Literacy Leads
 This site is about: reading and/or experience, reflecting, setting goals, revising goals, and starting again. For me personally, I thought I would have www.liketowrite.com rewritten by now. I wrote it in 2000 and have updated it. However, I want to completely rewrite it with my new learning. I want to move away from a narrative writing site to reflect the new goals of our state - writing across the curriculum. I'm going public with my goal. I will continue to reflect on my progress here in the public arena. That's one way to change and hold yourself accountable. It's a great way to model for students!
This year I want to write stories. I think that within the stories of my teaching are some valuable lessons that I'd like to grab hold of and share. I hope with years comes wisdom. I know I will hear from you about whether that is true in my case. So, look for stories on liketoread and a whole new liketowrite. Please continue to send me your ideas because I love to include your suggestions in the "Collaboration Corner" section of these newsletters.
I will keep the issues on daybooks posted indefinitely. Also, take a look at Heinemann Books for the book six of us from the UNC Charlotte Writing Project wrote on daybooks, Thinking Out Loud On Paper: Student Daybooks as a Tool for Learning. The book, published in January 2008, is available from Heinemann.com or Amazon.com!
The newsletters are available as PDFs from the links below (requires Acrobat Reader). Most have photos so give them some time to download.
Current Issue
New Lenses
School needs to be fun and educational. Here's an idea for looking at subjects with new lenses.
Issue Archive
Reflection on Reflection (11/18/09)
Today’s learning is a building block for what happens tomorrow. Reflection drives that learning.
Material Decisions (11/5/09)
Even encouraging children to choose their supplies has a big impact, but it's hard to remember.
Going Public (10/21/09)
Students' writing rises to new heights when teachers provide publishing outlets.
More on Daybooks (10/6/09)
I have received so much email on daybooks lately, I didn’t want to keep all the ideas to myself. So, with permission, I share these wonderful thoughts and ideas…
Choice Reading (9/18/09)
Therefore, as the keepers of our reading programs, we must ask ourselves this over-arching question: Will our children continue to read after they leave our classrooms and how do we know?
Real Life (9/5/09)
Teachers are what's most important.
From Notebook to Daybook (8/31/09)
The easiest place to start making daybooks is to add reflection pieces to writing notebooks.
A Reluctant Writer's Story (8/23/09)
We all have Desmonds in our classes. Hopefully, reading about my experience will help you reflect on how to help your reluctant writers, too.
Sustaining Daybooks (1/17/09)
Short on ideas for sustaining daybooks? I offer some refreshing ideas for January.
Discussion Moves (12/5/08)
Questioning the Author discussion moves based on the book by Beck and McKeown with some Karen Haag thrown in.
Daybooks are NOT Diaries (9/18/08)
Daybooks are hard to explain. In this issue, I try.
Exit Circles (9/4/08)
Promise yourself that you will make time for closure at the end of your lessons. Read on to see my discoveries...
Assessment Part 2 (1/20/07)
It is our job to help students recognize their thinking (Sam Watson, UNCC). I offer these ideas for using daybooks to push students to reflect on their thinking. I assess daybooks through these reflective letters.
daybook assessment (1/11/07)
The question I get asked most often in my workshops is, "Do you grade daybooks?" In this issue, I begin to explain some of the ideas I use to help teachers with the grading issue.
Launched! (10/20/06)
After launching daybooks for writing, I took on the next challenge: Integrating daybooks into all subject areas.
Topics! (10/12/06)
Since most writers need topics, most of my modeling this first month is in how to collect ideas for stories.
Must-Haves (10/5/06)
I introduce a few must-haves in the notebook so that I can match lost notebooks to students and find pages I need to read. Read one suggestion for oraganizing daybooks.
First Day (9/28/06)
My description of my first day of school, introducing daybooks.
My Experience (9/21/06)
When teachers write, they learn what to teach. I offer a third issue in a series on daybooks where I detail my experience trying to use one. By trial and error, I learned the value of daybooks.
Intro to daybooks (9/15/06)
Introduction to daybooks, a soon-to-be-treasured resource.
Hopefloats 9-11 (9/10/06)
My friend John, writer, wrote Hopefloats as a challenge to teachers to write with our students. I offer it here as inspiration. Glue a copy in your daybook!
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