www.celiaanderson.com

How will you address President Obama's speech on education?

 

 

With President Obama’s upcoming address to students across America causing quite a stir with both parents and teachers, we thought we might open up our forum to feelings, comments, and questions as we approach this event on Tuesday, September 8.

The U.S. Department of Education has recently released some useful activities for discussing this tremendous event.  We've listed the PreK- 6th grade questions here, but we're interested to know how you plan on addressing this important speech and how you might use it to further your in class goals. More...