http://characterproject.usanetwork.com/#!/ Currently, I’m having fun in my spare time writing again. I say it’s “fun,” but am not sure that’s true. Is writing “fun?” In a story I’m working on now, the main character shares a lot of qualities with who I was in my 20s, some of the same pitfalls and heartaches. But how much is [...]

No, I do not have hero-worship of Neil Gaiman. (Liar.) Ever have one of those units of study that just globs along in the back of your mind? Well, after reading aloud this week* this thought inspired me: Why not create a mini-unit of writers reading their reading? I am constantly stressing to my students that [...]

Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise Black bird singing in the dead of night Take these sunken eyes and learn to see all your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly Into the light of [...]

From The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fblog0rama.edublogs.org%2F2011%2F03%2F01%2Fwihwt-death-personified%2F'; addthis_title = 'WIHWT%3A+Death+personified.'; addthis_pub = '';

We are the hero of our own story. Mary McCarthy Sometimes I seriously wonder what I am thinking. In our Journey of the Hero unit, I ask students to do a free write on their own ‘fatal flaws.’ Really? What fatal flaws could a 13 to 14 year old have? But boy, do I get a range. Everything [...]

Because heaven knows I need more challenges, every Wednesday I plan on posting a passage, quote, etc., that causes me writer’s admiration/jealousy. Trying to think of an acronym, but I’m out of ideas right now. WEAK? Writer’s Envy/Admiration Kills? WIHWT – Wish I Had Written That, or IWNBAGW (Winnabego?) I Will Never Be  a Great [...]

One buggaboo that boggles me is how to really explain to budding authors why it’s not stylistically adroit by ending any piece of writing with a statement such as “this is my story about and I hope you liked it” or “this is my paragraph assignment for today.” Yes, I do this, yes, I teach many lessons, [...]

…and one reason why I will.   This morning, it dawned on me in the early golden lavender light on this September day that I have banished my voice. I haven’t been writing. Not sure what it is about the morning routine that allows my brain to actually THINK a bit more clearly, but it is clarifying. And [...]

There is a teacher’s blog I read that I really like. His philosophies are extreme, and I kind of like the unbalanced, spinning-my-head feeling after reading his writing. I certainly don’t agree with everything he believes, and I would guess he wouldn’t agree with anything I write. But I’m just trying to figure this out, [...]

Is there such a thing as “over-confidence?” How do we learn to know when we don’t know something? As I was looking over the recent assessments, one student wrote “[Yay I feel so accomplished!