This post discusses the different types of outliners, my experience with outlining, and my ideal outlining process!
Writing is one of my favorite times during the day! In these first few weeks of school, my students have blown me away with their creativity in their writing. It excites me for what is to come this year! The best thing about being part of the College of Education was you got to pretend you were a kid again. We participated in several lessons that were applicable to our classrooms. In a writing course, my junior year, my professor led us on a Writing Marathon. Our mission was to roam campus for an hour and find different locations to write. He sent us on our way and told us to return in 60 minutes! In my Writer's Notebook, I wrote down my sights around Brady Commons, the Columns, and the steps of the College of Ed. Thinking back on that day, I remember having a great time with friends and writing ..writing... and more writing. I decided to test this strategy out with my kiddos this year. My school utilizies the 6+1 Writing Traits program and our first trait is "Ideas". We have been working on gathering ideas and zooooooooming in on one idea. After specials, I told my kids to grab their Writer's Notebooks because we were taking a little marathon. Their goal: use their 5 senses and observe the area they are in. Minimum of 4 sentences per location! We hit up the following spots in school: Classroom Front lawn Cafeteria Library Playground I had the best time reading through their entries. Several cracked jokes and expressed hunger throughout the process! Besides getting to move around the school, my students practiced generating ideas and focusing in on one idea at a time. I don't know about you but I love anchor charts. It's a great time for the class to get together and collaborate ideas. I believe that charts created together are more powerful than pre-made ones. Yes, I have store bought posters on my wall... but I also have ones we made. It's a nice mixture! You can take the girl out of second grade... but you can't take the anchor chart out of the girl! That's the saying, right? Anywho, here are a few fun anchor charts from around the web. Click the captain for the source! The First Grade Parade First Grade Parade Mrs. Williams Kinders I need to stop this late night blogging. What has gotten into me!? It's bedtime. But first, I'm obsessed with this performance from the VMA's. Enjoy! 2011 VMA - Music - Beyoncé
Whether you are trying to write a novel, pen an epic poem, or maintain a blog about this or that, it’s inevitable that you will at some point experience one of the following: lack of inspiration decrease in motivation general malaise writing burnout general I-don’t-give-a-shit Some people refer to these symptoms as “writer’s block,” but I … Continue reading What to Write About When You Have Nothing to Write About
Writing thesis statements strikes fear into many students' hearts. I have developed a way of getting from a broad topic to a thesis stat...
If you want to know how to write a book with no experience, this post shows you exactly how to get started writing. Yes, even without a degree.
Paragraph writing is a big challenge for many students. This post includes a step-by-step method to help your students write great paragraphs in no time.
You can teach anything with children's picture books: Science. History. Writing. Math. Cooking. And Art. Especially art. Because picture books are an artform. I'll be writing a Five Day Series this week about connecting children's literature to art. Monday through Thursday I will be sharing four art project ideas inspired by children's picture books. On Friday I have …
Have you ever had the vibes of your story figured out but no plot? This post gives you an easy process to find out what actually happens in yor novel
Here I have collected the best websites that every writer should use to write their book.The Internet offers many resources for writing a book but you have to know how to distinguish between junk and things that are actually useful. We writers are constantly looking for content that can help us finally write our story
Do you teach how to write realistic fiction in your first or second grade classroom? See how this first grade teacher has students creating characters,
Comparing The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker to Dramatica Story Theory
Last week we sent a bunch of Scout Books to SXSW in Texas with @rohdesign and @austinkleon for their Visual Notetaking 101 Panel. These guys take awesome notes, and they designed this pocket notebook to offer you a chance to create beautifully illustrated notes, too. The cover features illustration exercises for better notetaking. Count yourself lucky if you were at the panel and received one of these! They ran out right away! Collectors item.
100+ quotes and message examples for an unforgettable baby shower book inscription. Craft the perfect heartfelt note for boys or girls. Tips on ideal length, placement, and making your words special.
Books for teaching sequencing should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Here are 16 great books for kindergarten or first grade.
How to outline your memoir using a simple 3 step process. Make sure you write a memoir outline before you start drafting the manuscript!
How do you know if you’re a good enough writer to pen a bestselling book? Book editor and author of THE BOOK YOU WERE BORN TO WRITE, Kelly Notaras, gives 3 clues for assessing if you're a gifted writer.
Whether you are trying to write a novel, pen an epic poem, or maintain a blog about this or that, it’s inevitable that you will at some point experience one of the following: lack of inspiration decrease in motivation general malaise writing burnout general I-don’t-give-a-shit Some people refer to these symptoms as “writer’s block,” but I … Continue reading What to Write About When You Have Nothing to Write About
If you’ve been with me the last two years, I have been creating science and social studies interactive books. These help teach those standards while providing a cross curricular structure and routine!
Learn about the benefits of monthly writing prompts for kids. This article gives examples for each month as well as a free writing calendar.
Do you hate to teach poetry? Do you want your students to learn and enjoy poetry? Try these simple ways to learn how to teach poetry...
Inside: You can publish a children's book. You can do it this year! Let's get started with three different paths forward. Shortly after publishing Belinda Baloney Changes Her Mind I started getting messages that were worded much more eloquently but essentially boiled down to this: But, like, how? It's a great question! And a question
I’ve been spending some serious amounts of time this summer leading conversations around the country focused on the integration of social studies and literacy. And for the last few years, I…
Clever ideas for kids' book reports, from mint tins to cereal boxes to a Wanted poster.
The invisible forces of magnetism are at work all around us, even as you read this sentence. To understand this concept, and how magnets work, can be
Inside: You can publish a children's book. You can do it this year! Let's get started with three different paths forward. Shortly after publishing Belinda Baloney Changes Her Mind I started getting messages that were worded much more eloquently but essentially boiled down to this: But, like, how? It's a great question! And a question
To celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday I have a fun-filled weeked planned for you with a bunch of new printables. To get you ready I wanted to share a quick round-up of all the February printables.
A plot idea is just the beginning when you want to write a book and these simple questions help you turn that idea into a complete story.
I know I have said it before but...... Making Memories Month by Month is one of my favorite books published by Creative Teaching Press. T...
As a writer, you need to have one. Just like you should have a reading journal to help you become a better writer. But, what goes in a writer’s journal?
Informative writing can be tricky in first grade, but this all about book is the perfect way for students to research their own animal and publish a book
Whether it's a cabin in the woods or an inner-city apartment, here's all you need to plan the perfect writing retreat and get fresh words on the page.
Teaching growth mindset can be done with read-alouds! Rosie's Glasses is a great book for this. Get ideas for using this book to teach being positive.
If you want to know how to write a book with no experience, this post shows you exactly how to get started writing. Yes, even without a degree.
Linking up AGAIN with Collaboration Cuties for their Must Read Mentor Text Linky. The topic again this week is mentor texts for back to school... Personal Space Camp by Julia Cook is a great text to use toward the beginning of school when teaching kids what it means to respect each others' personal space. When my kids brainstorm their classroom responsibilities (rules), keeping your hands to yourself is ALWAYS shared, so that is when I choose to use this text as a read aloud. Amazon Synopsis: Louis is back! And this time, he's learning all about personal space. Louis, a self-taught space expert is delighted to learn that his teacher has sent him to the principal's office to attend personal space camp. Eager to learn more about lunar landings, space suits, and other cosmic concepts, Louis soon discovers that he has much to learn about personal space right here on earth. When Louis is at Personal Space Camp, he is asked to sit inside of a hula hoop. The area inside the hula hoop represents a person's personal space. I bring in hula hoops so students can stand inside and actually have the same experience Louis did in the story. This is a creative read aloud and results in wonderful discussions with the kids... If you have not heard of Julia Cook's wonderful books, click here to check out Amazon's Julia Cook Page. If you have, you just might find a new one you like... :0) On to my fabulous stumbled upon finds... Well, as I as writing this post, and got online to find a cover image of Personal Space Camp, I stumbled upon an image that then led me to a Pinterest board with a focus on counseling bibliotherapy (by Dianne Loyd). This then led me to another text that I had never heard of and immediately caught my eye... Which led me to another book by Linda Kranz (and the plush fish)... Which led me to oodles of art projects and another AWESOME art site... There's a Dragon in My Art Room AND this wonderful art project to accompany Linda Kranz's books... Which made me want to see if Linda Kranz had a website... Which is where I found these FREE goodies to use with the kids... (also available for You Be You) Needless to say, these fabulous stumbled upon finds caused me to order both of the books and the plush fish. HOW HAVE I NEVER COME UPON THESE BOOKS BEFORE TODAY???? I am REALLY looking forward to using these inspiring books this fall and seeing my kids unique fish masterpieces! Fly on over to Collaboration Cuties to read about more back to school mentor texts... Wishing you a wonderful week!
We always dove into our insect unit in the spring, I wanted to let you know that I put together a list of insect books for you to use with your class! Be sure to stick around until the end of this post, because I have something VERY special for you and your students!
I’m so excited to have my friend Morgan guest posting today. I’ve tried adult coloring books for relaxation and fun, but haven’t tried hand lettering yet. After reading her post, I’m excited to get started! Hand Lettering for Beginners If you’ve ever checked out the DIY section of Pinterest, you’ve probably seen some gorgeous hand […]
Use these pregnancy journal prompts and ideas to capture your favorite moments and what you’re learning during pregnancy.
These Book Report Templates are a great way to encourage children to read and study the books they have read.
