The Write Stuff - Ten Pin linky

Did you know my undergraduate degree is in writing?  You'd think that would help somewhat with teaching writing- but as it turns out, not so much.  So, like everybody else, I'm always searching for things that can help me out there.  I mean, really- how do you convince an eight year old that "I like it" and "It was fun" are not particularly descriptive.

So here we go with Ashley's Ten Pin Linky party over at Just Reed:

I have eight boards dedicated to writing over on Pinterest. Teaching Writing is my catch all, then I have Book-Making, Word Work, Mechanics, Nonfiction Writing, Letter Writing, Narrative Writing, and Poetry.


1. There are lots of heart map pins out there.  I like this one, since it guides the kids into what actually to put in there in a Give Me Three sort of format.  Structure can be good.  I also dig on heart maps because it can become a dynamic piece to a writer's notebook, and whenever they attempt to say they don't know what to write about, you can rally back with "Don't know what to write? Go look in your heart!"


2. I enjoy making books with the kids.  They dig on having hard covers.  makes them feel extremely professional. I adore Kathy Barbro's blog Art Projects for Kids, and this is a super way to recycle and show kids how easy it is to make a book for themselves.


3. Word Work.  I always feel like I want to do a great job with this and then I never really do.  But this pin got my attention a couple of weeks ago because I'm in the midst of planning my first PYP unit, How We Organize Ourselves, and the social studies connection is to economics.  It's not just about reading sight words, but also spelling them/using them correctly in your writing.  This seemed like a cool way to "pay an author".  So the writing assignment is due, and they swear that they've actually edited their work.  Just look up a the word wall, give them a sight word buck for each one they used and spelled correctly.  Seems pretty simple. Who will become the best-selling author?


4. This is a fantastic visual rubric for revising and editing.  Additionally, I am wanting to do this Three little Pigs deal at the beginning of the year, and this would work in perfectly with - "Is that a straw house story or a brick one?" rubric idea.


5. LOVE this book.  LOOOOOOVE it, I say!  Tony Stead write a great book here, really easy to follow along with, extremely inspirational to my teaching, useful to the core.  I really like how he has the kids do a writing piece about what they THINK it's supposed to look like, and then he can assess the prior knowledge from there and break the kids into needs based groups as well as plan his lessons.  Why teach a lesson on write your materials first on a procedural piece if everyone already knows how to do that?


6. Sandi from Rubber boots and Elf shoes writes an amazing blog that I find something I want to do in my classroom from at least once a week.  If not more.  She did not disappoint with this gem of an idea.  Lots of folks have their class pet write to their kids- but she makes her kids write to her class pet- and they cover all of their revising and editing in it to boot.  I just caught a toad last week, and have set him up in a nice little habitat and am looking forward to working this writing magic come the fall.


7. I realize that the watermelon to seed idea is not anything new or fantastic.  But I do like this visual rubric.  I also like the idea of having a blank one where we can really workshop these sorts of idea together as a class and change up the watermelon ideas whenever I see an author struggling.  Even making smaller ones that are laminated or in sheet protectors in their writing notebooks so they can use them as they plan.


8. Another possible use for a fake Christmas tree in my forest themed classroom this coming year. This site has tons and tons of ideas.


9. I have yet to find a way of storing writing materials that I am pleased with yet- but I like this idea.  I might just give it a go.


10. Bahahahaha! I just had to.



Write on, kittens!