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Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: blogging, authors, organization, professional development, communication, writing workshop, parent involvement, preparing students for the 21st century, apps, digital writing, kidblog, #cyberPD, Cathy Mere, Flipping writing, Add a tag
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Lester Laminack, SeeSaw, conventions, challenges, Ralph Fletcher, mentor texts, writing workshop, back to school, parent involvement, demonstration, engagement, personal narrative, Lester L. Laminack, katie wood ray, handwriting, Add a tag
Last Thursday, I endeavored to explain writing workshop to parents in my district at Parent University. As I drove home after the presentation, I felt unsettled, like there had been a gap in what the parents were hoping to learn and what I delivered. What would you be sure to include in a presentation to parents on writing workshop?
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: travel, writing, technology, San Francisco, mentor texts, field trips, parent involvement, persuasive writing, Add a tag
A recent visit to San Francisco inspired me to think about oral story telling, publishing, an persuasive writing. Here are five things my trip left me thinking about. PLUS, leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win a copy of a new picture book from Chronicle Books.
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writer's notebook, parent involvement, Add a tag
The teachers noticed that several parents had written comments such as, "Great story, but you need commas" or "Nice job. Fix your capital letters." We wondered how to help parents understand that this writing was not meant to be perfect or polished. As teachers, we talked about the kinds of comments that would help nudge these kids as writers.
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: independent writing, Carol Dweck, home school connection, parents and caregivers, writing workshop, parent involvement, Peter Johnston, Add a tag
Dear Parents and Caregivers, You might not realize it, but there are a zillion things you can do right at home to foster a love of writing. Even if you, yourself, are not… Read More
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing workshop, parent involvement, Peter Johnston, independent writing, Carol Dweck, home school connection, parents and caregivers, Add a tag
Dear Parents and Caregivers, You might not realize it, but there are a zillion things you can do right at home to foster a love of writing. Even if you, yourself, are not… Read More
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: teacher of writing, parent involvement, tcrwp, family, writing, Add a tag
Cultivate home-school partnerships around writing by hosting a family writing night this fall.
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, presentations, writing workshop, parent involvement, Add a tag
Tomorrow night I’ve been invited to talk with parents and host a mini-writing workshop for families. You must know, about a week ago, our youngest, Sam (a first grader), gave two slips of… Read More
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: reading, blogging, Read Aloud, parent involvement, Add a tag
I promised myself I would share the new blog I’ve been working on once I reached 20 posts. That promise was made in late February. Life got pretty busy between February and June. … Read More
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: celebration, research, non-narrative writing, parent involvement, Add a tag
I’ve just gotta tell you, I attended an incredible writing celebration today. Not only was the celebration itself cool, but the way it evolved rocked too. It was a true collaboration. It is teachers like Gretchen and Christi who push me to become a better teacher. So the celebration . . . how do I [...]
Add a CommentBlog: Teachers Are Sparklighters for Literacy Everyday! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: survey, TLA, parent involvement, family engagement, Families and Educators, A Joint Book Club, National Title I Conference 2011, Add a tag
Greetings from sunny Tampa and the National Title I Conference!
AVOID THESE PITFALLS
What I see happen too many times:
1) Educators and parents "in charge" (such as PTA/PTO leadership) don't take the time to talk to your average, every-day parent (the involved and the not involved). Making them a part of the solution is essential!
2) Professional educators trying to teach families how to do the "academic stuff" that those teachers are teaching children in the classroom (and that those teachers went to school multiple years to master). You may have some families interested in that, but I guarantee you are limiting your family engagement if you take that approach. Use your curriculum mapping to look for complementary practical "real-life" activities you can involve families in, rather than duplication of academic practice. You'll engage many more moms, dads, grandmas, uncles and community members AND children will hear the important message that LEARNING HAPPENS EVERYWHERE, NOT JUST AT SCHOOL.
Get Involved in the Conversation!
I'd love to hear from all of you out there (both attendees at this important conference and those who are "holding down the forts") on these questions:
1) What is the MOST EFFECTIVE family engagement activity/strategy you EVER saw work at your school? What made it successful?
2) Why do you think parents aren't involved with their children's learning?
You can add more insight by responding to a brief survey online. Its findings will be the beginning of a new book on this important subject . . .
Blog: Parents and Kids Reading Together (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: partnering, National Title I Conference, teamwork, parent involvement, cathy puett miller, Anytime Reading Readiness, Family engagement, Add a tag
Thank you to all of you who continue to follow this blog. I have been absent, struggling a bit as all of us do from time to time, with squeezing everything we want to do into the time and energy we have. I know that parents can relate to that.
A MEANINGFUL RE-START
With this post, I'd like to draw us back together and begin again the discussions about parents and kids reading together. This post is for parents of 2 year olds and parents of 22 year olds.
Please share this new post with your friends and tap them into an important resource.
GREETINGS FROM TAMPA, FLORIDA!
- Do you feel welcome at your child's school? Why or why not?
- Do you see your child's teacher as "friend" or "foe"? Why or why not?
- If you could stand in front of the Title I teachers from all other the country this week, what would you say to them?
Blog: Parents and Kids Reading Together (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: TLA, preschool, parent involvement, Head Start, Pepsi Refresh, school readiness, Region IV Head Start Association, Family engagement, Add a tag
A DREAM
For 6 months now I've been working on a project with the Region IV Head Start Association's Executive Director, Myra Ingram. Talk about inspiring! I've visited Head Start classrooms, talked with parents and teachers and children and today we have a chance to make a bigger dream real.
My company, TLA, Inc., and Region IV Head Start Association are teaming up now for the Pepsi Refresh Project,
Parents everywhere can relate to the idea that moms and dads want the very best for their child. And in Head Starts across the SE, we have a chance to build upon what is already happening with family engagement to bring a new level of partnership between home and school.Learn more by visiting the Pepsi Refresh Pages for this project, watching the video and then voting. Take a few minutes to then help us spread the word as broadly as possible (I'm telling EVERYONE on the earth that I know!)
There are several ways you can participate and make this dream possible:
1) Visit The BIG 3 LITERACY PROJECT
to vote personally for the project (a quick registration is all you need). Then bookmark the site and put a reminder on your phone or calendar to vote daily (30 votes are possible for this one project per person - one a day.
2) Share this blog or the link through social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and others. Your connections plus ours make for great numbers. Encourage as many of your friends as possible to vote daily as well. When you see someone else Tweeting this voting, retweet them too!
3) Offer voting by texting (all regular texting fees apply): Text* 102675 to Pepsi (73774).
Again, daily votes prompted by a calendar reminder are great. If you'd like an email remainder, request same by emailing TLA.
4) Reach your best friends, collagues and the nonprofit agencies (including Head Starts) throughout the SE states of AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN - they'll be learning about this opportunity to impacts them directly soon if they haven't already gotten the word. Let's get everyone on the bandwagon to vote daily.
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: units of study, parent involvement, Add a tag
Yesterday, Jen asked: As you are blogging about back to school, I wondered if you have any hints/tips for a parent presentation or handout to be use on Back to School Night? We are transitioning into Writer’s Workshop using Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study in the upper grades from a more activity driven 6-Traits based model. [...]
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: technology, parent involvement, Add a tag
I received an e-mail earlier this week asking: Can you steer me in the right direction for starting a blog for my students and parents? Where do I start? Hence, I decided to answer this person’s question for all to see. Here goes! I’ve used a variety of medium for communicating online with my studetns and their [...]
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, writing workshop, parent involvement, independent writing projects, conferring, Add a tag
I received a bunch of questions from a regular reader of TWT yesterday. Her questions seemed like ones that other folks might want the answers to, so I asked her if I could answer them on TWT without mentioning her name. She said yes. Q. My kids constantly tell me, “my mother conferred [...]
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: blogging, family, translation, parent involvement, English-to-Spanish, Add a tag
I started a classroom blog for my in-coming class since it seemed easier than re-creating a new wiki. I’ve only posted a handful of times, but added a bunch of gadgets to the “Safe Sites” Page earlier this evening. I’ve been playing around with Google Gadgets for the past couple of weeks and found an [...]
Add a CommentBlog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, outdoors, writer's notebook, parent involvement, Add a tag
Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writer's notebook, field trips, parent involvement, poetry, Add a tag
I’m thinking about stepping out with my students and their families this spring to do a walking tour of Providence. But not just any kind of walking tour… a poetry walking tour. (I’ve never done this before, but was thinking of sending a letter home like this next week.) Have you ever looked for [...]
Add a CommentBlog: Writing and Ruminating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: spenser, camoens, poetry friday, shakespeare, sonnets, wordsworth, tasso, milton, petrarch, dante, Add a tag
Well. Crap. I tried to set this up to post yesterday, and it so didn't. I can't find it on anyone's friends lists, etc. Grr. So here's a replay, if you've seen it, or a little something new if you haven't.
For this week's post, a sonnet by Wordsworth. In the past, I've posted part of his Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood and It is a Beauteous Evening.
Scorn Not the Sonnet
by William Wordsworth
Scorn not the Sonnet; Critic, you have frowned,
Mindless of its just honours; with this key
Shakspeare unlocked his heart; the melody
Of this small lute gave ease to Petrarch's wound;
A thousand times this pipe did Tasso sound;
With it Camöens soothed an exile's grief;
The Sonnet glittered a gay myrtle leaf
Amid the cypress with which Dante crowned
His visionary brow: a glow-worm lamp,
It cheered mild Spenser, called from Faeryland
To struggle through dark ways; and, when a damp
Fell round the path of Milton, in his hand
The Thing became a trumpet; whence he blew
Soul-animating strains--alas, too few!
In these 14 lines, which he claimed were "composed, almost extempore, in a short walk on the western side of Rydal Lake," Wordsworth has provided a brief bibliography of the masters of the sonnet, beginning with Shakesepare, moving throughout Europe, and ending with John Milton.
Francesco Petrarch was a Renaissance man -- literally. He's known as the father of humanism, in addition to being a scholar and poet. He fell in love with a woman named Laura from afar (while in church, no less), and wrote 366 poems about her, eventually collected by others and called Il Canzoniere. He used a form of the sonnet inherited from Giacamo da Lentini, which became known as the Petrarchan or Italianate sonnet. (Poor Lentini.) I covered the different types of sonnets in an earlier post.
Torquato Tasso was a 16th-century Italian poet most famous for his epic work, Gerusalemme Liberata, an epic poem about the battle between Christians and Muslims for Jerusalem in the First Crusades. He was welcomed by many royal patrons, but suffered from mental illness that prevented his enjoying it. Based on modern psychology, it would seem he was schizophrenic.
Luís de Camões, usually rendered in English as Camöens, was Portugal's greatest poet. Born in the 16th century, he wrote an epic poem called Os Lusídas about the glory of Portugal, along with a significant amount of lyrical poetry, including a great number of sonnets, ranging from a paraphrased version of the book of Job to poems about ideas (akin to what Wordsworth excelled at).
Dante Alighieri's life spanned the transition between the 13th and 14th centuries. His masterwork, La Commedia ("The Divine Comedy"), continues to be a source of inspiration for artists, authors and poets, even seven centuries later. The Commedia was broken into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, and features in part his beloved Beatrice, who was immortalised in another work, La Vita Nuova, from which I quoted in a post after my grandmother's death. (My guess is that the name Beatrice was chosen by Daniel Handler to be Lemony Snicket's unrequited love based on Dante's writings.)
Edmund Spenser was Poet Laureate of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His most famous work is The Faerie Queene, which was essentially a huge sycophantic poem for the Queen and her Tudor ancestry. He was venerated by Wordsworth, Byron and others alive at the turn of the 19th century. For those fans of the 1995 movie version of Sense & Sensibility, the lines which Colonel Brandon reads to Marianne near the end are from The Faerie Queen.
John Milton was a 17th-century poet known for his epic poems written in blank verse*, Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes. Milton was opposed to the monarchy, and supported the republican ideas of Thomas Cromwell, which went swimmingly for him until the Restoration, when he was forced to go into hiding. He emerged after a general pardon was issued, only to be arrested. He was eventually released, and died a free man. During the course of his life, Milton went blind, probaby from glaucoma; as a result, Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes were all dictated to others. Although they are frequently construed as religious works, Milton was writing about the revolution and restoration; his religious beliefs were outside the bounds of Christianity. In addition to his work in blank verse, Milton wrote a number of excellent sonnets, which were revered by Wordsworth and others.
*blank verse is the term for unrhymed iambic pentameter, used by Milton in his masterworks, by Shakespeare in his plays, and by many others as well. It remained quite popular as a means of composing verse until at least the late 19th century.
New policy brief from Harvard Family Research Project: http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/beyond-random-acts-family-school-and-community-engagement-as-an-integral-part-of-education-reform
Terrific read on this topic! Please share!