Clik here to view.
celebrate creativity: PBS Kids writers contest for K-3
One of the greatest ways to get kids invested and interested in writing is to give them authentic reasons to write. When I was teaching high school, I kept a huge bulletin board in my room where I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
turn your kids into grammar sharks: national grammar day
I have been as sick as a dog–sick as a dawwwwg– for the past few days, but today I had a little spring in my step because it was National Grammar Day. And this old gal, though she may have strep and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
first steps to writing: teaching grip to first letters and words
I just shared a cool series over at the Scholastic Parents Raise a Reader blog, and I think it will be of interest to many parents. It’s all about first steps to writing and what parents can do to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
how to teach summary writing: the 1-hand summary
Summaries are difficult. Writing summaries, oral summaries–it doesn’t matter. Both? Difficult. No matter the student’s age, the act of reading something–anything–and either retelling or summarizing is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
fun, authentic writing for kids: power notes to nana
Oh, boy the last few weeks have been funny for us. And by ‘funny’ I mean not really laughing funny but funny in a tricky kind of way. Pretty much everyone’s been on and off sick. My husband and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
help kids stay in touch with friends when school’s out: autograph sheet
I can’t even believe it, but school’s almost out for my kids. Though I’m totally psyched to begin our Smart Summer Challenge this year, I’m also always a little sad when the school year ends. It means...
View ArticleClik here to view.
7 ways to get kids writing (and cool writing prompts for kids!)
Friends. It’s summer, and if your kids are anything like mine, they want to be outside and they want to be at the pool. Or, okay. They want to be on their iPads playing Minecraft or the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
how to make poetry ROCK for kids (start now — it’s national poetry month!)
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? It is. What does that even mean? It means that this month is all about celebrating poetry! You know what, my friends? Poetry is different today than it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
hear poems read by poets: 4 free, fab resources
I’ve been chatting up poetry all month long, since April is National Poetry Month. I’ve hit you with a few ways to make poetry rock for your kids. I’ve shared some of my favorite poetry books. I’ve...
View ArticleClik here to view.
how to make an at-home writing center
Writing centers are something that I first created for my kids years and years and years ago. Though the format has changed slightly (we no longer use the hot pink shower caddy), my kids still have...
View Article
