Connecting Home and School

I was blessed to receive this photo of one our students reading his how to book to his brother.  There's nothing better than seeing their work being proudly displayed and shared at home.  Look at how his brother is enthralled with it!

Knowing that he has an audience to share his writing made a difference.  Knowing our audience has become a very important lesson in our writing unit right now. 

Listening to the writers talk about who their book is for, I can see they have truly thought about what their receiver would want to read about! 

Meet the Author Day

We had twenty-two authors today in our classroom...ourselves!!!

Wow...

I had the students start a writing sample today.  The purpose is to show where they are as a writer at the beginning of the year.  They will see these samples again at the end of the year.  They will also be placed into their portfolios and passed on to their future teachers.  I captured them working.  I was amazed at the errie silence...they were so hard at work!!!  Observing them today gives me a small glimpse into the future of our workshop.  I'm truly excited to see what unfolds!

Sticky Notes

While I am conferring with students, questions are bound to rise.  What do we do?  Well, as you can see, Wyatt was able to write his question and let me read it when I have time.  No interruptions, students get real writing practice, AND I am able to assess their writing as well.  Way to go, writers!