Here's a quick exercise for you. Take a few minutes to write, sketch, doodle, or jot your answer to the question, "What does it mean to write?" Think about what we mean--what we really mean--when we refer to this act of writing. Next, take a moment to jot down the writing units you teach, have taught in… Continue reading What It Means to “Write”–and What We Teach Students
How Teachers REALLY Prepare for Back-To-School
Back in July, at the International Literacy Association's Annual Conference in Orlando, I was asked by my friends at Stenhouse Publishers how, as an educator, I prepared myself to go back to school each year. I was being filmed for promotional purposes that particular afternoon, and, not having had much time to prepare my answer or even… Continue reading How Teachers REALLY Prepare for Back-To-School
#EvaluateThat: The Hidden Cost of Teaching
Chances are you've heard of Teresa Danks, the Oklahoma teacher who recently resorted to panhandling at a local gas station near her home in order to buy needed supplies for her third grade classroom. After collecting approximately $50 in cash and then posting a meme of herself on Facebook, Teresa caught the attention of a… Continue reading #EvaluateThat: The Hidden Cost of Teaching
Make It Shine: A Reflection on the Opal School’s 2017 Summer Symposium
When my Rollinsford Grade School colleagues and I visited the Opal School in June for their annual Summer Symposium, we had barely had a chance to take a deep, cleansing breath before flying from New Hampshire to Portland, Oregon for three full days of professional learning. So much was nipping at our collective heels as… Continue reading Make It Shine: A Reflection on the Opal School’s 2017 Summer Symposium
Want to RENEW! Get the book by @ShawnaCoppola
Wanted to share this wonderful review of RENEW! by an educator I admire very much. (You’ll also find a TON of useful stuff elsewhere on the Three Teachers Talk blog–an invaluable resource for any English teacher!)
I have never written a book review. (Okay, maybe that’s not true. I think I remember writing one in 4th grade over a biography of Marie Curie, the first biography I ever read.)
I have never written a review of a teaching book. But I am going to try.
I am a teaching book junkie. I have stacks of them, but I rarely read the whole of them. I cannot even tell you why, and I admit there is great irony here because as I write this, I am also trying to write my own book for teachers (I have been for four years, sigh.) If I ever get it written, I hope you’ll read it.
In the mean time, I have to tell you about Shawna Coppola’s new book RENEW!
I read the whole of this book in one afternoon! Thank you, Shawna, for writing so much of…
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Free Book Preview!
Sorry to send out two posts in one week--but I'm just too darn excited. My debut book from Stenhouse Publishers, Renew! Become a Better--and More Authentic--Writing Teacher is available for pre-sale now, and as an added bonus, my generous friends at Stenhouse have offered anyone who visits their site a free preview of my entire book. I KNOW,… Continue reading Free Book Preview!
Stages of Edu-Twitter: A Comic
When I get (what I consider) a good, solid idea for a comic, all I want to do is work on it. Dinner prep be damned! This particular idea came to me during a workshop I gave this past week through the UNH Professional Development & Training program on using comics, picture books, and graphic… Continue reading Stages of Edu-Twitter: A Comic
Comic: “What’s For Dinner?”
Hi friends--happy Spring**! If you follow my (somewhat inane) Twitter feed, you might be aware that I am currently knee-deep in a comic/graphic novel inquiry with a group of second and third graders. Most of these students had never tried writing a comic before this particular exploration, and yet they continue to blow me away daily with… Continue reading Comic: “What’s For Dinner?”
The Power of Revision
Hello friends! I wanted to share the piece I wrote for the March/April 2017 edition of the International Literacy Association's bi-monthly magazine, Literacy Today, called "The Power of Revision." We often talk about the value and the power of revision in regard to our writing practice--but what about harnessing that power in the context of our teaching practice? This… Continue reading The Power of Revision
Comic: “Choose Kind?”
Many of you know I've dabbled in writing comics here and there. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but it's fun. Plus, sometimes what I want to say just feels right when it's written in a comic format. (I'm even starting to think in comic format. No joke.) This one's my way of releasing the frustration… Continue reading Comic: “Choose Kind?”
My So-Called Literacy Life 