Working with middle school writers at our library this summer, I’ve found a few storytelling tools that are too awesome…
creative writing
11 Awesome End-of-the-Year Lesson Ideas
Note: This is an updated repost. You’ve wrapped your last major unit and final exams are still a week or…
A Modern Magi
Many of us will present “The Gift of the Magi,” O. Henry’s tale of gift giving and self-sacrifice in December,…
Last Week of School Lesson Ideas
Note: This is an updated repost featuring some of my favorite end-of-the-year lesson ideas. You’ve wrapped your last major unit…
Instant Lesson Plan: NYT Found Poetry Contest
Last week, I shared five easy ways to help you celebrate National Poetry Month in your classroom. Today, I’m adding…
April = National Poetry Month
Of course we should fold in some extra poetry lessons in April, but who has the time? With state testing…
Five Ready-To-Use Poetry Stations
Learning lessons from my first experience with stations, I’m happy to report that my second lap around the track with…
Write About Now
As October comes to a close, novelists-in-the-making are sharpening their pencils (or more likely charging their laptops) in preparation for…
Good Writing Can Come in Small Packages
Micro Fiction – Flash Fiction – Two-Sentence Stories – Sudden Fiction – Twitter Tales Whatever you want to call them,…
Put the “Creative” Back in Students’ Writing
We need our students to write regularly for a variety of purposes on different topics, but don’t want to hear…