"A writer needs wide latitude so she can bring all her intelligence to the task," Ralph observes. "Assigning a particular format -- a hamburger essay, for instance -- would curtail this play, if not eliminate it entirely." That's why, instead of teacher-driven assignments, Joy Write shares the whys and the how of giving students time and autonomy for the playful, low-stakes writing that leads to surprising, high-level growth. First Ralph makes the case for carving out classroom time for low-stakes writing, despite pressure to focus on persuasive essays and test prep. Then he shares five big ideas for choice-driven, authentic, informal writing -- deeply engaging work that kids want to do. He also provides numerous suggestions for helping students build and flex their writing muscles, increase their stamina, and develop passion for expressing themselves with the written word. -- Provided by publisher.

Girls Write Now: Two Decades of True Stories from Young Female Voices offers a brave and timely portrait of teenage-girl life in the United States over the past twenty years. They're working part-time jobs to make ends meet, deciding to wear a hijab to school, sharing a first kiss, coming out to their parents, confronting violence and bullying, and immigrating to a new country while holding onto their heritage. Through it all, these young writers tackle issues of race, gender, poverty, sex, education, politics, family, and friendship. Together their narratives capture indelible snapshots of the past and lay bare hopes, insecurities, and wisdom for the future. Interwoven is advice from great women writers—Roxane Gay, Francine Prose, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Janet Mock, Gloria Steinem, Lena Dunham, Mia Alvar, and Alice Walker—offering guidance to a young reader about where she's been and where she might go. Inspiring and informative, Girls Write Now belongs in every school, library and home, adding much-needed and long-overdue perspectives on what it is to be young in America.

In this innovative new series Education Write Now, ten of education’s most inspiring thought-leaders meet for a three-day retreat to think and write collaboratively, and then bring you the top takeaways you need right now to improve your school or classroom. This first volume, edited by Jeff Zoul and Joe Mazza, focuses on the all-important but often uncomfortable concept of change. Each concise chapter addresses how teachers and leaders can do the hard work of enacting change so more students succeed—academically and emotionally. You’ll gain practical insights and strategies for changing how we think about... Embracing Change (Jeff Zoul) Learning (Tony Sinanis) Assessment (Starr Sackstein) Relationships (Kayla Delzer) Mental Health (Joe Mazza) Educational Technology (Thomas Murray) Teacher Engagement (Sanée Bell) Leadership (Amber Teamann) Partnerships (Bob Dillon) Communication (Joe Sanfelippo) The royalties generated from this book will support the Will to Live Foundation, a nonprofit foundation working to prevent teen suicide. Dr. Jeffrey Zoul (@jeff_zoul) is a lifelong teacher, learner, and leader. During Jeff’s distinguished career in education he has served in a variety of roles, most recently as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Deerfield Public Schools District 109 in Illinois. Jeff also served as a teacher and coach in Georgia before moving into school administration. He has authored many books, including What Connected Educators Do Differently. Dr. Joe Mazza (@joe_mazza) is Lecturer at The University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. He is the Founder/CEO of MakerDads, a new father and family engagement initiative bringing dads, grand-dads and other male role models together to support student learning through innovation. Joe’s innovative work has been featured in 15 books dating back to 2005. Most recently, he co-authored Lead Learners: Creating a Culture of Empathy, Innovation, and Empowerment with Derek McCoy (Routledge, 2018).

In this innovative series Education Write Now, ten of education’s most inspiring thought-leaders meet for a three-day retreat to think and write collaboratively, and then bring you the top takeaways you need right now to improve your school or classroom. This third volume, edited by Jeffrey Zoul and Sanée Bell, focuses on overcoming common problems in your classroom or school. There are many challenges we face as educators, no matter what kind of district or building we work in. The authors provide practical, insightful solutions and inspiring stories to motivate you on your journey, so you can get past the roadblocks and focus on what matters most—bringing all students to success. Topics include: Sustaining Joy (Lynell Powell) Breaking Free from Isolation (Rachelle Dene Poth) Broadening Our Definition of Literacy (Jennifer Casa-Todd) Making Libraries Relevant (Josh Stumpenhorst) Developing Perseverance in Kids (David Geurin) Promoting Positive Student Behavior (Jeffrey Zoul) Connecting with Students of Color (Sanée Bell) Elevating Instructional Supervision (Ross Cooper) Shifting Professional Learning (Katie Martin) Maintaining Staff Morale (Danny Steele) The royalties generated from this book will support the Will to Live Foundation, a nonprofit foundation working to prevent teen suicide.

In this innovative series Education Write Now, ten of education’s most inspiring thought-leaders meet for a three-day retreat to think and write collaboratively, and then bring you the top takeaways you need right now to improve your school or classroom. This second volume, edited by Jeff Zoul and Sanée Bell, focuses on relationships—the heart of everything we do in education. Building strong relationships and a positive school culture takes intentional, consistent effort, and the authors provide strategies and examples to help you along the way. Throughout the book, you’ll find insights and inspiration on these topics: Connecting the dots among students and staff (Jeffrey Zoul) Strengthening relationships in the learner-centered class (Randy Ziegenfuss) Building a culture of equity and access (Rosa Isiah) Cultivating student strengths and interests (Elisabeth Bostwick) Bridging the gap between schools and families (Laura Gilchrist) Deepening connections through productive conflict (Sanée Bell) Finding relationships beyond the four walls (Onica Mayers) Connecting through the power of generosity (Winston Sakurai) Bringing passion into the schoolhouse (Sean Gaillard) Tapping into dreams for a world-class culture (Danny Bauer) The royalties generated from this book will support the Will to Live Foundation, a nonprofit foundation working to prevent teen suicide.

Reissue of ILA bestseller. To become truly college and career ready, students need to be able to communicate effectively in writing, and teachers need to be confident and prepared to teach writing in ways that motivate, encourage, and challenge students to higher levels. In this practical volume, a stellar group of researchers and classroom educators come together to provide instructional strategies that can increase student engagement and motivation to write. Write Now! empowers K–6 classroom teachers to make key instructional decisions that benefit all learners. This user-friendly e-book includes practical tips, strategies, techniques, and concrete examples to help expand the writing expertise of both typical and challenged learners. Contributors: Rose Cappelli, Amber B. Chambers, Lynne R. Dorfman, Kathy Ganske, Matt Glover, Steve Graham, Dana L. Grisham, Karen R. Harris, Julia D. Houston, Jon-Philip Imbrenda, Carol Jago, Karen A. Pelekis, Carole C. Phillips, Timothy Shanahan, Linda Smetana, Michael W. Smith, Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Thomas DeVere Wolsey “Writing fluently and with cohesion is essential for all young children to master because it is a gateway skill for higher learning. Ganske’s approach makes the most of current research on writing and makes it instantly applicable to the classroom.” —Nancy Frey, San Diego State University

From social media to school success—take student writing to the next level! Text messages, Instagram captions, and Facebook posts...your students are already writers, with skills that serve as a springboard to the formal writing of school, college, and careers. With this book’s customizable strategies, you’ll help students make that transition, providing daily writing practice in your content area. Inside, you’ll find: Engaging exercises based in the kinds of writing students already do Versatile "parachute writings"—quick bursts of practice to drop into a day’s lesson Strategies for introducing academic vocabulary and making it stick Skill-boosting strategies for successful summarizing and using textual evidence Variations specific to all disciplines and content areas