Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy

Some Advice on Writing College Essays

  The SAT and ACT are taken, scores received. The transcripts bundled with a plethora of application pages.  The FAFSA and other financial information finally finished after hours of telephone calls, online services, old receipts and bank statements gathered. Yes, one of the most exciting and stressful elements of senior year is  the college application […]

Posted inHigh School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy

Surviving those Five Stages of Writing Curriculum

Who wants to rewrite curriculum this summer? (Anyone? Anyone?…..) Let’s be honest. Writing  or rewriting curriculum is a ongoing process that, while necessary, is not always seen as the most positive experience. Moreover, the suggestion of spending summer days writing curriculum (paid or unpaid) may trigger range of emotions, some strangely akin to the model offered by Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On […]

Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy

Good Writing vs. Great Writing: Leading the Way

Have you ever been frustrated between grading pieces of writing that were good (had all the “bones,” all the structures, all the requirements), and grading really great, well-written, interesting pieces of writing? Both had all the meat, but only one had real substance. As an English Language Arts teacher, the question has been raised in my mind numerous times, […]

Posted inCommon Core, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy

Digital Writing Text: "Snow Fall-The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek"

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The blizzard raging outside recalls the looping GIF of drifting snow that opens the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times feature story, “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek.” As a model […]

Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Opinion

Creative Writing Strategies For Elementary Students – Outside Of The Classroom

Writing is a huge component in my second and third grade classroom. Next to speaking properly, communicating through the written word is an important life skill that needs to be developed which will follow children throughout their lives. The sooner the basics of writing are introduced and honed, the easier this skill will become as […]