I’m a morning person – or I’m not a morning person. Or on certain days you switch – like Halloween or Christmas. Tell about your worst getting up experiences and your best. What do you like to do in the morning when you wake up? What don’t you like? Create …
Good point. Many teachers start with a 10 minute write and work their way up as student skills strengthen. Tell them it’s about training for stamina just like long distance running. Usually, grade 4 students will not have the stamina for a solid 20 minute write. But, some grade 7’s …
The picture doesn’t match the poem, but it could be inspiring when students are writing their own Messy Room Extreme Writing. Whosever room this is should be ashamed! His underwear is hanging on the lamp. His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair, And the chair is becoming quite mucky …
Times in my life when I can say that persistence paid off for me. Weathering and erosion are examples of the power of persistence. Write everything you know abut erosion – causes, effects around the world, etc. A related saying is “Practice makes perfect.” How does this saying relate to …
My advice is: Don’t get yourself worn out. There are lots of professional tasks you can do, including designing amazing writing lessons. Think of yourself as being willing to work 60 hours a week at being the best teacher in the world – how should you spend your hours? But, …
Diego Rivera is one of the most famous artists of Mexico. His paintings reflect the efforts of the working class. He was regularly commissioned to create sweeping wall murals celebrating Mexico. His wife, Frida Kahlo, is also one of the most famous artists of Mexico. Stories about times when you …
Gross things that have happened to me – stepping in something, being sick, having something spill on me, etc. (Could be a day of gross things, one after the other.) Best day of my life – unexpected happy things that have happened to me. How to train a cat – …
Fluency is one of the three pillars of writing – code, comprehensibility, and fluency. Code. English, and all languages are a code, a printed representation of language. English rules of code include left to right, top to bottom, spaces between the words, punctuation, subject/verb/object, etc. We spend a lot of …
Ying Yan Compestine’s book is a variation of the traditional Emperor’s New clothes. Emperor Ming Da is only 9 but he knows his ministers are corrupt. To obtain the money to help his people he convinces his ministers that what seems to be burlap bags, is really magic New Year’s …
Fireworks – my adventures with things that “explode”. “Launching” – the story of any project that was exciting, in school or out. A story about a celebration – wedding, birthday, winning a game, etc.
