Teach Writing Right

Fellow teachers, I welcome you to the year 2011.

As many of you already know, I do extensive online webpage work for the Northern Nevada Writing Project, the Northwest Regional Professional Development Program, and the WritingFix website. I have meant to create a professional and personal blog about the work I do and the wonderful teachers I work with for many years now, but I've had little luck making it happen...until now.

Let it be known that my New Years Resolution for 2011 will be the creation and weekly maintenance of this blog: Teach Writing Right. I hope you will follow me here, where I pledge to share new learning about good writing instruction that's been gained by me, my students, and the teachers I work with during inservice and site-based training. By following me, you will inspire me to keep me true to my 2011 resolution.

And, don't think I'm not going to ask you to participate too! Borrowing from my own Seven Elements of a Differentiated Writing Lesson Training, I will challenge you to stick to your own Writing Teacher Resolutions. I believe every teacher should set realistic and manageable goals every year for bettering their own writing instruction. Which of these seven lessons elements might you commit to during 2011?

• Bettering your use of MENTOR TEXTS to strengthen your writing lessons?
• Designing better GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS and helping students use them during pre-writing more effectively?
• Showcasing MORE MODELING of your own writing process when assigning writing to your students?
• Using more STUDENT MODELS to generate deeper thinking about skills of writing?
• Focusing students more on learning WRITING SKILLS than learning formulaic final products?
• Designing more opportunities for students to TALK ABOUT THEIR WRITING?
• Making time to truly TEACH REVISION to your students?