Education Commons^™

Endings: What Can You Teach?, Julie Patterson

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Our writer-in-residence shares strategies for crafting the perfect ending to a story.

Beginnings: 3 Examples (And Why They Work), Julie Patterson

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Our writer-in-residence helps us look closely at the beginnings of three short stories.

Hold Readers At A Climax, Julie Patterson

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Our writer-in-residence says: A climax is long. In fact, it's a place to hold readers.

The Trouble With Beginning, Middle & End, Julie Patterson

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I recently helped judge a story writing contest, and one of the criteria on the assessment form I was provided was: Does the story have a beginning, middle and end? As I began reading the entries, I quickly discovered that this was not useful assessment criteria.

4 Craft Strategies To Notice In The Leaving Morning (And Why), Julie Patterson

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What can you learn about writing from a picture book? Lots!

How To Read A Poem, Julie Patterson

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Our writer-in-residence offers some insight into how to read a poem.

Interactive Bulletin Boards That Support Writing, Julie Patterson

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Great writing instruction = student created bulletin boards. Here are some ideas.

I Don't Know You, But I Hate You: Building Better Relationships Through Literature And Writing, Brandon Warren

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Brandon Warren explains how he has used books to transform his classroom community.

Assessing A Young Writer’S Story, Julie Patterson

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Now that's a story! Find out what this 1st grader is doing well and what our writer-in-residence would teach next.

Great Supplies For Your Primary Grade Writing Workshop, Libby Duggan

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The right supplies can help you launch a writing workshop and establish the kind of habits and practices that will make the workshop easy to manage all year long. You may even want to stock up before the back-to-school sales end. Here are the "must-have" supplies I have used in my primary grade workshop.

5 Things Writing Workshop Teachers Want Parents To Know, Libby Duggan

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When I was teaching, I wanted parents to know how to support the work that we were doing in the classroom. Perhaps most importantly, I wanted to be sure that what students were told about their writing at home was consistent with what I taught in the classroom. So with that in mind, I've assembled an article that you can share with families: "5 Things Writing Workshop Teachers Want Parents to Know."

Feed Your Writer’S Notebook This Summer, Julie Patterson

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Summer is a great time to tend to your writer's notebook. You can "stock up" on notebook entries that will support your mini-lessons during the school year. Not sure what to write? Here are some notebook strategies to help fuel your inspiration.

Must-Have Books: Critical Reading For Your Classroom Library, Jane Leeth

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Visiting Scholar Katherine Bomer shared more than four dozen books with teachers at our 2012 Winter Workshop, helping us envision Critical Reading and Writing for Social Action units for our own classrooms. If you missed the workshop or didn’t get to see all of Katherine’s 50+ books, IPYW reading workshop coach Jane Leeth can help. Here, Jane presents her “must-have” recommendations from Katherine’s stack—including grade levels and story descriptions.

What's New On Jane's Bookshelf?, Jane Leeth

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When I’m not teaching, I’m scouring bookstores and websites for interesting new releases in children’s and young adult literature. My dogs don’t even bark anymore when the UPS man shows up at the front door with a box of books; he’s sort of become part of our family.

I’ve listed here a handful of books that recently piqued my interest—whether I was intrigued by the topic, the aesthetic post-modern appearance, and/or what I can do with the text in the classroom.

Julie's 5 Most Frequently Used Notebook Strategies, Julie Patterson

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People always ask, “How do you come up with ideas for writing?” So I analyzed my writer’s notebook and identified my most frequently used strategies for recording, nurturing and thinking about story content.

6 Ways To Celebrate Student Writing, Susan C. Adamson

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Susan Adamson, executive director of the Indiana Partnership for Young Writers, shares a few of her favorite strategies for celebrating student writing at the end of a unit of study.

Examples: What Teachers Are Doing With Poetry, Penny Miller, Sarah Duffer, Carole Damin, Libby Duggan

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In November, 112 teachers from across Indiana attended a full-day professional development workshop with renowned poet Georgia Heard. Here is a sampling of the things these teachers are now doing in their schools and classrooms as a result of that workshop.