Wonderful Writing Resources

I seem to find it easier to challenge capable students in math or solving puzzles than students who are passionate about writing.

It seems there are many online resources for math/puzzle solvers and not so many for writers.

Often the contests for writers include a fee or a requirement to purchase a bound book which can be out of a student’s price range.

Jerry Jenkins posted The Ultimate Guide to Writing Contests 2019. There are three dozen contests in his list. Here’s the one I found interesting.

Monster Month!

  My FAVORITE month of the year. We’ve gotten to know each other, routines are familiar, and it’s time for a project that we work on during the month of October. I posted a great product at TpT  that I hope you’ll check out along with these other great resources. Your students will be reading, writing, solving math puzzles, and more with a monster theme. Monster and Alien Coloring Pages – add this to your sub folder? Easy Ways to Draw a Monster – get your hesitant artists started Free Halloween Clip Art – so much to choose! Monster Songs for Young Children – …

Check It Out! All Kinds of Minds

You’re coming to the end of the second month of your school year, maybe your first year as a teacher. You’ve gone through many of your strategies to help support a student who might struggle with behavior, academics, or social interactions. You can talk to the student, get advice from colleagues, former teachers of the student, or their family members. What if you need more options, more strategies to support your student? Consider visiting All Kinds of Minds. They have a library that “provides insights into the learning challenges that students face”, including: Thinking with Numbers Mastering the Challenges of Reading …

Poetry About Sound

Here are several poems that feature sound written by familiar poets whose books, if not already on your shelf, might be found at your local library or poems online! A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein “DEAF DONALD” “MY GUITAR” “ROCK ‘N ROLL BAND” Every Thing On It, Shel Silverstein “HORN” Falling Up, Shel Silverstein “MUSIC LESSON” “NOISE DAY” “SCREAMIN MILLIE”   Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein “WHAT A DAY” The Butterfly Jar, Jeff Moss “The First Musician” “Rachel” A Pizza the Size of the Sun, Jack Prelutsky  “We’re Loudies” Something Big has Been Here, Jack Prelutsky “Benita Bean” “Don’t Yell at Me” …

Vocabulary Cards Make Learning New Terms Easier!

While teaching a university class, my teacher participants asked me about strategies for learning new science vocabulary. What resources could be used to help students learn key words for a new science topic? I created a set of cards for a variety of topics that have an image, a simple definition in English, and the term in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Russian. You can choose from: astronomy, birds, wild cats, frogs, geology, insects, motion, weather, and whales. Consider these other resources: Increasing vocabulary is an accomplishment. Celebrate mastery of every word!– Marilee Sprenger in Education Week Teacher Rigorous and meaningful vocabulary activities can …

Need Even More Time for Science?

Who doesn’t need more time? There are many ways to integrate science and writing. Obviously, read and answer questions. OK, describe how to do an experiment and write an analysis of the results. Sure, but can science be used to encourage reluctant writers? You bet it can! I’ve had more than one student tell me they’re working to be better at math and writing because that’s what scientists do. Some students respond when there’s a reason to write clearly and solve math problems correctly. Here’s a few suggestions for integrating writing and science: Writing Clear Directions for making a peanut butter and …