Celebrating Process Thanks to Georges Seurat

For the last two weeks we've been exploring Chicago with our family who visited us from Guatemala. Two years ago, when we went to Guatemala, my kids got to meet my cousin's kids and they had a blast hanging out. They played Uno and Rock, Paper, Scissors, Splits and laughed and laughed and laughed. Now they had the chance to visit us and the kids had just as much fun.

We got to take them to one of my favorite Chicago museums, The Art Institute of Chicago. I was a little nervous because we were taking seven kids all under eleven into a place where you have to be quiet, you have to control your body, and you cannot touch things. 

The kids were actually really good and we made it to many of the well-known pieces. My cousin and her husband bought the City Pass which included the audio guide tour at the Art Institute. While he was listening to the description of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, I looked at some of the other paintings nearby. 

Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte 

An iconic piece famous for the pointillist technique

Across the room, I noticed this small painting that resembled the larger painting I know so well. But it wasn't exactly the same. I leaned in and read the description. 

It reads, "This small oil on a thin wood panel is one of 24 painted studies Georges Seurat made while conceiving the large, celebrated painting A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (also on view in this gallery)." It goes on to outline the differences between this sample and the final piece.

I've spent a lot of time since this summer thinking about how to revise my novel. I've read books on craft, I've sought out mentor texts, I've redone my story arc, I've done a lot of character work, I've processed feedback from agents. I've done all this as a way to mentally prepare for revision. There have been lots of feelings...it's not easy to dive into revisions again. Revision is hard work. I find a lot of solace in the idea of revision. Knowing that I have the opportunity to take my crummy first draft to a better is encouraging. But that doesn't mean revision is easy or that I like it. 

Collecting stories of process and sharing the process is so important. I love learning about others and their process but it also helps me to share my own process because it allows me to reflect. Austin Kleon's Show Your Work is one of my favorite books that celebrates process. 

Seeing this panel was a reminder that even artists who have their pieces hanging in art museums and are recognized around the world still had to go through a process. The art didn't just magically flow from their brush to the canvas. Sometimes it's easy to see the product and forget the process that got them there. 

Enticing Hard-To-Reach Writers Blog Tour and Giveaway

     "Do you want to go for a walk?" Ruth stood over me, standing close, an urgency in her voice, like the time was now. 
     "Sure." I stood, making sure my things were settled and followed her outside.
     We were at a Choice Literacy retreat, surrounded by forests with trails and a glistening lake. Ruth and I wandered down a path and into the woods, getting to know each other the further we went. 

     Just this weekend, I walked with Ruth at the NCTE annual convention but this time our feet traveled over the rain-soaked sidewalks of St. Louis. We know each other well now so our conversations are less getting-to-know and more what-do-you-think, what-if, and how-about-this? 

     Even though the kinds of questions we ask each other have changed, the urgency is still there. Ruth is a determined woman and that's one of the many qualities I love about her. She sets the bar high for herself and others and she gets things done. 
     Because Ruth is who she is, this book is a beautiful tribute but also a call to action. She shares how hard the work is, how possible it is, and how necessary it is. Weaving personal stories and professional experiences together in her new book Enticing Hard-To-Reach Writers, Ruth invites us to walk alongside her on this journey of teaching writing. Don't worry, she'll guide the way.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"We are all changing. This is life - constant change. 

The intent is to move toward better versions of ourselves." (p. 29-30)

"Humans are wired as storytellers. Our brains use story to make sense of the world. Unfortunately, the stories children tell themselves are too often inaccurate." (p. 32)

"Our classrooms may be the last place where healing is possible for some students. Writing workshop may be the only opportunity for their voices to be heard." (p. 34)

"When teachers write, we stop creating assignments and begin cultivating a community. Writers thrive when surrounded by people who write. I know this, so I surround myself with writers. I love to talk with writers about writing. I can't believe how different we all are: I write to a word count, but my friend Tam says she'd never do that; I write at home, but my friend Jen writes at Starbucks; I keep a physical notebook full of sketches and lists and maps and notes, but my friend Franki keeps most of her thinking electronically." (p. 48)

(Hey! I think that's me! I'm Jen and I loooooove writing at Starbucks!)

"When we unlock the writing process of ourselves, 

we become prepared to guide students as they do the same." (p. 49)

"It's a misconception to believe that there are writers and nonwriters, 

that some people can write and others can't.

Everyone can learn to write.

Everyone can put words on the page.

And everyone struggles with wanting to not-write." (p. 57) 

"Writing workshop is the best vehicle for students to become the kind of people who are positive world changers." (p. 67)

Links

• Stenhouse Book Page
• Discover Play Build
• Book page on Ruth's website
• Enticing Writers Book Club - If you forward receipts to enticingwriters@gmail.com before November 30, you'll receive a free registration to Ruth's new course, Enticing Writers Book Club!

Be sure to visit all the stops on the blog tour!

11/13 - Clare & Tammy - Assessment in Perspective 

11/15 - Michelle Nero - Literacy Zone 

11/17 - Leigh Anne Eck - A Day In The Life 

11/20-  Mary Helen Gensch - Book Savors 

11/22 - Jen Vincent - Teach Mentor Texts 

11/27 - Julie Johnson - Raising Readers and Writers

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How This Book Was Made

Title: How This Book Was Made 
Author: Mac Barnett 
Illustrator: Adam Rex
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 
Publication Date: September 6th, 2016 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: You may think you know how this book was made, but you don't. Sure, the author wrote many drafts, and the illustrator took a long time creating the art, but then what? How'd it get into your hands? Well, open the cover and read through these pages to find out. Just beware of the pirates and angry tiger.

New York Times best-selling creators Mac Barnett and Adam Rex reveal the nitty gritty process of making a book . . . with a few unexpected twists along the way! Budding writers and artists will laugh at the mix of reality and the absurd as the story makes its way to a shelf, and a reader.
What I Think: How a book becomes a book is not an easy process to explain! Mac's description along with Adam's illustrations make this a fun and entertaining way to get a glimpse to the behind-the-scenes side of publishing a book. I especially love this for kids who most likely will only see the pretty, polished up book sitting on the shelf of a bookstore, library or at home. The more I write, the more I understand about the writing process (not that it's all clear to me...but I learn a little more every time I sit down to write) and it's important for kids to see that they go through the writing process just like published authors do.
     I've done a PB 10 X 10 post on books to get started with writing workshop before and I would definitely add this and Maggie Tokuda-Hall's Also An Octopus to the list. Students could create a list of what they do with a writing piece to take it through publication and then think about what Mac and Adam share in How This Book Was Made. It could even go into a venn diagram and you could compare and contrast what's similar and what's different. I really like that they make mention of how an editor is kind of like a teacher. Here's the line, "She is like a teacher, only she works in a skyscraper and is always eating fancy lunches." So funny! Which leads me to my next point...
     This is also an incredibly perfect book for looking at voice and hyperbole and silliness in writing. You could actually type up this whole book and present it to older students as a piece of writing and then read them the picture book with the illustrations. Students of any age are sure to love this book and hopefully they'll find some solace in the pages...that writing doesn't just come easily to anyone.  
Snatch of Text:  

"The first draft of this book was not so good.

Neither was the second draft.

Or the third.

Or the twelfth.

But writing lots of drafts is a useful part of the writing process. 

For instance, when the tiger came back for revenge because I beat him 

in arm wrestling, I burned these drafts and scared him away."

Writing Prompt: Describe a situation that you were recently part of and add in some hyperbole to add some voice and silliness to it. Start with a personal narrative idea and see where stretching the truth a bit takes you. 

The Reader, Author Interview with Traci Chee

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Traci Chee who wrote the young adult novel The Reader. I'm lucky to be a fan of Traci's and also a friend. 

TMT: Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and your new book, The Reader?

Traci Chee: Thanks so much for inviting me to chat with you! I am a total book geek/word nerd, and I think that shows in my YA debut, The Reader, which is set in a world where literacy is unheard of, and a sixteen-year-old girl must teach herself to read in order to solve the mystery of her father’s murder and rescue her kidnapped aunt. It’s got a little bit of a ton of different things I love, including bookishness, magic, long walks in the woods, cowboys/pirates with hearts of gold, and secret messages!

TMT: The Reader is set in a fantasy world where books no longer exist. Can you talk a little about your writing process? Where did you start and how did the world of Kelanna influence Sefia or vice versa?

Traci Chee: I feel like I collect ideas from all over the place, and sometimes they all come together in a glorious creative chaos, which is what happened with The Reader: I walked into the McHenry Library Special Collections and was immediately entranced by their collection of art books. I started scribbling down a story about a girl with a book on a pirate ship for my friend Tucker. I’d been wanting to write about a cowboy with a heart of gold since seeing The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. And all of them sort of came swirling together when I set out to write The Reader.

TMT: What is the best writing advice you have received and what advice would you give student writers?

Traci Chee: “Always keep learning.” I believe that there’s always a way to improve as a writer, whether by reading craft books, reading more widely (and deeply), taking classes, participating in workshops, talking with other writers, or using the wealth of internet resources we now have at our disposal, and I think it’s so important to always be challenging ourselves as creators.

TMT: What are you reading and loving right now (or recently)? What are some ways what you have read influences your own writing?

Traci Chee: Keeping with my approach of “always keep learning,” I try to glean a little something from everything I read. Since I’m currently working on Book 2 of Sea of Ink and Gold, I’ve been studying Leigh Bardugo’s Siege and Storm and Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch Against the Night, but I also like learning economy of language from poetry (Adrienne Rich comes to mind) and economy of story from short fiction (one of my favorite collections is Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino). Although I know it horrifies some people, I often read with a pen in hand so I can note passages I love and return to study them later (although I only mark up my own books, of course)!

TMT: Teach Mentor Texts is all about promoting the love of reading and writing. How would you finish the statements: “Reading is…” and “Writing is…”

Traci Chee: Reading is magic. Writing is power.

A giant thank you to Traci for being here to share her book The Reader and give us some insight into her writing and reading life.

I'm a believe in the growth mindset and that we can work towards anything we set our minds to. Writing requires a certain kind of mindset. Like Traci says, it's important for writers to realize we are always learning how to weave stories together...or sometimes how to just keep going. Keeping an open mind and paying attention to what we learn works for us as writers is key.

I hope you pick up The Reader!

(P.S. Do you like to write notes in the margins as you read? I do!)

For The Love Of Mentor Texts - Jennifer Laffin

Welcome to another guest post in my series For The Love of Mentor Texts here at Teach Mentor Texts. I love to talk about the power of mentor texts to impact our writing but I'm thrilled to have friends share how they use mentor texts for a fresh perspective. Today I'm excited to share thoughts from Jennifer Laffin who blogs at A Sweet Writing Life. I hope you are as inspired by her ideas as I am!

Would you like to write a guest post for For The Love of Mentor Texts? Just let me know by filling out this simple form. 

*********************************

In the summer of 2011, I took part in the National Writing Project’s Summer Institute at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Those three weeks were heaven on earth for me as I wrote, researched, and learned about the best practices in teaching writing. I came to the Institute knowing very little about teaching writing, but I was like a sponge, ready to soak up any and all wise words.

I had to choose a Teacher Inquiry Project to research during the Institute. After mulling over hundreds of topics (literally hundreds because I knew very little about teaching writing), I decided to spend my time learning about using mentor texts in the writing classroom. Mentor texts combined two things I loved -- reading and writing.

That choice, to research how to use mentor texts in the writing classroom, was the best decision! It was the toehold I needed to launch me into this beautiful world of teaching writing. Before the Institute, I hadn’t even heard of using a mentor text in the writing classroom. Now, I can’t teach writing without one.

There are many reasons why mentor texts help make teaching writing easier, but here are a few of my favorites:

Mentor texts can be used for all phases of the writing process. They can spark an idea, help with revision, and show us how conventions make writing strong.

Mentor texts show us some cool writing tricks. Including the Power of Three (listing three details in a row), varying sentence length for effect, or varying your first line are just a few ways mentor texts can support student writers.

Mentor texts help us teach some writing elements that are difficult. For example, take character development. Many young writers create rather flat characters. However, after studying how an author develops a character, these writers can change their character into one that has life.

Mentor texts are a great way to teach conventions within the context of writing. Do you have students who don’t capitalize the letter “I” or the first word of a sentence? Are run on sentences running rampant because your writer forgot how to use a period? Is the writing missing paragraphs, making it very difficult to read and follow? Pull out a mentor text for a quick study of how the author used these conventions to make the writing easier for the reader.

Any book can be a mentor text. You don’t necessarily need a special title to get the job done. Read through your favorite picture book and point out some things you notice that your student writers could pull into their own writing. Soon, your students will do this on their own.

With a mentor text, you never have to teach writing alone again. Think of all those experts that are just waiting in your classroom library for their chance to help!

Don’t know where to start? The Writing Fix website has an amazing bibliography of mentor texts and lessons to accompany them.

If you aren’t already using mentor texts in your writing classroom, I hope you will give it a try!

A giant hug to Jennifer to stopping by to share her love of mentor texts!

The Marvels Review and Giveaway! #ad

Title: The Marvels 
Author: Brian Selznick 
Illustrator: Brian Selznick 
Publisher: Scholastic Press 
Publication Date: September 15th, 2015 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Hybrid Novel with Pictures 
GoodReads Summary: Caldecott Award winner and bookmaking trailblazer Brian Selznick once again plays with the form he invented and takes readers on a voyage!

Two seemingly unrelated stories--one in words, the other in pictures--come together. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries. 
What I Think: I'm so excited to share this book with young readers! I'm a fan of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck and believe fans of Selznick's work will enjoy The Marvels as well. While Selznick includes his combination of drawings and prose to tell his story again, this time the majority of the drawings come first and then the bulk of the text comes at the end. I was so fascinated by the drawings and then even more intrigued by the prose because the characters are so interesting. By the end of the book, I felt so connected and in love with the characters but it happened so naturally along the way.
     As a mentor text, this book is an excellent anchor piece for looking at character development and characterization. We see especially how Joseph develops as a character and how he changes throughout the book. It's simple and subtle but remarkable at the same time.
     The Marvels is also a unique opportunity to discuss how the setting impacts the book and the characters because it is deeply woven into the progress of the story and its characters.
     Finally, the end notes are always fascinating but completely so in this instance. Discussing how the author got the idea for The Marvels and extending that to students, asking them to think about the world around them and the stories and possibility for stories around them is a powerful opportunity to help them see how they are writers. Writers need ideas...and there are ideas all over the place if we just keep our eyes open. Brian Selznick shows us what we're able to find when we do keep our eyes open. You either see it or you don't. 

There are so many mysteries to unlock in The Marvels. All readers are going to be curious as to how Joseph and the Marvels are connected! To hear some mysterious recordings by Brian Selznick, get a sneak peek at artwork from the book, and discover souvenirs from inside THE MARVELS house, check out the YOU EITHER SEE IT OR YOU DON’T tour. Can you figure out what they all mean? You either see it or you don’t.

September 7^th – TheBookSmugglers.com

September 8^th – Hypable.com

September 9^th – SuperSpaceChick.com

September 10^th – TheReadingRoom.com

September 11^th – PopWrapped.com

Brian Selznick will be out on a multi-city tour to celebrate the release of The Marvels!

Click here to find out where you can meet Brian on his tour for #THEMARVELS! 

And be sure to enter the giveaway below!

Read Together: Grades 4 - 8 
Read Alone: Grades 5 - 8 
Read With: The Real Boy by Anne Ursu, See You At Harry's by Jo Knowles, Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, We Were Liars by E. Lockhaart 
Snatch of Text:  

Writing Prompts: Write about a time in you life when you did something scary but didn't realize you were brave until afterwards. 
Topics Covered: Family, Friendship, Mystery, Determination, Courage, Honesty 

I *heart* It:

*Thanks to Scholastic for providing

a copy of this title and the opportunity to offer a giveaway

in exchange for an honest review!*

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Let's Celebrate A Habit For Free Writing!

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

*                  *                   *

This week I'm celebrating the power of habits!

*throws confetti*

A couple of years ago I read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and I blogged about it in this post where Brenda Power came to visit. Then later that same year at an awesome writing retreat with Brenda, I starting applying the ideas about building habits to my writing and now I'm lucky to share some of these ideas and how they might support students writers.

I was lucky enough to share my writer's notebook in a colleague's class this week and lead her students through a discussion about what it means to be a writer. To start, I asked the students, "What does it mean to be a writer?"

And they had some amazing ideas! One student shared how writers need to have ideas - which was perfect because writer's notebooks are all about collecting ideas. We also talked about what writers write, how often they write, how much they write. I showed pictures and shared how I have my writer's eye on all the time and on the lookout for stories or story ideas all over the place.

A Habit For Free Writing

Then I modeled free writing, explaining why writers free write and setting up the structure we would be using. Before visiting their classroom, I sat down with their teacher and discussed the idea of incorporating free writing into everyday and developing the habit of sitting down to a blank piece of paper or a blank screen and being able to make something out of nothing. 

I've developed my own habit for writing that I can take anywhere and that I always have with me. Whether I'm writing at Starbucks, in my laundry room, or at the library, I prep myself to write and then pat myself on the back when I'm done. I frame my writing with two key phrases that I taught to the class. 

To start, I asked the students to say, "Bring it on, blank page!" It was great to hear fifth graders putting emotion into their voices and challenging the blank page! Then we wrote for one minute. After time was up, I asked them all to raise their hands if they had words on the page and pointed out that they did it. They made something out of nothing. That's part of what it means to be a writer. Together we said, "I can write. I am a writer. The proof is on the page."

I love both of these phrases as free writing anchors for students because they reinforce the fact that a first draft is perfect simply because it exists. Once we have something, we can go from there. This habit celebrates going from a blank page to having words on the page - simple as can be but powerful because you can't argue with the fact that there are words are there.

As the year goes on, we'll build the writing stamina and increase the time for free writes as well as offer the option to type their free writes. I can't wait to see what these students share from their notebooks the next time I visit!

Here is the Haiku Deck I used to guide our discussion and support our free writing experience in case you might find it useful.

Writer's Notebooks - Free Write - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

I've been thinking a lot about mission statements and mantras and mottos lately. Do you have any writerly mission statements, mantras, or mottos to share? I would love to hear about them!

And of course, I'm always happy to know:
What are you celebrating this week?

Lost In The Sun

Title: Lost In The Sun 
Author: Lisa Graff 
Publisher: Philomel Books 
Publication Date: May 26th, 2015 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Everyone says that middle school is awful, but Trent knows nothing could be worse than the year he had in fifth grade, when a freak accident on Cedar Lake left one kid dead, and Trent with a brain full of terrible thoughts he can't get rid of. Trent’s pretty positive the entire disaster was his fault, so for him middle school feels like a fresh start, a chance to prove to everyone that he's not the horrible screw-up they seem to think he is. 
If only Trent could make that fresh start happen.It isn’t until Trent gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Fallon Little—the girl with the mysterious scar across her face—that things begin to change. Because fresh starts aren’t always easy. Even in baseball, when a fly ball gets lost in the sun, you have to remember to shift your position to find it. 
What I Think: Lisa Graff lets readers into Trent's complicated story by bringing his thoughts to life in such a way that we can truly see Trent and not just what other people see. So many people in the book judge him or decide what they think about him based on his actions but knowing what he's going through on the inside, readers can relate to Trent and understand why he acts like he does. I know this is what books are all about...but Lisa Graff so easily brings character to life so that we can see their motivations and root for them even when they don't make the best decisions. 
     As a writer, this isn't easy to do. As a character, Trent is dealing with a lot and he doesn't treat his family, friends, or teachers well for much of the story. But at the same time, the author has to make Trent like-able to the reader. I know this is only something I've realized as I've been working on my novel. Of course a main character is going to be dealing with difficult situations and sometimes making bad choices, but the job of the author is to make sure the reader can see enough of the good in a character or at least understand his or her motives so they keep reading. It's just not easy! But Lisa Graff has done a really great job. 
     Thinking about Lost In The Sun and its characters as a mentor text, I would look at how concise Lisa Graff is in her description (see the snatch of text below) but also think about how Trent's interactions with others in the book paired with his own inner dialogue interact to build our understanding of Trent's life. There are so many great characters in this book to talk about. 
     At an author panel at Nerdcamp, Lisa Graff shared how she writes her first draft, and then goes back and tries to cut the number of words in half. This makes her rethink every word and make sure that every word counts. It truly shows because her writing is to tight and descriptive because of this. This would make an awesome shared writing activity or an independent/partner revising activity for students. Being able to combine sentences and make the most of words on a page is an amazing skill that pushes students to make their writing stronger. You could start by asking students to write about a topic, then ask them to cut the number of words in half and to see how their writing changes as they do. 
Read Together: Grades 4 - 7  
Read Alone: Grades 5 - 7 
Read With: Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (and others) by Jordan Sonnenblick, Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach, See You At Harry's by Jo Knowles
Snatch of Text:    
     "I saw the side of her face first, the left side, while she was walking her fluffy white dog not far from where I was sitting on the side of the baseball field. I didn't recognize her at first, actually. I thought she might be a new kid, just moved to town. Thought she had a good face for drawing. 
     Big, deep, round brown eyes (well, one of them, anyway - the left one). Curly, slightly frizzy brown hair pulled back away from her face. Half of a small, upturned mouth. She was dressed kind of funny - this loud, neon-pink T-shirt blouse thing with two ties hanging down from the neck (were those supposed to do something? I never understood clothes that were supposed to do something), and zebra-print shorts, and what looked like a blue shoelace tied into a bow in her hair. The kind of outfit that says, 'Yup Here I am. I look...weird.'" (p. 8-9)
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you needed to regain someone's trust. How did you do it? Were you successful? 
Topics Covered: Family, Friendship, Grief, Guilt, Forgiveness, Honesty 

I *heart* It:

Teachers Write - Sunday Check-In 4.1

Welcome back! You made it through week one of Teachers Write! Aren't you loving it? All of the prompts and exercises made me think and so many of the questions on Wednesday were ones I was happy to hear answers to. Friday Feedback was a hit, too. I can't wait to hear what you loved about Teachers Write this week and what your new goals are for this week. 

Today I would like to remind everyone that writing is a process. That means there are some steps we have to go through. But other than that, we have to find what works for us - and in turn, our students. I've learned to trust the process and accept that it works differently for each of us and it might work differently every time we write. 

At Nerdcamp last week, I moderated an author panel with Tricia Springstubb, Cassie Beasley, Lisa Graff, Laurie Keller, Kristen Kittscher, and Erin Soderberg (Downing). I called it Secrets of the Writing Process. They shared their writing process and while we talked through brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing...each of their styles was unique. There are no secrets! There are just lots of ideas to try to see what works and doesn't work for you.

What I love about Teachers Write and taking time once a week to reflect is that I hope you take a few minutes to go all meta and think about what you have learned about writing. What works for you? What doesn't work for you? What helps you overcome fears of that blank page? What - or maybe who - encouraged you to keep going? And how did it feel when you did? 

Recognize all the tricks in your own writing toolbox but open your eyes to others that may not work for you but that you can have at the ready for students. Know that when you feel caught up in the hot mess, it's possible to keep going because you have a toolbox full of ideas. Remember that what works for you might not be what works for students. Soak up all the advice here at Teachers Write because you never know what you might be able to share with a student writer who needs your support. 

First to share, I've blogged about 10 Things About My Writing where I thought about what I know (at least at this moment) about writing and what works for me. This idea comes from Clarissa Harwood and you can read her post, too. Last year, I also blogged about what strategies worked for me. Maybe you want to take a snapshot like this of what works right now...and then you can see how you change over the next few weeks. P.S. Wouldn't this be so fun to ask students to do at the beginning of the year, throughout the year, and then at the end?

Now, I'm going to share some of my all-time favorite resources and feel free to chime in with any that have impacted you as a writer this week or ever. We'll build a mega-list of off-the-hook writing resources! I wholeheartedly recommend all of these!

 

Marcie Atkins (lots of mentor texts ideas and resources)
Linda Urban
Tara Lazar - Writing For Kids (While Raising Them)
National Writing Project
Teachers College - Reading and Writing Project
Plot Whisperer
Two Writing Teachers

My Teachers Write Weekly Recap:

It's been a whirlwind of a week for me. Last Sunday, I made the trek to Michigan for Nerdcamp and didn't get home until late Tuesday. I loved reading everyone's comments here and I tried to respond as much as I could but after coming back from Nerdcamp, I had two days of professional development in my new district and now my nephews are in town. It feels like I've barely had time to breathe!

These crazy guys are fun but nonstop energy!

But here's why I love this weekly reflection - despite all of the hectic-ness of this week, I still fit in time to write. It wasn't what I had planned or hoped but I still made time to fit things in. I had hoped to be drafting this last week but I was still finishing up  a major revision of my novel. But now that major revision is done and off to readers so I can actually focus on a first draft I started last summer. I'm ready to crank out some words!

My goal for this week is to write for one hour everyday and/or 1,000 words. I would love to add at least 7,000 words by next Sunday Check-In so we'll see how it goes!

A reminder of my rules for Teachers Write Sunday Check-Ins:

1. We respect each other and the type of writing we do.

2. We only offer constructive criticism.

3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.

4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.

Today, in the comments section:

What resources do you have in your toolbox that you love what in comes to supporting students?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the non-fun part?)
What was the peak of your week? (The best part, the most-fun part?)
What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?

*Thank you for replying to each other's comments! I read them all and I will do my best to reply but there are a lot of us so thanks for cheering each other on!