I have the privilege of kicking off this month's potluck of writing ideas. Our contributors will be sharing writing resources, writing ideas, writing prompts, writing lessons, and writing inspirations.The table is set, and I can't wait to see what everyone brings! Thank you for joining us!
Yes, I write.
Yes, I call myself a writer.
Yes, I believe that teachers who write make better writing teachers.
But just because we believe and proclaim these words, does not make the teaching of writing any easier. Writing is hard. Teaching writing is even harder.
To rise to the challenge, I stand on the shoulders of many. The #TeachWrite group has become a resource of ideas and inspiration for my own writing, as well as my teaching of writing. The conversations we have on Facebook, in our monthly Twitter chats, and in our Voxer group inspire me and push my thinking.
As blessed as I am to be a part of this writing community, I also have several books that are my go-to when I need help with mini-lessons, unit planning, conferring with writers, and so much more.
Today I share with you a potluck of resources on teaching writing.
Write Beside Them by Penny Kittle
If you are trying to figure out how to build a community of writers, then you may want to read this book. Although it is filled with Penny's brilliance, it also has a DVD that invites us into Penny's classroom. Watching her confer with students helped me to improve my own conferring skills. Write Beside Them is geared toward high school students, but I was able to apply many of Penny's ideas in my middle school classroom.
Teaching Adolescent Wrtiers by Kelly Gallagher
Kelly's book is full of practical ideas and advice on teaching writers. But reading this book changed the way I assessed student writing, from feedback to a way of having students correct their own grammar mistakes. I will admit that I struggle with assessing my students' writing, and Kelly's book has given me some great ideas to make those challenges easier.
Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson
When I teach any kind of grammar min-lesson, this book is the first resource I turn to. Jeff makes teaching grammar fun with lesson ideas that teach grammar in context, rather than in isolation. If you could see some of the anchor charts in my classroom, you would recognize many of Jeff's ideas from this book.
The Big Book of Details by Rozlyn Linder
How many times have we said to a student, "You need to add more details." Just what exactly does that mean to a young writer? This book will explain and give you specific ways to teach "add more details." It is one of those books you can't read from cover to cover, but you pick and choose what your students need at that time and then find those strategies in this wonderful resource. It is a book of 46 moves for adding details to narrative, argumentative, and informational writing. It has even helped me with my own writing!
The Quickwrite Handbook by Linda Rief
Many teacher-experts in the field remind us of the importance of writing volume. Students need to write and write a lot. I have tried to add more writing by using quickwrites. Linda's recent book is full of quickwrite ideas and mentor texts from authors, from Linda, and from her students. If you want to add volume to your students' writing, then you may want to check this book out.
I have so many more resources I could add to this list, as I am sure you could also. Let us know if you have a favorite resource (or two or three) by adding them in comments. I can't wait to see what you bring to the potluck.
Leigh Anne has entered her 12th year of teaching. She has taught 4th and 5th grade and currently teaches 6th grade ELA at a middle school in Indiana. She is working on her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Western Governors University with a goal of becoming a literacy coach. Leigh Anne has a passion for connecting kids with books and helping teachers develop a writing life. You can connect with her on Twitter @Teachr4 or on her blog, A Day in the Life.
The Quickwrite Handbook sounds like a GREAT resource -- I'll definitely be looking into purchasing myself a copy. Penny Kittle has certainly influenced how I approach writing with my students, at first it was just journaling with them, but now there are times where I will even complete the assignment alongside them. It gives me a unique insight into the problems they are having when I also go through those steps myself.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to take this time to recommend Tom Romano's books about mutligenre writing. It's a different way to approach research and argument or even literary analysis. I have both Blending Genre, Altering Style and Fearless Writing.