Writing Revelations: Why Writing Wednesdays are Good for Everyone
In my school district, November is affectionately known as “No School November.” Between election day, a teacher workday, and three recognized holidays, we end up…
Writing Into Winter Break
With only a few weeks to go before Winter Break begins, student engagement often starts to wane. Rather than lament their lack of focus, try…
Essay Norming for Students
Groups of students pass sample essays around their table, referring to a rubric as they work. Occasionally a debate ensues: “This one earns the thesis…
Curating Collaboration
One of the favorite buzz-words in education is “collaboration.” Teacher certification programs teach future educators about the value of collaboration. Teaching interviews often inquire about…
Fall Favorites
We’ve had a busy month here at Alexandrite Publishing. From teaching, to blogging, to shopping, here are some of our favorite highlights from October: 10.…
Celebrating Celebration Days
This week marked the first “Celebration Day” – a quarterly Writing Expo – of the school year. Across all of my classes, students came together…
Creative Writing Tasks Made Easy – Storymatic Classic & Synapsis Story Generators
Even before Writing Wednesdays, I incorporated creative writing into my Language Arts instruction. But one of the biggest challenges I faced, particularly when integrating creative…
Feedback for High-Fliers
Teach long enough and you’ll have those students. The ones who are naturally gifted in Language Arts. The ones for whom writing seems to come…
In Defense of Books
Like many educators, I am becoming increasingly disheartened by the growing number of calls from parents and lawmakers around the country to exclude certain books…
Writing Wednesdays: Why We Write
Dedicating every Wednesday to creative writing instruction takes commitment. Rearranging the schedule in order to maintain weekly writing when unexpected events chip away at instructional…