Today’s blog post comes from Vicki Collet. Vicki is an associate professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Arkansas whose past experiences include ELA classroom teaching, intervention, instructional coaching, and district leadership. Vicki’s new book, Collaborative Lesson Study, describes her experiences in Lesson …
So all your students are reading independently during class time. They may have the required textbook open to page 728 to read a Ray Bradbury short story. They may all have their own choice-reading books because you just returned from the library (if your school …
Our next 5-day challenge begins on September 16th. Please invite friends and colleagues to join us by sharing this form. Thank you for sharing this writing space with us this month! Inspiration A Three Elements poem has just that- three elements that must appear in …
Inspiration A traditional ode is written to honor a person, event, or thing (think “Ode on a Grecian Urn). Odes usually have 3-5 stanzas of about 10 lines each and may or may not rhyme. These are suggestions, but as always, don’t feel tied to …
Inspiration Childhood is a magical time for many of us, but certainly not all of us. Write a poem in which you paint a picture of your childhood for the reader. Process What was your childhood like? How would you describe your hometown to someone …
Inspiration A blackjack poem is simply a 3 lined poem comprised of 7 syllables in each line for a total of 21 syllables. Unlike a haiku which is normally about nature, blackjack can be about anything. Process When I think of the word blackjack, I …
Inspiration All of us make lists, right? Grocery lists, to-do lists, playlists, top-ten lists, lists of goals, and so on. Some lists are more insightful than others. Kwame Alexander’s poem, “Ten Reasons Why Fathers Cry at Night” offers us a peek into his mind as …
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Names matter. As one of eleven children, I had to be patient while my father recalled my name to ask for more iced tea: “Cathy, not Chris, Sue, not Tom or Joe, Mary, Julie, Clare —- ” And I’d remind him. “Sarah! Yes, Sarah! More …
Today’s writing inspiration comes from Kimberly Johnson, Ed.D. She is a literacy coach and media specialist in a public school in rural Georgia. A former public school classroom teacher for 20 Years, she taught all grades except 4th and 12th, and she is the author …