Stop….Notice...and Wonder! by Jen Greene

As I closed out National Poetry Month with the creation of a published poetry book, I reflected back on what my students and I learned as writers.  The number one thing I found was that we were taking more time to stop, notice, and wonder.  More than we had all year. 

We spent a lot of time generating ideas and using mentor texts that celebrated noticing little things.  Using picture books such as Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer  and Color me a Rhyme by Jane Yolen allowed my students and me to revel in the beauty of the world around us.  I’m fortunate to work in a school that is nestled back in the woods, part of William Penn’s original land grant.  Our outdoor campus is so inviting, particularly in the spring.

After photographing the flowers in the courtyard and writing poems about them, my students returned after Spring Break to find that the grass had been mowed and the flowers were gone.  All that remained were two red tulips.

We stopped….noticed that these two flowers remained...and wondered what they felt like, being the survivors of the lawnmower.  So much of the writing that came from this little observation was about friendships, feeling lonely, missing people who are no longer with us.  One student reminded us that they weren’t really lonely- because they had each other. The outcome and quality of their writing was better than any lesson I could have planned.

Take time to look around you.  To notice something new.  To wonder about what you notice.  And see where that takes you as a writer. 



Jen Greene is an elementary school teacher in the West Chester Area School District in West Chester, PA.  She is a fellow with the PA Writing and Literature Project (PAWLP) and a doctoral student at Widener University.  You can find her on Twitter @GreeneMachine82 or via her blog: www.GreeneLit.wordpress.com

A Casserole of Writing Ideas by Jen Greene

Asking me to pick my favorite book about writing is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child (and we all know you have one).

Instead of picking just ONE book, I decided to throw a few books together to make a writing casserole- take a few ingredients from one book, add in a dash of lesson ideas from another, and BAM! You’ve got a delicious recipe for writing.

59 Reasons to Write by Kate Messner.  This is a number one go-to if you are struggling to be a teacher who writes.  Messner carefully outlines reasons (59 of them) why you should be a writer.  It’s great motivation, especially if you WANT to write, but aren’t sure how to get started. (I’d also highly recommend Messner’s Real Revision)

Renew by Shawna Coppola.  I just read this gem of a book after meeting the fantastic author at a conference.  Coppola challenges us to think about our teaching practices-  when did we revise our teaching practices regarding writing?  Are we becoming complacent with our teaching? This book makes you think about how best to meet the needs of your students, and the importance of continual reflection and revision of our own teaching!

The Unstoppable Writing Teacher by M. Colleen Cruz. Ever wonder how in the world you’re going to get everything that workshop entails done in such a short period of time?  Cruz acknowledges some of the problems that arise with teaching writing- from the concept of the workshop to the range of writers in your room- and provides practical solutions to make you feel...well, unstoppable!

Mentor Texts (Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry) by Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli. These are the perfect books to start your collection, particularly if you are new to the workshop.  Not only do the authors give a goldmine of mentor text possibilities, but they also guide you through “Your Turn” lesson plans to help you feel more confident teaching a skill.

Joy Write by Ralph Fletcher (or any book Fletcher has written).  As the title implies, this books teaches you how to put the joy (back) into writing.  Providing choice and ownership overwriting encourages students to become more present and engaged in writing.  It’s extremely readable and Fletcher’s advice is easy to implement immediately in your writing classroom.


There are so many more titles to choose from, but I don’t want our casserole to get too crowded with ingredients.  This is a great start for teachers at any place in their journey as teacher-writers.



Jen Greene is an elementary school teacher in the West Chester Area School District in West Chester, PA.  She is a fellow with the PA Writing and Literature Project (PAWLP) and a doctoral student at Widener University.  Her tentative journey into blogging can be found by visiting https://GreeneLit.wordpress.com. You can find her on Twitter @GreeneMachine82.  

I am a Writer, Hear me Roar! by Jen Greene

As a writer, it is so easy to convince yourself that you are not good enough.  Self-esteem has been a struggle of mine for over 30 years.  Even typing this blog post I keep deleting things thinking that no one really wants to read this.  Perhaps you can relate. 

Something that has helped me work through this struggle is writing.  In particular, forcing myself to share my writing.  I started off sharing with my students. I love to write, have always kept journals, but never shared them with anyone before becoming a teacher.  I read Harriet the Spy as a kid, I knew what could happen if my thoughts fell into the wrong hands!  But then I found myself in a room full of little people needed me to teach them how to write.  Sure, I could use amazing mentor texts to showcase writing styles, but I needed to teach them that not all writing is beautiful, perfect, and published.  More often than not, it’s messy, chaotic, and never sees the light of day.  But it’s important and it deserves to be heard.  I had to share my own writing with them to really illustrate this.  It was the best thing I could do for them, and for myself.

My students inspired and guided my writing just as much I did theirs.  We were a community, celebrating and struggling together.  It was transformative...so much so that it led me to the next step: sharing my writing with other grown-ups!

Through opportunities to contribute to community blogs, and with a lot of encouragement from the #TeachWrite community, I took the plunge and started my own blog.  It is slow moving, and I feel like I’m going to vomit every time I hit publish, but it’s happening.  I have conquered the fear. Maybe no one wants to read what I write, maybe no one agrees with me….who cares?  I have thoughts, I have a voice, and I’m sharing it.  I am writer, hear me roar!

My advice to you is this: start small.  Share with your students.  Share with your colleagues.  Share with your dog.  And when you feel ready- share with the world. 

You are a writer, we want to hear you roar!



Jen Greene is an elementary school teacher in the West Chester Area School District in West Chester, PA.  She is a fellow with the PA Writing and Literature Project (PAWLP) and a doctoral student at Widener University.  Her tentative journey into blogging can be found by visiting https://GreeneLit.wordpress.com. You can find her on Twitter @GreeneMachine82. 

Poetry is a Sign of Hope by Jen Greene

Poetry is a divisive genre.  Some people hate it, others love it. Kids (and adults) moan and groan at the thought of reading or writing poetry.  To get a read on the room, I always start my poetry unit by asking my second graders to complete the sentence, “Poetry is…”  This year, one student answered, “a sign of hope.”  I was astounded by the insight of a kid who is seven years old. It made me think. 

Poetry is indeed a sign of hope.  It is an underestimated form of expression. 

When you write a poem you make the rules.  You decide grammar and stanzas and punctuation. 

Your choices express who you are and how you feel.  That individual expression is needed, maybe now more than ever. With all of the marches and movements sweeping the nation, one idea that rings true is that of voice.  Poetry can be that vehicle that allows you to use your voice to stand up for what you believe. And poetry can be a way to tell children, women, and anyone who feels marginalized that your voice matters. 

If you are a teacher who dreads writing poetry with your students, try this simple task: Ask your students what matters to them.  Maybe your students have thoughts about gun control or who to ask to prom.  Maybe what matters is where their next meal is coming from or how to avoid that bully on the bus.  Maybe they’re worried about struggling to read as well as their friends or how to convince their parents to stop yelling at each other.  Big or small, the thoughts that consume the minds of students matter. Sharing their voice through poetry will help students view their poems as a sign of hope.  A sign that they are not alone. Their voice matters.


Jen Greene is an elementary school teacher in the West Chester Area School District in West Chester, PA.  She is a fellow with the PA Writing and Literature Project (PAWLP) and a doctoral student at Widener University.  You can find her on Twitter @GreeneMachine82.