The Writer's Notebook offers aspiring authors the most enlightening and engaging seminars and essays from some of Tin House's favorite writers. Jim Shepard, Aimee Bender, Steve Almond, Antonya Nelson and others break down specific elements of craft and share insights into the joys and pains of their own writing.

Tap into your inner writer with this book of practical advice by the bestselling author of How Writers Work and the ALA Notable Book Fig Pudding. Writers are just like everyone else—except for one big difference. Most people go through life experiencing daily thoughts and feelings, noticing and observing the world around them. But writers record these thoughts and observations. They react. And they need a special place to record those reactions. Perfect for classrooms, A Writer’s Notebook gives budding writers a place to keep track of all the little things they notice every day. Young writers will love these useful tips for how to use notes and jottings to create stories and poems of their own.

In clear language, Fletcher and Portalupi explain the simple principles that underlie the writing workshop and explore the major components that make it work.

"This book seeks to reinvigorate the teaching of writing by harkening back to the original principles of the writing workshop, offering teachers a meaningful way to teach children how to write with enthusiasm and expertise. The author argues that we must focus again on genuine curiosity, individual choice, big blocks of time, quality conversations, and powerful children's literature"--

The Writing Workshop Note Book is devoted to making, remaking, and remarking on writing. Animated by a concern about how we relate to our own and others' writing and by a desire to have a felicitous effect on the reader's experience with writing and critiquing? and supported by his experience from decades of leading writing workshops? Ziegler has the following goals for this book;1) It will be useful if you are taking (or thinking of taking) a writing workshop.2) It will benefit workshop teachers.3) It will be a helpful companion to a solitary writer, who can be thought of as a ''workshop of one.''4) It will be pleasant to read! While this book does focus on the workshop experience, it is impossible to truly explore the workshop without dealing with the heart that sustains the workshop's brain; the act of creation. Thus, Part One is concerned with the work that leads to the drafts on the workshop table, and Part Two emphasizes what happens around the table while these drafts are critiqued. The two Parts are not discrete; the issues in Part One often occupy workshop discussion. Teachers of writing do not open up cans of lectures; pedagogy in workshops gets doled out in brief exegeses, organized opportunistically as the work comes across the table. Ziegler replicates this process by arranging the material into notes, which the reader can absorb sequentially or alight on as he flips through the pages.

Grade level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, e, p, i, t.

Take charge of your writing curriculum with The Complete K-5 Writing Workshop, and create a rich, balanced learning environment that simultaneously supports standards while focusing on what is meaningful and effective for students. With this comprehensive and well-organized resource, author and veteran educator Susan Koehler starts with the history of writing instruction, leading K-5 teachers through the writing process and assessment. You'll learn what to do with detailed information on creating a successful writing workshop--including writer's and teacher's notebooks, management tips, and publishing projects--and what to teach with a list of writing-craft skills and genre instruction guidelines that form the content of writing instruction. An extensive appendix provides rubrics, checklists, planners, graphic organizers, practice sheets, activities, and more to use in your classrooms today. By uniting process and skills, we can maintain a systematic approach to instruction while reviving learner engagement and rediscovering the joy of teaching writing.

When writing workshops first blossomed in classrooms, its hallmarks were genuine curiosity, individual choice, quality conversations, and engaging children's literature. A joyous hum of intention, creativity, and craft enlivened the school day. Today's teachers are often faced with a range of obstacles, as new initiatives are embraced, mandates handed down, and scripted programs are purchased. Sometimes teachers must sacrifice the original principles of the writing workshop and lose the creative venue they provide. Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop is filled with original writing challenges designed to bring back the spirit of the original writing workshop model and encourage teachers to enhance it with invention, innovation, and inspiration. Teaching creative writing is not only possible, but an important process in their instruction. Author Shelley Harwayne invites teachers to keep the workshop spirit alive by: Encouraging professional conversations on classroom ideas and methods between colleagues; Developing writing cues that allow young writers to be inquisitive, outspoken, and independent; Showing how high quality writing can make a difference; Offering an inspired and stimulating outlet for students to express their passions. Harwayne's book will help teachers encourage students to write the world around them, which can generate more critical thinking and make for a more well-rounded child.

This book is a practical, highly readable guide to teaching writing across a broad range of ages and grade levels (K-8). Each stage of the writing process is covered in detail, from setting a purpose for writing to drafting, revising, editing, and producing a "finished" product. The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of writing development and best practices in teaching, richly illustrated with examples of student work. Teachers learn strategies and techniques to help students work independently and in groups to develop meaningful projects; master needed skills through engaging mini-lessons; produce various forms of fiction and nonfiction writing; and use literature as a source of inspiration and modeling. Special features include "Teacher's Tips" and quick-reference lists that reinforce key points and aid in instructional planning. An invaluable Appendix provides booklists for mini-lessons on a variety of thematic, stylistic, and grammatical topics.

A mentor teacher shares insights, strategies and lessons for teaching reading, writing and math--and laying the foundation for learning success.