Category Archives: Writer’s resource

Discussion a range of topics for those interested in improving their writing skills

Talk to me

Posted on August 9, 2013 by knlistman

They stare at the blank paper, for the entire hour, as if somehow by staring they could force whatever vague ideas are floating around in their gray matter on to the paper. I walk by and ask “What is the … Continue reading →

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The real deal

Posted on August 8, 2013 by knlistman

“I rented a canoe on Saturday – it was quite an oar deal!” The students’ task was to describe the source of humor in a series of five puns. Then they developed their own set of puns. Despite the cheesiness … Continue reading →

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The unexpected discovery

Posted on August 7, 2013 by knlistman

Often when students are asked to write a personal narrative about their experiences we don’t expect a story, just a description of a lesson learned. I feel like throwing up my hands in frustration when a student says “I never … Continue reading →

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A tale of two writers

Posted on August 6, 2013 by knlistman

Recently, I observed eighth graders working on a writing assignment. The prompt, “Write about a decision you made” was an uninspired one that usually failed to provoke much of a worthwhile response from struggling students. (Honestly, how many major decisions … Continue reading →

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Compositional Divide

Posted on August 2, 2013 by knlistman

Teachers have often heard how basic skills, such as memorization of content is required before higher level skills such as creating a new product can occur. Students are supposed to master how to recognize letters and sounds before combining phonemes … Continue reading →

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Defining the portfolio

Posted on July 31, 2013 by knlistman

Do you regret the time lost with state mandated assessments? What if the products being assessed were actually part of the learning experience. That is one of the ideas behind the move to assess students through their portfolios. However, before … Continue reading →

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