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Janiel Wagstaff's books will help you teach primary writers about the four types of writing in an engaging way. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win her series of Stella books.

Janiel Wagstaff's books will help you teach primary writers about the four types of writing in an engaging way. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win her series of Stella books.

Comparing two writing samples may be as effective as scoring using a rubric

See how these first graders added dialogue to their narrative writing.

How can we encourage our youngest writers to use brave spelling? How can we help them overcome their fear of getting it wrong?

What are the books that have shaped you as a teacher of writing? Reflecting today, in thanks, for the authors and books that have influenced my life as a teacher.

So I stepped back and let the writers get to work. The chatter was about organizing notebooks, planning where they like to write and sharing writing over the summer.

A chart for first graders

Sometimes making a small change can produce big results.

Listen to these kindergarten students respond to the question, "What do you know about being a writer?"

This nighttime drawing journal is the perfect summer keepsake for our youngest writers.

We will be starting a unit on informational writing to wrap up the school year. I wanted to demonstrate a different way of finding a topic, a narrow topic. I find that young… Continue reading →

First graders use a mentor text to get crafty during a unit on informational writing.

Can first graders write Slice of Life Stories?

Two of the sessions I attended at NCTE in Boston helped me think about ways two digital tools could be meaningfully integrated into early childhood and elementary school classrooms to engage young writers. The "Exploring Collaboration of Multimodal Literacies in Early Childhood: Digital Filmmaking, Designing, and Co-Authoring" panel discussed the way digital video cameras could enhance learning, while two of the presenters in "Writing Workshop Is for All Students: Using Visuals, Oral Language, and Digital Tools to Maximize Success and Independence for English Language Learners" suggested the incorporation of digital cameras.

Kindergarten teacher Valerie Geshwind helps her Kindergarten students find their passions and their voice by honoring their interests, engaging them in a play-like writing workshop, & by supporting them as individuals.

What would your students say if they were asked what writing workshop means to them? Find out what a group of first graders value about writing workshop in Betsy Hubbard's guest blog post.

Sarah Picard Taylor provides you with five ideas to get K - 2 writers writing when they find themselves stuck.

About four years ago, I heard of a wonderful tool, Kidblog, that could be used as an ad-free environment when blogging with students and the key word that caused me to perk up when… Read More →

How much time do you think K-2 students need to complete an on-demand narrative writing assessment?

I am very excited today to be part of the Hilary McKay Blog Tour! Today she is stopping by for an interview focused mainly on her books Lulu and the Duck in the Park and Lulu and the Dog by the Sea. These two endearing early chapter books are a delight to read. I will be giving away copies to two lucky commentors on today's post, so make sure you stick around and put in your two cents at the

by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Amistad, 2012. (review copy/F&G) I received an "F & G" from the publisher for this book. What that means is it is not the final bound version but just the printed and gathered pages. The illustrations are so beautiful in this book I think I am going to have to frame some of them, so having the pages unbound makes that easier! :) In 1948 Joyce

by Harvey Croze.Chicago Review Press, 2006. (review copy from IPG). I am enjoying this engaging, fascinating, factual book on the continent of Africa. It is full of colorful photos, maps, diagrams, artwork and detailed information on a wide variety of aspects of life in Africa. There are 19 features hands-on activities that children can complete with some help from an adult. All in all it is a

I love, LOVE, L-O-V-E  Ralph Tells A Story (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012), which is a story about a boy, Ralph, who has trepidation about writing. (It’s already become a book I suggest to… Read More →

by Christy Hale. Lee and Low, 2012. (netgalley review copy) Christy Hale has put together a collection of charming concrete poems celebrating children's favorite building toys and activities. Each full page spread shows children engaged in building projects paired with photos of actual buildings that mirror the profile of the children's buildings. Architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, Cesar